dental · Memphis, Tennessee · public
UT Health Science Center College of Dentistry prerequisites
What Tennessee asks for in the 2026-27 cycle, as read from the school's own admissions page. 3 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.
- Biochemistryrequired
1 semester · 3 credits
Roughly half of schools require a semester and the share grows every cycle. The DAT does not test it, but first-year dental biochemistry assumes you have seen it.
- 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.
- Advanced biologyrequiredextra here
1 semester · 3 credits
"One upper-division biology course (Histology, Microbiology, or Comparative Anatomy): 3-4 hours." Three named options, pick one. The FAQ widens the spirit of it: "Any upper-division courses in biology related to growth and development such as comparative anatomy, physiology, embryology, and histology are helpful."
- Anatomy and physiologyrecommended
3 credits
Comparative anatomy is one of the three courses that satisfies the required upper-division biology line. The FAQ adds that "Any upper-division courses in biology related to growth and development such as comparative anatomy, physiology, embryology, and histology are helpful."
- Microbiologyrecommended
3 credits
Microbiology is not required on its own here, but it is one of the three courses named as satisfying the required upper-division biology line, so taking it answers that requirement outright.
Experience hours
- Dentist shadowingrequireddiffers
50+ hours
Most dental schools ask for 100+ hours.
"No less than fifty hours of shadowing in a general dental practice is acceptable." Half the baseline figure, and the page names general practice specifically.
- 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
"One committee letter and one from another source" is a complete alternative to the three individual letters, so a committee letter here replaces both science professor letters rather than one.
- Science faculty letterrequired
2 letters
The committee prefers "either one committee letter and one from another source or two letters from science professors and one from another source." Two science professors is the individual-letter route; the FAQ words the same option as "A total of 3 letters of evaluation with 2 written by science professors (and one from another source)." Up to four letters may be submitted.
- Dentist letternot required here
UTHSC names no dentist letter. Both accepted combinations end in "one from another source", which is left undefined, so a dentist you shadowed fits there but is not required.
Also on the school’s page
UTHSC in Memphis lists 97 semester hours of required coursework: 6 hours of English composition, 8 each of general biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry and physics with lecture and lab, 3 of biochemistry lecture, and one upper-division biology course of 3 to 4 hours. Everything must be finished with "a grade of C or above no later than May 31 of the year they are entering the program." A bachelor's degree in any major is preferred but a well-qualified applicant can be admitted after 97 semester hours with the office's advance approval. "A minimum grade point average of 2.75 is expected in all required subjects attempted and in cumulative course work," though the page adds that "GPA scores are generally competitive at 3.5 or higher." "Residents of Tennessee are given preference for admission," and US citizenship or permanent residency is required. TWO PAGES DISAGREE, and the stricter wording is recorded here. On online coursework the admissions page says "All science prerequisites should be taken in face-to-face instruction format unless your institution only offers it in an online format," while the DDS FAQ says flatly that the school does not accept "On-line courses for prerequisites"; plan on in-person science. On the DAT the admissions page uses the current scale, "An applicant with a DAT Academic Average score of 400 points or better will be considered competitive and may be asked for an interview," while the FAQ still carries pre-2025 numbers, saying there is "no minimum score" but that competitive applicants have "a total score in the 150+ range with no scores lower than 17 in any section." Those FAQ figures are on the retired 1 to 30 per section scale and are not convertible to the 200 to 600 scale in use since March 2025; use the 400 Academic Average figure. Scores stay valid five years and the exam may be taken three times. Second source read: https://www.uthsc.edu/dentistry/educational-programs/dds/faqs.php
School
uthsc.eduCheck your transcript against this list
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