The pre-dental studies designation (“designation”) is for undergraduate students planning on pursuing a DDS or DMD degree. The pre-dental designation is not designed or intended for students enrolled in QU’s entry-level clinical degree programs.
The pre-dental designation is not a stand-alone program and is completed along with a student’s undergraduate degree and major. The pre-dental designation allows students to enroll in and track completion of common dental school course requirements. While the pre-dental designation includes many common prerequisites, requirements vary by dental school. Students are responsible for researching programs in advance of the AADSAS application cycle to determine if additional coursework is needed.
Pre-Dental Studies Enrollment: Students may enroll in the designation after matriculation by attending one “Pre-Med 101” workshop held by the director of pre-health advising. Pre-Med 101 offerings can be found on Handshake at the start of fall and spring terms and will be advertised via Pre-Health Opportunities emails.
Prospective Students: When applying to QU, undergraduate students interested in dental school or other clinical doctorates should select "pre-medical studies" as a track of interest. This automatically adds them to the Pre-Health Opportunities email list to receive information about pre-dental studies enrollment prior to matriculation and throughout fall term.
Requirements:
To receive the pre-dental studies designation upon graduation, the following are required:
- Cumulative GPA of 3.30 or above for required designation courses
- Minimum of 18 credits of designation coursework must be completed at Quinnipiac
- All designation course requirements must be completed on ground (no online coursework accepted)
- All designation course attempts are calculated to determine GPA eligibility (no grade “replacement” for repeated courses)
- If designation coursework is completed elsewhere, it must be transferred in as QU credits and listed on the QU transcript to count toward designation completion
Experiential Development
In addition to strong academic performance, pre-dental students need to actively pursue experiences throughout college that help them gain in-depth knowledge about dentistry, the healthcare field, and their intended profession. A wide range of skills and competencies should be developed through:
- healthcare and dentistry exposure (shadowing, volunteering, clinical work, etc.)
- research outside of the curriculum
- service learning
- community involvement and leadership
- activities that strengthen manual dexterity and fine motor skills
Active participation in pre-health and pre-dental workshops, advising, and events is expected. Students should work toward developing the AAMC's Pre-Med Competencies for Entering Medical Students (relevant to pre-dental students) and utilize pre-dental resources available via ADEA Go Dental.
Advising
Advising services for pre-dental students may include preparatory workshops, guest speaker events, peer mentorship, and one-on-one advising with the director of pre-health advising. First-year students are supported by the Pre-Med Ambassador peer mentorship program, which is overseen by the director of pre-health advising. Pre-dental students should seek advice on pre-professional development and strategy from the director of pre-health advising. Advising topics include assessment of readiness, competency development, timeline planning, application strategy, essay reviews, school selection, mock interviews, and navigating the AADSAS application process. Quinnipiac's Health Professions Advisory Committee (HPAC) offers an optional committee letter evaluation process for eligible dental school applicants.
Transfer Students
Undergraduate students who transfer to Quinnipiac University and wish to pursue the pre-dental studies designation must complete a minimum of 18 credits of required designation coursework at QU. If needed, grades for required coursework taken at other universities may be utilized to determine academic eligibility upon graduation.
Advanced Placement Credits
Most pre-dental students opt not to utilize AP credits for entry-level biology and chemistry for strategic purposes (dental school policies and/or DAT prep strategy). Many dental schools either discourage or do not accept AP credits for prerequisite sciences and labs. Some schools may accept AP credits for required sciences if the applicant completes advanced coursework in the same discipline. Students are asked to check specific course requirements and policies for dental schools of interest.
Online Coursework
In accordance with dental school admissions policies, online courses are not accepted for designation 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 45 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 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 |
| BMS 370 & 370L | General Microbiology and General Microbiology Lab | 4 |
| CHE 315 | Biochemistry I | 3 |
| English - select any two EN courses 1 | 6 | |
- 1
Select any two EN courses
In addition to the required courses above, dental applicants may need anatomy and physiology, calculus, and/or statistics. Competitive applicants should also plan for advanced sciences. Genetics, histology, cell biology, and immunology are widely recommended by dental schools.
Dental school prerequisites vary by program. Pre-dental students should review requirements via ADEA resources, the ADEA Dental School Explorer, or school admissions websites.