UAB School of Dentistry prerequisites

3 semesters · 12 credits

Most dental schools ask for 2 semesters · 8 credits · lab.

"Twelve semester hours of general biology or zoology. Additional upper level human/animal biology courses are recommended," naming cell biology, physiology, comparative anatomy, embryology, histology, human anatomy and microbiology. Half again the usual 8 hours. The page names laboratory work for chemistry and physics but not for biology.

2 semesters · 8 credits · lab

"Eight semester hours of general inorganic chemistry which includes qualitative analysis and laboratory work." The qualitative analysis clause is UAB's own; check that your sequence covers it.

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.

1 semester · 3 credits

Most dental schools ask for 1 semester · 3 credits and list it as required.

"Biochemistry is strongly recommended," not required. UAB's chemistry requirement is the 16 hours of general inorganic and organic.

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.

2 semesters · 6 credits

Most dental schools ask for 2 semesters · 6 credits and list it as required.

English sits inside the required 30 hours of non-science coursework rather than standing alone: "Such non-science courses as English (six semester hours) and courses in the social sciences and humanities are recommended strongly to meet this requirement."

2 semesters · 6 credits

"Mathematics (6 semester hours)" is its own required block, and "Analytic geometry and differential and integral calculus are recommended" to fill it, so plan on calculus-track math rather than statistics alone.

3 credits

Named by a minority of schools and useful preparation for the first year regardless.

3 credits

Required at a meaningful minority and recommended widely; a strong pick for the spare science slot.

100+ hours

"UAB does not have a required number of shadowing hours" and review "will focus on consistency of experience rather than accumulation of hours," though "Many recent applicants seem to shadow 50-100 hours, some do more." Shadowing should consist primarily of general dentists, and the required letter from "a dentist that you have shadowed" makes some chairside time unavoidable.

100+ hours

Few schools publish a number; committees still read for a service habit held over time.

1 letter

Accepted nearly everywhere in place of individual faculty letters where your college offers one.

2 letters

"Two letters minimum from instructors that taught you in a science course, but no more than three." Four letters are accepted in all; the free slot is "One letter of your choice (from Pre-Health Committee, Pre-Health Advisor, Supervisor, Club/Organization Sponsor, Research Professor, etc.)."

1 letter

One letter from a dentist, usually one you shadowed. The count is now from primary sources rather than an estimate: across all 77 schools, each read from its own published page, 17 require a dentist letter, 14 recommend one, 38 state a letter set that does not include one, and 8 name no writers at all. The first estimate here said 70 percent; the real figure is 22. The line stays required as the fallback for the 8 silent schools, because a letter obtained needlessly costs effort while one missing at a school that wanted it can cost a cycle, and every school that does require it says so in its own overlay. Awaiting the human pass like the rest of this set.