Your Path to a Career in Dentistry
According to the American Dental Association, “dentists give patients smiles they are proud to wear by helping people maintain and improve their oral health, quality of life and appearance.”
Admission to dental school is competitive, and dental schools review a candidate’s eligibility on multiple factors such as GPA, DAT (Dental Admission Test) scores, and service and volunteer experience.
Pre-Dental is considered an area of interest, in addition to your chosen major. Dental schools accept a variety of majors (for example, Biology, Biochemistry and Behavior Neuroscience), as long as a student fulfills all requirements for admission.
St. Edward’s also offers a Bachelor of Science in Biology Health Professions Track designed for students who intend to pursue dental school or other careers in the health professions such as medicine, veterinary medicine, physician assistant, physical therapy, public health or nursing. Review the degree plan for this track.
Career Opportunities
A postgraduate degree in dentistry prepares you for any number of rewarding career paths in the dental field. You can choose from a range of specialty areas.
- Dentist
- Public Health
- Teaching
- Health Care Administration
Explore Details About Pre-Dental
View the statistics for the entering class from to the Texas Medical & Dental Schools Application Service (TMDSAS).
Students applying to one of the four public Texas Dental Schools should review the education requirements set by the Texas Medical & Dental Schools Application Service (TMDSAS).
For students looking to apply outside of Texas, they should contact individual dental schools for specific prerequisite information.
View the coursework requirements recommended by American Dental Association (ADA).
Dentists and other healthcare professionals are expected to perform community service while in school. Career and Professional Development can assist you in researching service and volunteer opportunities; following are few local opportunities.
Biology, Chemistry and Behavioral Neuroscience majors have the ability to participate in research with their professors over the summer and during the school year. By working on projects with faculty, you’ll learn about the process of research and develop your lab skills.
Many students participate in summer programs such as the Summer Pre-Dental Enrichment Program (SPEP Collegiate II) at Texas A&M and the Summer Health Professions Education Program (SHPEP)
Qualified students work with the Health Professions Advisory Committee (HPAC).
The American Dental Association (ADA) states that the DAT (Dental Admission Test) is designed to measure the following areas:
- Natural Sciences (Biology, Chemistry, Organic Chemistry)
- Perceptual Ability
- Reading Comprehension
- Quantitative Reasoning
Typically, students take the DAT in the spring of their junior year so their scores are submitted in time for the opening date for dental school applications. It is recommended that students review the content of the exam and take some form of DAT prep course the semester leading up to the actual exam. Never take the DAT for practice. The DAT is administered year-round at test centers operated by Prometric Inc. For further information on the DAT, visit the ADA.
Students applying to one of the four public Texas Dental Schools should review the application handbook provided by TMDSAS.
Those applying to any dental school outside of Texas should review the application overview and instructions provided by the American Dental Education Agency (ADEA).