Health Professions: Pre-Dental
http://www.career.vt.edu/OHPA
Dr. Judith A. Wubah
Smith Career Center (0128)
231-6241 jawubah@vt.edu
Office of Health Professions
Advising
(OHPA)
Dr. Jack Evans 2089 Derring Hall (jaevans1@vt.edu)
Pre-Dental Coordinator
Be sure to meet with your departmental Academic Advisor on a regular basis in addition to the above listed
individuals.
MAJORS INFORMATION
Any major is acceptable as long as certain specific admission requirements are met. Dental schools like to see students
majoring in a life-science subject.
Common Majors: Biochemistry (BIOC), Biology (BIOL), Engineering (ENGE), and Human, Nutrition, Food and
Exercise (HNFE).
SPECIFIC COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Course Number
Title
Credits
CHEM 1035, 1045 (lab)
CHEM 1036, 1046 (lab)
BIOL 1005, 1015
BIOL 1006, 1016
OR
BIOL 1105, 1115
BIOL 1106, 1116
MATH 1015, 1016
General Chemistry, General Chemistry Lab
8
General Biology, General Biology Lab
OR
Principles of Biology, Principles of Biology
Lab
8
Elementary Calculus with Trigonometry
6
CHEM 2535, 2545
CHEM 2536, 2546
PHYS 2205, 2215
PHYS 2206, 2216
Organic Chemistry
6
General Physics, General Physics Lab
OR
PHYS 2305, 2306 Foundations of Physics
Freshman English
8
Biochemistry for Biotechnology and the Life
Sciences
OR
Introduction to Biochemistry
Recommended: Immunology, Microbiology,
Cell & Molecular Biology
Course and credit requirements vary by
program. Please check with the program you are
interested in for their specific requirements.
3
ENGL 1105, 1106
BIOC 3114 or 1014
* Program Specific
Requirements
Prerequisites
Must be taken in
sequence.
CHEM 1036,
CHEM 1046
MATH 1016
MATH 1205
6
Organic Chemistry
(varies according to
course)
COMMUNITY COLLEGE / SUMMER COURSES INFORMATION
It is generally NOT recommended to take these prerequisite courses over the summer. Health professional schools
prefer the courses to be taken at your home institution with a normal academic load. Schools also often frown on
taking science classes at a community college. Community college credits should be kept at a minimum!
ADVANCED PLACEMENT (AP) or INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE (IB)
INFORMATION
Check with specific schools to make sure that credit from a community college, Advanced Placement, or International
Baccalaureate are accepted. Some schools prefer that science courses are taken at a four-year institution with a normal
credit load.
GET INVOLVED!! VT Student Organizations, Courses, and Opportunities
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Course: UH 2004: Careers in Medicine 1 credit, sophomore or higher (Fall only)
Office of Health Professions Advising http://www.career.vt.edu/OHPA
Alpha Epsilon Delta Pre-Med Fraternity http://www.alphaepsilondelta.org.vt.edu/
American Medical Student Association (AMSA) www.vtamsa.org.vt.edu
Minority Assoc of Pre-Health Students (MAPS) http://www.snma.org/premedical.php
PreDental Club http://www.predent.org.vt.edu/
INFORMATION SESSIONS
Health Professions Group Information Sessions: Twice per week in the Smith Career Center
Online registration required, there will be specific sessions for Freshmen/Sophomores (Wednesdays at 8am) and
Juniors/Seniors (Fridays at 8am).
Check the OHPA website frequently for dates and times.
Dental School Visits: The Associate Dean of Admissions from the VCU School of Dentistry visits VT once each
semester. Schedule a visit with the Dean through Career Services to review your progress and preparation for the
application process.
APPLICATION & ADMISSION INFORMATION

Admission Test - Dental Admission Test (DAT). The test is computer-based and consists of four sections (survey
of natural sciences, perceptual ability, reading comprehension, and quantitative reasoning). It is recommended that
students take the DAT in the spring or summer a year before planning to apply to medical school.

GPA: ~3.5 to be a competitive candidate. The GPA is calculated several ways; overall, in-major, and science.
Students should check on-line for the mean and range of GPA for their dental schools of choice.

Experience: It is highly recommended that students participate in volunteer service, shadow/intern for a semester
or over the summer in local clinics, etc. The Office of Health Professions Advising will work collaboratively with
students to assist them gain the necessary practical experience. Certifications (EMT, paramedic, nursing assistant,
etc.) can help for gaining experience.

Application: Apply through AADSAS - Associated American Dental Schools Application Service
(http://www.adea.org/dental_education_pathways/aadsas/Pages/default.aspx), an online application process.

Campus Interviews: Conducted by the Health Professions Evaluation Committee in the spring of academic year
(March-May)

Dental School Interview: Yes, generally in the fall of the application cycle.
OTHER RESOURCES






www.ExploreHealthCareers.org, an exceptional resource for students
National Institutes of Health Career Finder, http://scienceeducation.nih.gov/LifeWorks.nsf/feature/index.htm
American Medical Association Health Care Careers Directory, www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/educationcareers/careers-health-care/directory.shtml
The American Dental Education Association (ADEA), Official Guide to Dental Schools, www.adea.org
American Dental Association (ADA) – www.ada.org
VCU School of Dentistry – www.dentistry.vcu.edu/
The Office of Health Professions Advising assists students and alumni pursuing a health care career in medicine,
dentistry, optometry, pharmacy, chiropractic, occupational therapy, nursing, physician's assistant, veterinary medicine,
or other graduate health professions.
Any student of Virginia Tech, regardless of major, can use the services of OHPA. Although the majority of pre health
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professions students major in a science field, it is not required.
Students should meet with their departmental Academic Advisor on a regular basis to ensure requirements are being met
for graduation. The Office of Health Professions Advising is an important complement to academic advising.
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