Scott Pedersen, Advisor
Department of Biology and Microbiology
Agricultural Hall 329
605-688-5529
e-mail: scott.pedersen@sdstate.edu
Greg Heiberger, Coordinator and Advisor
Pre-Health Professional Advisor
College of General Studies
Wecota Hall 209
605-688-4294
e-mail: greg.heiberger@sdstate.edu
Area of Study
Dental schools are looking for bright, articulate students who have a well rounded education and are able to relate to a range of personalities. Dental schools require at least three years of college, but most now require that applicants have received their baccalaureate degree before they enter dental school.
Because the requirements of each dental school vary considerably, it is difficult to provide a complete listing of the necessary coursework that would satisfy every institution. Instead, the SDSU pre-dental program challenges the pre-dental student with a heavy emphasis on science courses (two years of chemistry, one year of physics, and at least three years of biology) in order to prepare the student for the Dental Admission Test (DAT). These courses do not restrict a student’s ability to shift into other programs at SDSU and provide excellent career alternatives for those students who are not immediately accepted into a dental school.
Admission to dental schools is extremely selective, and students who are serious about being accepted into a dental school should strive to substantially exceed the minimum requirements. Acceptance into dental school is based primarily on four criteria: 1) absolute minimum of a 3.5 GPA on the 4.0 scale, 2) Dental Admission Test (DAT) scores, 3) recommendation letters from faculty and employers, and 4) a personal statement describing the students’ motivation for this career choice.
The Career and Academic Planning (CAP) Center is an excellent place to begin the process of investigating Dentistry as a career and to begin the process of focusing the students on their pre-dental curriculum. The CAP Center is also an excellent place to look through the course catalogues of a variety of dental programs in order to secure additional information and admission requirements to a school of his/her choice. A pre-dentistry adviser is also available to help guide the pre-dental student through these processes. Financial aid is available through a wide variety of scholarship programs.
