Pre-Dentistry
DDS / DMD • Prepare for dental school. Strong DAT scores and hands-on dental experience are key differentiators.
~3.67 avg
ADEA 2024
Avg Applicant GPA
100+ dental shadowing hrs
Typical Experience
12 courses
Required Courses
5 areas
Key Experiences
Required Courses
Click any course to see who teaches itThese courses are required by most DDS / DMD programs.
View all Pre-Dentistry classes →Recommended Courses
Not required but strengthen your application significantly.
Key Experiences Needed
How applicants actually build each one. Not just what to do, but how.
Paid dental experience
- 1Get your Registered Dental Assistant (RDA) certification through a Texas online course
- 2Apply to dental assistant jobs. It pays, and it is real chair-side clinical experience
- 3This beats unpaid observation and shows dental schools genuine commitment
Dental shadowing
- 1Email or cold-call Austin dental offices sophomore year
- 2Shadow a general dentist plus specialists (ortho, oral surgery)
- 3Log 100+ hours across multiple offices (shadowing is observation-only)
Manual dexterity
- 1Pick up a hands-on hobby: sculpture, drawing, crochet, an instrument
- 2Keep evidence (photos, projects) since some schools ask directly
Community service
- 1Volunteer at Texas Mission of Mercy dental events
- 2Join Austin Community Dental Clinic volunteering
- 3Stay consistent through your years at UT
DAT prep
- 1Study after finishing orgo + biochem (junior year)
- 2Use DAT Bootcamp as your main resource
- 3Give yourself 2-3 focused months
Build your Pre-Dentistry plan
Map your courses by semester & plan your experiences →
Quick Links
💡 UT Austin Advantage
UT doesn't have its own dental school, but Austin's dense network of dental practices makes it easy to get your RDA and work paid chair-side hours while you study. That is hands-on experience most applicants lack. Combine that with UT's strong science core and the pre-dental community for DAT prep and shadowing connections.
📍 Austin Resources
- • Austin Community Dental Clinic (volunteering)
- • Texas Mission of Mercy events
- • UT Dental Assisting Club
- • CommUnityCare dental clinics