There is no major called “pre-dental”, nor is there any particular major which is required for admission to dental schools. Bradley University offers a wide range of excellent majors, courses and opportunities which prepare students well for admission to dental schools. Students should choose a major based on their personal interests and abilities, and then meet with both their Academic (within their major) and Pre-Health Advisor regularly to ensure that they are taking the necessary courses (and at the right time) to meet their major and graduation requirements, as well as required and recommended courses for admission to dental schools. These pre-requisites can be taken as part of the major, Bradley Core, or free electives towards graduation, thus allowing students flexibility with their choice of major, and the ability to customize their pre-dental plan.
The following majors and minors are most popular among pre-dental students, because they incorporate many of the pre-requisite courses into the major requirements:
Majors
Minors
Below are listed the most common pre-requisites for dental schools and the Bradley courses which will satisfy them. Be aware that each dental school may establish their own specific pre-requisites which may vary from this list, so it is your responsibility to carefully research the admission requirements for schools to which you plan to apply. Pre-requisite courses may be taken as part of a Bradley major, minor, Bradley Core or free electives. Work with your academic and pre-health advisors to plan the best timing and sequence for completing pre-requisites for dental schools. All science courses should be taken with labs unless otherwise noted.
See ADEA Official Guide to Dental Schools for program-specific requirements.
Recommended:
Competitive applicants to dental schools are well rounded and have pursued a wide range of experiences to develop not only their scientific, thinking, and reasoning skills, but also interpersonal skills. In addition, dentistry is an “art” that requires good manual dexterity and an aesthetic eye, so hobbies or activities which develop these skills are valued. Most dental schools like to see some job shadowing or experience working in two or more different dental settings so you have some idea what the doctor-patient relationship is like from the dentist’s perspective, and have an opportunity to explore and appreciate different styles of dental practice or specialties. There is no set number of hours required – it’s more about quality than quantity of experience.
Volunteering and community service, whether or not it is in a healthcare setting, demonstrates your commitment to serving others, as you will as a future physician.
Research
Research experience helps you to learn the problem-solving skills needed to think like a dentist, and develop an understanding and appreciation for the scientific and clinical research that will be the basis for modern dental practice. And research-driven dental schools such has the University of Illinois especially value this experience.
Get Involved
Becoming a leader in a student organization, job, etc. gives you experience working with teams, communicating, and working together to share responsibility for accomplishing shared goals. Consider joining organizations such as Alpha Epsilon Delta honor society, Student Health Advisory Committee or GMT, and working your way toward an executive board or other leadership role.
The DAT (Dental Admission Test) is required by all dental schools. Competitive scores are usually at least 60th percentile or higher (minimum ~18-20 in each section), but vary by program. Starting March 1, 2025, the American Dental Association (ADA) will implement a new scoring system for the DAT. At that time, the current 2-digit score reporting scale (1 to 30) will be replaced by a 3-digit reporting scale (200 to 600).
Some programs are now also requiring or recommending applicants to complete and submit scores for a situational judgment test (SJT) such as Casper, to assess your social skills, behaviors and professionalism. You are presented with a variety of scenarios and asked to think about what you might do in these situations. Casper does not require significant preparation and is taken on your own computer, but it must be taken in the year that you apply to Dental schools. Be sure to check the requirements for EACH Dental program to which you are applying for their specific requirements and deadlines for Casper scores (if any).
Casper scores are NOT automatically posted to your AADSAS application. You must request scores to be sent to each specific school that you apply to that requires them.
DAT Prep
Although we do not offer a formal DAT prep course at Bradley, the Health Professions student clubs often hold a DAT Workshop and offer an on-campus practice test day to help students develop a personalized strategy, timeline, and study plan to meet their individual needs. There are many commercially available DAT prep materials and services. We do not endorse any one over the others, but can assist students in choosing products and services that fit their learning style, timeline, and budget. (Hint: The DAT and OAT are essentially the same exam, except the DAT’s Perceptual Ability section replaces the OAT’s Physics section. So many prep materials are interchangeable.)
DAT Testing Locations
The DAT is administered year round at Prometric Testing Centers. The closest testing centers to Bradley University are:
Sylvan Learning Center 7501 N University, STE 218 Peoria IL 61614
Sylvan Learning Center 2405 E Federal DR Decatur IL 62526
Sylvan Learning Center 1035 Lincoln Rd, STE 307 Bettendorf IA 52727
Dental School Information and Resources:
Entrance Exam:
Application Service:
Fee Assistance Programs:
Since 2013, Bradley graduates have been accepted to and continued their education and training at many dental schools around the Midwest and across the US and North America. We are proud of the success and accomplishments of our alumni.
Dental Schools
Offers also received from: Missouri SDOH (AT Still), University of Illinois, University of Iowa, University of Maryland School of Dentistry.
