dental · Philadelphia, Pennsylvania · public
Temple University Kornberg School of Dentistry prerequisites
What Temple asks for in the 2026-27 cycle, as read from the school's own admissions page. 2 lines differ from the standard dental school set, marked below.
Coursework
- Biology with labrequired
2 semesters · 8 credits · lab
Two semesters with lab. As universal for dental school as it is for medical.
- General chemistry with labrequired
2 semesters · 8 credits · lab
Two semesters with lab. The DAT's general chemistry section assumes the full sequence.
- Organic chemistry with labrequired
2 semesters · 8 credits · lab
Two semesters with lab at most schools. A small number accept one semester plus biochemistry; confirm on the school's page before planning around it.
- Biochemistryrecommendeddiffers
1 semester · 3 credits
Most dental schools ask for 1 semester · 3 credits and list it as required.
Temple does not require biochemistry. It appears only in the recommended list: "It is highly recommended that applicants have exposure to advanced science courses, particularly anatomy, biochemistry, histology and physiology."
- Physics with labrequired
2 semesters · 8 credits · lab
Two semesters, algebra-based accepted essentially everywhere. A handful of schools want only one semester; the two-semester plan covers them all.
- English or writing-intensiverequired
2 semesters · 6 credits
Two semesters of English or writing-intensive coursework at most schools that name it.
- Anatomy and physiologyrecommended
3 credits
Named directly in Temple's recommended advanced sciences, alongside histology and biochemistry: anatomy and physiology are both listed. Recommended, not required, and no credit figure is attached.
- Microbiologyrecommended
3 credits
Required at a meaningful minority and recommended widely; a strong pick for the spare science slot.
Experience hours
- Dentist shadowingrequired
100+ hours
Shadowing dentists. Schools that publish a number most often say 100 hours, and admissions committees read breadth across general and specialty practice. Hours shadowing physicians do not answer this; log dental chairside time here. Across the 77 school overlays, 36 require shadowing, 22 recommend it and 19 publish nothing; the numbers those schools name range from 30 hours to 100, so this baseline figure is a planning floor rather than a common standard.
- Non-clinical volunteeringrecommended
100+ hours
Few schools publish a number; committees still read for a service habit held over time.
Letters
- Committee letterrecommended
1 letter
Temple puts pre-health committee members on equal footing with science professors as writers of the two required letters, so a committee letter is an accepted route here rather than an extra document.
- Science faculty letterrequired
2 letters
"Students are required to submit two letters of recommendation from science professors or pre-health committee members." Two is the count, and Temple names no other acceptable writer.
- Dentist letternot required here
Temple requires exactly two letters and names only science professors or pre-health committee members as writers. No dentist letter is called for on either the university admissions page or the graduate bulletin.
Also on the school’s page
Temple's prerequisite list is short and symmetrical: "A minimum of eight semester hours, with lab experience, in each of the following subjects is required: Biology, General chemistry, Organic chemistry, Physics," plus "Six credit hours in English." Candidates "must have completed a minimum of 90 semester hours from an accredited college or university"; the university bulletin adds that baccalaureate degrees are preferred but not required. Beyond the four science blocks Temple asks for nothing more by name, only a recommendation: "It is highly recommended that applicants have exposure to advanced science courses, particularly anatomy, biochemistry, histology and physiology." Biochemistry sitting on the recommended side is the one place Temple is looser than the dental baseline, which now treats it as required. The DAT is compulsory, "Applications will not be reviewed without reported DAT scores," the school recommends sitting it "no later than Aug. 31 of the application year," and "Scores more than two years old at the time of application will not be accepted," a two-year window that is tighter than the three years many schools allow. No minimum GPA or DAT score is published on either the university admissions page or the graduate bulletin, and the two pages agree on every requirement above. Neither page publishes a shadowing or dental experience figure at all, so the baseline's 100 hours stands as a planning assumption rather than a Temple rule; the supplementary application does invite applicants to describe previous clinical and humanistic experiences. Applications go through ADEA AADSAS and "must be completed and verified by Jan. 15 at 11:59 p.m. EST," with an on-campus interview for candidates who advance.
School
dentistry.temple.eduCheck your transcript against this list
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