Information for Students Interested in Dental School

Marist offers a rigorous curriculum that gives a strong scientific background for the Dental Admissions Test and dental school. We also offer internships with local dentists and specialized advising for pre-dental students. The American Dental Education Association has more information about going to dental school. For information regarding pre-dental resources, please contact Pre-Health Program Co-Coordinators, Prof. Kristin Dragos or Dr. Michael Powers.

Marist has a strong record of placing students into dental school. In the last decade, about 55 percent of all Marist applicants were accepted to at least one dental school. Over the years, alumni of the School of Science have gained admission to schools throughout the Northeast, including Boston University, New York University, SUNY at Stony Brook, Tufts University, and the Rutgers School of Dental Medicine (formerly University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey). 

Requirements for Applying to Dental School

When applying to dental school, the schools will be considering a variety factors including:

• Experiences: Educational, vocational, research, and dentistry-related
• Attributes: Skills and abilities, personal and professional characteristics, and demographic factors
• Metrics: Grades and DAT scores

Marist can help you with these areas in a variety of ways.

• Experiences: Marist offers a variety of opportunities in research, as well as internships with area dentists.
• Attributes: We offer options including study abroad attachments related to social service and medical care, local social service activities, mock interviews, the pre-health fraternity Delta Epsilon Mu, and a pre-dental club, to name a few opportunities.
• Metrics: Through the courses you take at Marist, you will get the background knowledge you need for completing the DAT, and if you work hard, you will have acceptable grades on your transcript. Remember, only you can earn a grade; your professors cannot earn it for you.

Coursework

Most dental schools have the same basic requirements. These include:

• General Chemistry I and II plus labs (CHEM 111 & 112 plus 115 & 116)
• Organic Chemistry I and II plus labs (CHEM 211 & 212 plus 215 & 216)
• General Biology I and II plus labs (BIOL 130 & 131)
• General or College Physics I and II plus labs (PHYS 201 & 202 or 211 & 212 plus 213 & 214)

Other courses often recommended and sometimes required by dental schools:

• Statistics
• Calculus
• English
• Courses in the social sciences
• Other 300-400 level biology courses
• Biochemistry