Predental Program Requirements

The Predental Program is comprised of specific course requirements, clinical requirements and elective activities students must complete as part of their overall undergraduate curriculum.

Predental Program Course Requirements:

To receive a letter of recommendation from the UMW Premedical / Predental Committee, a predent student must have completed and have received a grade of C or better in each of the following courses by the time they submit their medical school application.

• Biology 121 & 122 (Biol Concepts I, II)  - or -  Biology 125 & 126  (Phage Hunters     I, II)
• Chemistry 111 & 112 (General Chemistry I, II)
• Chemistry 211 & 212 (Organic Chemistry I, II)
• Physics  101 & 102  (Gen. Physics I, II)  - or-  Physics 105 & 106 (University Physics I, II)

Some dental schools also require other courses, such as English, math and biochemistry.
Additional biology courses are recommended, but not required.

These courses may not be taken Pass/Fail, Credit/No Credit, or through a long-distance learning program.

Regarding Community College credits:  The VCU School of Dentistry will accept community college credits.  Credits from a community college may be accepted by other schools as well.  You should check with the specific school. 

Regarding AP credits:  VCU School of Dentistry does not address the issue of accepting AP credits on their web site.  If dental schools operate like most medical schools, then generally they will accept AP credits in fulfillment of premedical course requirements, provided UMW awarded you credits (not just exemptions) towards graduation and those credits appear on your transcript.  You should check with the specific dental schools you are interested in to find out more information.

Predental Program Clinical Requirements:

A minimum of two semesters of clinical experience at a licensed dental practice and /or clinic.  We highly recommend three semesters or a total of 100 - 150 hours of work.  This experience must be the type that provides students with opportunities to observe dentists at work. The University has informal affiliations with Fredericksburg-area clinics to provide specific experiences to qualified UMW students.  We encourage students to find similar opportunities at home during the summer.  UMW predental students can find out more by logging into this site or by seeing the UMW Premedical Advisor.

Elective Activities:

Predental students are encouraged to engage in extracurricular activities.  While community service is always encouraged, a number of activities are very worthwhile:

• Community service
• Student government
• Undergraduate research
• Varsity sports
• Club activities
• Military service