DentalFour Year Pre-requisite Plan
Dental Four Year Plan
Requirements for dental schools vary from school to school and can change year by year, students must carefully examine the pre-requisite requirements of the schools they are interested in to be current and accurate when registering for courses at Gustavus. Consult the American Dental Education Association guide for requirements and admission statistics to the 60+ Dental Schools, ADEA Official Digital Guide to Dental Schools.
(DAT) indicates that the course is also recommended for the Dental Admission Test.
First Year: Fall
BIO 110 Principles of Biology (DAT) & BIO 111 Lab
*CHE 110 General Chemistry (DAT) & CHE 111 General Chemistry Lab OR CHE 105 Foundations of Chemistry I (DAT) & CHE 106 Foundations of Chemistry I Lab
*Before you can register for CHE 110, you are required to take the Chemistry placement exam. (CHE 105/106 offered Fall only and CHE 107/108 offered Spring only) taking both are equivalent to CHE 110. Find out more about the CHE placement exam, click here.
FTS 100 First Term Seminar (Writing Intensive course- WRIT)
PSY 100 Introductory Psychology (or Spring)
First Year: Spring
BIO 120 Organismal Biology (DAT) & BIO 121 Lab
CHE 120 Organic Chemistry I (DAT) & CHE 121 Organic Chemistry I Lab (offered Fall and Spring)
*CHE 107 Foundations of Chemistry II (DAT) & CHE 108 Foundations of Chemistry II Lab *(CHE 105/106 offered Fall only and CHE 107/108 offered Spring only) taking both are equivalent to CHE 110)
MCS 121 Calculus I or MCS 142 Introduction to Statistical Methods
Second Year: Fall
CHE 220 Organic Chemistry II (DAT) & CHE 221 Organic Chemistry II Lab (offered Fall only)
*English- composition (some composition recommendations: ENG 100 Writing Process, ENG 112 Creative Writing, ENG 253 Writing Fiction WRITD, ENG 256 Writing Creative Nonfiction WRITD)
*(U of M prerequisite requirement: Two composition courses are preferred; or one composition course, and one additional course in either literature, humanities, or public speaking that is designated as writing intensive)
Second Year: Spring
CHE 230 Inorganic Chemistry I (DAT recommended) & CHE 231 Inorganic Chemistry I Lab (offered Spring only)
Third Year: Fall
PHY 120 General Physics I & PSY 121 General Physics I Lab (offered Fall only) (Biochemistry & Chemistry majors will take PHY 200 & PHY 201 Lab)
HES 230 Human Anatomy & Physiology I & HES 231 Human Anatomy & Physiology I Lab (offered Fall only)
*ART 141 Form and Surface, Ceramic Tech (*U of MN top recommendation) Spring semester only or ART 110 Drawn Conn and Visual Narratives (Fall & Spring) or ART 121 Sculptural Modes (Fall and Spring) (recommended)
Third Year: Spring
PHY 170 General Physics II & PHY 171 General Physics II Lab (offered Spring only) (Biochemistry & Chemistry majors will take PHY 210 and PHY 211 Lab)
HES 240 Anatomy & Physiology II & HES 241 Anatomy & Physiology II Lab (offered Spring only)
Fourth Year: Fall
CHE 270 Biochemistry & CHE 271 Biochemistry Lab (offered Fall or Spring)
Fourth Year: Spring
Recommended: BIO 218 Fundamentals of Microbiology and BIO 219 Lab OR if biology major, BIO 360 Microbiology & Lab. (BIO 250 and BIO 260 required if planning to take BIO 360 Microbiology) (offered Spring only)
Regional Dental Programs Pre-requisite Requirements:
- English - Two composition courses are preferred; or one composition course, and one additional course in either literature, humanities, or public speaking that is writing intensive.
- Online science lab courses are not accepted.
- English- Two courses. Composition, literature and/or comparative literature will fulfill the requirement.
- English: 2 semesters (Certified Writing and/or Intensive Writing Courses are also accepted- (FTS 100)
- Any prerequisite course completed at a community college must have been validated and accepted as an equivalent course by the accredited four-year institution from which you complete your bachelor’s degree.
- AP and CLEP will not be accepted for prerequisite credits.
The University of Iowa College of Dentistry
- English 2 courses
Midwestern University- AZ & IL (Microbiology)
- English 2 courses Composition/Technical Writing
Consult the American Dental Education Association online directory guide for requirements and admission statistics to the 60+ Dental Schools, ADEA Official Digital Guide to Dental Schools.
Updated 7/15/2024 HB