The pre-dental studies designation (“pre-dental designation”) is designed for undergraduate students who are planning on pursuing DDS or DMD. Pre-dental designation status is not intended for students enrolled in QU’s entry-level professional track programs. The pre-dental designation is not a stand-alone program and is completed in addition to the student’s undergraduate degree and major. Application to dental school may require coursework outside of a specific major. The pre-dental designation allows students to enroll in and track completion of these core requirements. While the pre-dental designation will cover the majority of standard prerequisite courses, requirements may vary by dental school. Students are responsible for checking their intended dental programs in advance of the AADSAS application process to determine if additional coursework is required.
Enrolled designation students may seek advice on pre-professional development and the professional school application process from the Pre-Health Advising Office. Advising services include: preparatory workshops, individual advising, assessment of readiness, long-term planning, application strategy, essay critiques, school selection assistance, mock interviews and guest speaker events. The Pre-Health Advising Office, along with the Health Professions Advisory Committee, provides committee letters of evaluation for eligible dental school applicants.
Pre-Dental Enrollment: Students may enroll in the pre-dental designation after the start of classes by attending one “Pre-Med 101” workshop held by the director of pre-health advising. Undergraduate pre-dental applicants should select that they are interested in "pre-medical studies" when applying to QU. This will automatically add you to the director’s email list, whereby you will receive communication regarding Pre-Med 101 offerings prior to and after matriculation.
To receive the pre-dental studies designation upon graduation, the following are required:
- Cumulative GPA of 3.30 or above in required pre-dental designation courses
- Minimum of 18 credit hours of pre-dental designation coursework must be completed at Quinnipiac
- All coursework for pre-dental designations must be completed on ground (no online coursework will be accepted)
- All attempts for repeated courses will determine GPA eligibility (grades will not be "replaced" for repeat courses)
- If required coursework is completed elsewhere, it must be transferred in as QU credits and listed on the QU transcript.
In addition to strong academic performance, pre-dental designation enrollees must actively pursue experiences and opportunities throughout their undergraduate years to gain exposure to dentistry and patient interaction. A wide range of skills and competencies should be developed through experiences such as:
- extended exposure to healthcare and dentistry (shadowing, clinical work, volunteering, etc.),
- research outside of the curriculum,
- substantial volunteer efforts and community involvement,
- leadership experiences, and
- activities that develop manual dexterity skills.
Active participation in the Office of Pre-Health Advising educational workshops, advising and events is expected.
Transfer Students
Students who transfer to Quinnipiac University and wish to receive the pre-dental studies designation must complete a minimum of 18 credits of the required designation coursework at Quinnipiac. Grades received for pre-dental designation courses taken at other universities may be utilized for transfer student GPA calculations to determine eligibility.
Advanced Placement Credits
Some dental schools may accept AP credits provided that applicants complete courses for which AP credit has been granted with a higher level course in the same discipline, while others do not accept AP credits for prerequisite science courses. Students are encouraged to check with the specific AP policies and course requirements of any dental schools through the ADEA website, Dental School Explorer or the ADEA Official Guide to Dental Schools.
Online Coursework
In accordance with professional school admissions policies, online courses will not be accepted for any pre-dental designation course requirements. Online degree seekers are not eligible for the pre-dental studies designation.
Course Requirements
All courses listed in this section may count toward both the major (if applicable) and the pre-dental studies designation.
Required Courses (All Courses Required for a Minimum of 46 Credits)
Students must complete all of the listed required courses, as they are the minimum prerequisites for application to dental schools and cover content tested on the Dental Admission Test (DAT).
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| Select one of the following: | 4 | |
| General Biology I and General Bio Lab I,General Biology I Lab | ||
| General Biology for Majors and General Biology for Majors Laboratory | ||
| Select one of the following: | 4 | |
| General Biology II and General Biology Lab II | ||
| Molecular and Cell Biology and Genetics and Molecular and Cell Biology and Genetics Lab | ||
| Select one of the following: | 4 | |
| General Physics I and General Physics I Lab | ||
| University Physics ( (includes lab)) | ||
| Select one of the following courses: | 4 | |
| General Physics II and General Physics II Lab | ||
| University Physics II ((includes lab)) | ||
| Required courses: | ||
| CHE 110 & 110L | General Chemistry I and General Chemistry I Lab | 4 |
| CHE 111 & 111L | General Chemistry II and General Chemistry II Lab | 4 |
| CHE 210 & 210L | Organic Chemistry I and Organic Chemistry I Lab | 4 |
| CHE 211 & 211L | Organic Chemistry II and Organic Chemistry II Lab | 4 |
| CHE 315 & 315L | Biochemistry I and Biochemistry I Lab | 4 |
| BMS 370 & 370L | General Microbiology and General Microbiology Lab | 4 |
| MA 141 | Calculus of a Single Variable | 3 |
| MA 275 | Biostatistics | 3 |
In addition to required pre-dental designation courses, students should complete any two (2) English courses and Psychology 101 (PS 101) to meet many dental school admission requirements. Advanced sciences such as Anatomy & Physiology, Genetics, Histology, and Cell Biology, as well as ethics and philosophy courses, are highly recommended.
Dental school prerequisites vary by program. Pre-dental students should review school-specific requirements via the ADEA Dental School Explorer or via program websites.