Academic Planning for Dental School

Core Pre-Dental Courses

The courses listed below will satisfy the basic core requirements for most dental schools. Course requirements can vary by school. Consult the ADEA Go Dental Explorer as well as individual schools’ websites for specific requirements. You may also refer to the ADEA AADSAS® Participating Dental Schools Required and Recommended Courses Worksheet for a list of required and recommended courses.

Biology: Two Semesters with Lab

  • Semester 1: BIOL 1101 OR BIOL 1121 with BIOL 1123
  • Semester 2: BIOL 1102 OR 2000-Level or higher Biology Lecture + BIOL 1124

General Chemistry: Two Semesters with Lab

  • Semester 1: CHEM 1011 OR CHEM 1012, either with CHEM 1101 lab
  • Semester 2: CHEM 1022 with CHEM 1102 lab

Physics: Two Semesters with Lab

  • Semester 1: PHYS 0101 OR PHYS 0150
  • Semester 2: PHYS 0102 OR PHYS 0151

Organic Chemistry: Two Semesters with Lab

  • Semester 1: CHEM 2411 with CHEM 2412 lab
  • Semester 2: CHEM 2421 with CHEM 2422 lab

Biochemistry: One Semester

  • Semester 1: BIOL 2810 or BIOL 402 or CHEM 2510

English & Writing: Two Semesters

  • Semester 1: Writing Seminar
  • Semester 2: Any ENGL or COML course (COML with texts in English)

Math & Statistics: One Semesters Each*

  • Semester 1: MATH 1300 or higher calculus
  • Semester 2: STAT 1110, BIOL 2510, or another statistics course

*Only some dental schools require Calculus and/or Statistics.

**Students who receive AP credit for MATH 1400 from Penn (noted on the academic transcript) may be able to use it to fulfill dental school math/calculus requirements.