Dentistry is not an undergraduate major. It is a professional doctoral degree (DDS or DMD) earned after completing a four-year dental school program, which itself requires a bachelor’s degree first. As an undergrad, you can major in virtually anything and still get into dental school, as long as you complete a specific set of prerequisite science courses.
Why There’s No “Dentistry” Major
Universities don’t offer a bachelor’s degree in dentistry. The path works more like medical school: you earn a four-year undergraduate degree, then apply to a separate four-year dental school program. Many colleges offer a “pre-dental” advising track, but that’s not a degree. It’s a guidance framework that helps you plan your coursework and application timeline. As Virginia Commonwealth University puts it, students “must declare an academic major and should declare and maintain their pre-dental advising track. Students do not earn a pre-dental degree.”
This means you pick a real major, complete the required prerequisite courses (often alongside or within that major), and then apply to dental school during your junior or senior year.
What Pre-Dental Students Actually Major In
The most common choice is biology, mainly because it overlaps heavily with dental school prerequisites. Chemistry and biochemistry are also popular for the same reason. But dental schools don’t require or prefer any particular major. You could major in English, psychology, business, or engineering and still be a competitive applicant, provided your prerequisite coursework and GPA are strong.
Choosing a science major simply makes scheduling easier because the prerequisite courses count toward your degree requirements. If you pick a non-science major, you’ll need to fit those science courses into your schedule on top of your major’s requirements, which can mean heavier course loads or an extra semester.
Prerequisite Courses You’ll Need
Dental schools set their own admission requirements, but the core prerequisites are consistent across most programs. A typical list includes:
- Biology: 8 semester hours (two semesters with labs)
- General Chemistry: 8 semester hours (two semesters with labs)
- Organic Chemistry: 8 semester hours (two semesters with labs)
- Physics: 8 semester hours (two semesters with labs)
- English: 6 semester hours (two semesters)
- Biochemistry: 3 semester hours (upper-level)
- Microbiology: 3 semester hours (upper-level)
All prerequisite courses generally must be completed with a grade of C or higher. Pass/fail grades typically aren’t accepted when letter grades are available. Upper-level courses like biochemistry and microbiology need to be taken at a four-year institution, while lower-level courses from community colleges are usually accepted. AP and IB credit can count if your undergraduate institution lists the credit as course-specific on your official transcript.
The Dental School Path After Undergrad
Dental school is a four-year program. The first two years focus on biomedical sciences: anatomy, biochemistry, pathology, and pharmacology. The final two years shift to clinical and laboratory training, where you work directly with patients under supervision.
Upon graduating, you receive either a Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) or Doctor of Medicine in Dentistry (DMD). These two degrees are identical in their educational requirements. The difference is purely a naming convention: some schools use DDS, others use DMD. Harvard adopted the Latin “Dentariae Medicinae Doctorate” when it founded its dental school in 1867, and schools that followed its model kept the DMD title. The American Dental Association confirms both degrees represent the same education.
After earning your degree, you must pass the National Board Dental Examination (a written test), a regional clinical board exam, and a state jurisprudence exam covering your state’s dental laws before you can practice.
How to Plan Your Undergraduate Years
Start your prerequisite science courses early, ideally freshman year, so you can build your GPA in those classes before applying. Most students apply to dental school during the summer between junior and senior year, which means you’ll want the bulk of your prerequisites finished by then.
Beyond coursework, dental school admissions committees look at your Dental Admission Test (DAT) score, shadowing hours with practicing dentists, community service, and letters of recommendation. Many applicants accumulate 100 or more hours of shadowing across general and specialty dental practices.
If your school offers a pre-dental advising track, sign up for it. You won’t see it on your diploma, but the advising office will help you map out your course sequence, connect you with shadowing opportunities, and prepare your application. The major on your diploma is up to you. Pick something you’re genuinely interested in, because a strong GPA in any field, paired with solid science prerequisites and a good DAT score, is what gets you into dental school.