Dentistry
Advisor: Jason Koontz, Assistant Professor (Biology)
Augustana's pre-dentistry program prepares students for admission to dental school. All U.S. dental schools require three or more years of pre-dental training and preference is given to applicants who are bachelor's degree candidates. Dental schools also place emphasis on the importance of a broad, general program of study. Students seeking admission to dental school should include in their course of study BIOL 200, 210, 362 and 370; CHEM 121-122-123 and 311- 312-313; PHYS 101-102-103 or 201-202-203. Recommended electives include MATH 219 (calculus 1), CHEM 411 (biochemistry), and advanced courses in art, English, history, philosophy, psychology, and social and political science. It is recommended that elective courses be chosen to broaden the student's intellectual background.
Augustana's dentistry program is not a graduation major, so a departmental major must be completed if the student intends to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree. The choice of graduation major is not critical for acceptance by a dental school, though nationwide the majority of matriculating dental students have a major in the biological sciences.
Augustana College has a "guaranteed and early acceptance" agreement with the dental school at the University of Iowa. Students are accepted during the spring of their first year at Augustana and must maintain a minimum grade-point average and score at the national average on the Dental Admission Test (DAT).
Augustana has been in the University of Iowa College of Dentistry Deferred Admit Program for more than 20 years. This is a 4-4 program, in which a student studies for four years at Augustana and then begins dental school.
