dental · Pikeville, Kentucky · private
University of Pikeville College of Dental Medicine prerequisites
What Pikeville asks for in the 2026-27 cycle, as read from the school's own admissions page. 9 lines differ from the standard dental school set, marked below.
Coursework
- Biology with labrequireddiffers
3 semesters · 12 credits
Most dental schools ask for 2 semesters · 8 credits · lab.
"Biology: 12 credit hours minimum," more than the two-semester baseline, and no laboratory is specified where the anatomy and physiology, general chemistry and organic chemistry lines all say "with Laboratory." Microbiology, histology and biochemistry each count toward filling these 12 hours.
- 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.
Recommended here, not required: "*Biochemistry: 3 credit hours" sits on the recommended list, and the asterisk marks it as counting toward the 12 hour biology requirement.
- Physics with labnot required here
TCDM's admission requirements list names biology, human anatomy and physiology with lab, general chemistry with lab and organic chemistry with lab. Physics does not appear, in either the required or the recommended list.
- English or writing-intensivenot required here
No English, writing or humanities requirement appears anywhere on the admission requirements list.
- Anatomy and physiologyrequireddiffers
2 semesters · 8 credits · lab
Most dental schools ask for 3 credits and list it as recommended.
"Human Anatomy/Physiology with Laboratory: 8 credit hours minimum in addition to the biology requirement." Two semesters with lab, required rather than recommended, and it cannot be double counted against the 12 hour biology block.
- Microbiologyrecommended
3 credits
"*Microbiology: 3 credit hours" on the recommended list, and like histology and biochemistry it "count[s] toward the fulfillment of the biology requirement," which makes it a cheap way to fill the 12 hours.
Experience hours
- Dentist shadowingrequireddiffers
30+ hours
Most dental schools ask for 100+ hours.
"Applicants must complete at least 30 hours of shadowing experience. Shadowing of general dentists, dentists in specialty practice, and dentists serving in Federally Qualified Health Centers, Rural Health Clinics, or Mission/Faith-Based Clinics is recommended. Students should shadow a minimum of two dentists." On relatives: "Working with dentists who are family members is acceptable; however, it is expected that candidates will work with/shadow a minimum of one other dentists" [sic]. The lowest published minimum among these schools, but the required dentist letter comes out of it.
- Non-clinical volunteeringrequireddiffers
200+ hours
Most dental schools ask for 100+ hours and list it as recommended.
"Candidates are required to complete at least 200 hours of service within the five years prior to application." Required, not recommended, twice the baseline number, and inside a five year window, so older service does not count. The college provides a community service form for documenting the hours.
Letters
- Committee letterrecommended
1 letter
Accepted nearly everywhere in place of individual faculty letters where your college offers one.
- Science faculty letternot required here
The college asks for two faculty letters without naming a discipline: "Two letters must be from faculty and one from a dentist." Science professors satisfy that, but so does any other faculty member, so the requirement is carried on the any-discipline faculty line instead.
- Faculty letter (any discipline)requiredextra here
2 letters
"Three letters of recommendation are required. Two letters must be from faculty and one from a dentist." The college says faculty, not science faculty, so a professor in any discipline answers these two.
- Dentist letterrequired
1 letter
"Three letters of recommendation are required. Two letters must be from faculty and one from a dentist." The dentist letter is explicit and no other writer substitutes for it.
Also on the school’s page
Tanner College of Dental Medicine publishes a short and unusual list: biology (12 credit hours minimum), human anatomy and physiology with laboratory (8 credit hours minimum in addition to the biology requirement), general chemistry with laboratory (8), and organic chemistry with laboratory (8). No physics, no English, no biochemistry are required. Microbiology, histology and biochemistry are recommended at 3 credit hours each and "count toward the fulfillment of the biology requirement," so they do double duty. "Additional advanced science courses are recommended and will be viewed favorably by the Admissions Committee. A grade of 'C' or better is required for each prerequisite course. All prerequisite coursework must have been completed within ten (10) years of matriculation to the Tanner College of Dental Medicine." That ten year recency window is the one to watch for career changers. The biggest departure from the norm is the test: "TCDM is a test-optional program. Completion of the DAT is not a requirement for admission. Applicants without a DAT score will be evaluated equally with candidates submitting test scores." No GPA minimum or class average is published on this page. The college states that it "seeks to focus its recruitment efforts in smaller, rural colleges and universities," and it supplies its own forms for documenting shadowing and community service hours. Histology is recommended but has no key in this vocabulary, so it is recorded here only.
School
upike.eduCheck your transcript against this list
Cyclios keeps this list beside your coursework and tells you what Pikeville still needs from you.
See it for dental school