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Predental Coursework

The chart below lists the coursework required for admission to the Indiana University School of Dentistry, including the specific Indiana University Bloomington courses we recommend for all predental students. Students must complete lecture and laboratory work in all required science areas except biochemistry and physiology, which do not require a lab.

Course Requirements for Indiana University School of Dentistry

IU School of Dentistry Requirement	IU Bloomington Course
English One semester of English composition	ENG-W 131 or 170
Biology or Zoology (with lab) Minimum of 8 semester hours (one academic year)	BIOL-L 111, 112, and 113 or BIOL-L 112, 113 and 211
Anatomy (with lab) Minimum of 4 semester hours	ANAT-A 215¹
Physiology Minimum of 3 semester hours	PHSL-P 215¹, BIOL-P 451², or ANAT-A 464¹
General Physics (with lab) Minimum of 8 semester hours	PHYS-P 201 and 202 or P 221 and P 222
General Chemistry (inorganic, with lab) Minimum of 8 semester hours in major level classes.	CHEM-C 117 and CHEM-N 330³
Organic Chemistry (with lab) Minimum of 4 semester hours	CHEM-C 341⁴ and 343
Biochemistry (lab not required) Minimum of 3 semester hours	CHEM-C 483⁵ or 484⁶ or BIOL-M 350⁷
Psychology One semester	PSY-P 101 or higher
¹ Offered through Medical Sciences. ² Preferred. ³ In order to obtain the best preparation to meet the requirements for all dental schools, predental students should complete the sequence of courses for chemistry majors through CHEM-N 330, including CHEM-C 341, 342, and 343. Students should complete CHEM-C 342 and 343 before CHEM-N 330. The IU dental school will accept CHEM-C 118 in place of CHEM-N 330. However, based upon the recommendations of the IUB Department of Chemistry, the Indiana University School of Dentistry encourages all IUB predental students to take CHEM-N 330 rather than CHEM-C 118. HPPLC strongly recommends that all predental students complete CHEM-N 330 instead of CHEM-C 118 to meet the general/inorganic requirements for admission to dental schools. Please also be aware that many dental schools require two semesters of organic chemistry. ⁴ Predental students should not enroll in the alternate organic chemistry course CHEM-R 340. CHEM-R 340 will not be accepted to meet the admission requirements of the IU Dental School. Predental students should complete both CHEM-C 341 and CHEM-C 342, the prerequisite for CHEM-N 330. ⁵ CHEM-C 342 is a prerequisite for CHEM-C 483. It is strongly recommended that students complete CHEM-N 330 before CHEM-C 483. ⁶ CHEM-C 484 has a prerequisite of CHEM-C 342. ⁷ Prerequisites for BIOL-M 350 are BIOL-M 250, BIOL-M 255 and CHEM-C 341.

Requirements vary for other dental schools, although most will require at minimum one year of biology, general/inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, and physics. For specific requirements of other schools to which you expect to apply, consult the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) Official Guide to Dental Schools (a copy is available in the Health Professions and Prelaw Center), or the individual school websites.

Taking some additional science courses such as molecular biology, cell biology, microbiology, genetics, endocrinology, and histology also may be useful in preparing for dental school. Additional recommended courses include social and behavioral sciences, medical terminology, and Spanish. In addition, courses in art (ceramics, jewelry, three-dimensional design) or instrumental music (piano, violin, guitar, or other instruments) may be helpful in building manual dexterity skills.

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