DDS from the College of Dentistry
Competitive Admission
	80 students per year
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Through close association with the other health sciences colleges at Iowa, the College of Dentistry has developed interdisciplinary programs in diagnostic testing, research, and patient care, and has earned international recognition for teaching, research, and service.

• Why Study Dentistry at Iowa?
• Students
• Faculty
• Admission
• Deferred Admit Program (DAP)
• Undergraduate Course Work
• Dental Course Work
• Student Activities
• Facilities
• Careers
• Scholarships

Why Study Dentistry at Iowa?
Dentistry at Iowa has a long history of producing leaders in the field. Five of the nation’s 56 current dental school deans were once Iowa faculty or are alumni. Iowa was the first university west of the Mississippi to establish a dental department; created in 1882, it is the nation’s sixth oldest dental school. It also is one of the most respected. The UI College of Dentistry is one of a select few in the nation offering advanced education in all dental specialties.

Cutting-edge research is conducted in all major areas and specialties, and the program has a national reputation for its fine undergraduate research opportunities. Iowa is among the top tier of dental schools for funding from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research.

Students
Bright, motivated, socially conscious students with a well-rounded background choose to enter the profession. They say they chose dentistry because it is a major health profession that gives them the opportunity to work with people. They enjoy being in business for themselves, and they appreciate the good income potential. Iowa’s dental students consistently rank highly on national boards. In 2006, Iowa dental students achieved the nation's highest score on the National Board Part II test.

A diverse student body in the college also enriches the academic experience; about 40 percent are women and 15 percent are minority students.

Faculty
The faculty includes generalists and specialists in every discipline of dentistry and those with PhD degrees in biological or related fields. Students at Iowa benefit from a 3-to-1 ratio of dental students to full-time clinical faculty. Teaching is the primary responsibility of about 100 full-time faculty.

Admission
Dental admission at Iowa is quite selective. Applications have climbed to more than 1,100 each year competing for 80 places in the class.

Undergraduate students don’t have to declare a pre-dentistry intention. Students interested in dentistry may pursue a major in any area and still be considered for admission to the College of Dentistry.

Although the minimum academic requirement for admission is the completion of 90 semester hours (s.h.) of study at an accredited college, most students complete a bachelor’s degree before entering dental school.

While you don’t need to be a straight-A student, grades are important for admission. The mean college grade-point average for entering dental students at Iowa is about 3.70 (on a 4.00 scale).

The College of Dentistry pays attention to your academic record and seeks well-rounded applicants who are interested in science and who can work well with people. The college also strives for cultural, economic, and educational diversity among its students.

Students from all backgrounds will find an understanding and supportive environment at Iowa.

Deferred Admit Program (DAP)
Students who are Iowa residents may be admitted to the college as early as the first year of undergraduate study, but they postpone enrollment to the college until they have completed at least four years of undergraduate course work. Students study a liberal arts curriculum that incorporates dental prerequisite courses. Once selected for the program, students must maintain an appropriate level of academic progress to enroll in the college. This program is open only to students who are Iowa residents.

Undergraduate Course Work
College courses in biology, chemistry, and physics are required for admission to the College of Dentistry, but the rest of your course work you may select.

English: Take the composition, rhetoric, speech courses required for a bachelor’s degree.

Physics: One year (8 s.h.), one-fourth in laboratory work.

Chemistry: Two years (16 s.h.), including one year of organic chemistry, one-fourth of which must be in laboratory work.

Biology: One year (8 s.h.), including some laboratory work. This may be satisfied by a one-year course in general biology or zoology. Upper-level courses in cell biology or microscopic gross anatomy (histology) would be beneficial.

Electives: Choose from the social sciences, philosophy, history, foreign languages, business, accounting, and mathematics.

Many colleges and universities around the country offer preprofessional programs for the health sciences. Students enrolled in these programs usually do well when admitted to a dental program.

Dental Course Work
The University of Iowa’s comprehensive DDS degree program will prepare you to begin professional dental practice immediately after graduation.

During your first year of study, emphasis is placed on the basic sciences—the biological foundation of the dental profession. Dental technique courses also are part of the curriculum, and Iowa offers its students patient-care experiences in preventive dentistry during the first year.

The second year builds on the basic science courses and involves experiences in more advanced patient procedures. During this time, you will be providing restorative and preventive dental care for patients in a clinic, which is a key feature of the program.

Iowa’s third year is much different from that of other schools. It is a year of clinical rotations through eight dental specialties. These in-depth studies occur in concentrated five-week periods. At the end of the third year of study, students will have developed skills in every area of dentistry.

During the fourth year of the program, these skills are integrated in the Family Dentistry Clinics. Management skills are emphasized as you practice in a simulated office setting, providing comprehensive dental care to patients. There also are many programs available outside the college, including a mobile dental unit and hospital dentistry. Unique among these is the Special Care Clinic, where many elderly persons with complex problems and patients with disabilities receive treatment.

Student Activities
During dental students’ fourth year, international exchange opportunities are available in London; Nijmegen, the Netherlands; and Arhus, Denmark. The dental program also has an active chapter of the American Student Dental Association, which sponsors speakers, produces the publication Probe, and holds numerous social events.

Facilities
Recent renovations have created some of the most advanced teaching facilities in the nation, including clinical facilities, teaching and research labs, educational media services, the Dows Institute for Dental Research, and a $3.7 million simulation clinic. Hardin Library for Health Sciences has more than 300,000 volumes and nearly 3,000 journal subscriptions.

Careers
Most students are interested in entering the private practice of dentistry or a specialty such as:

• Endodontics
• Prosthodontics
• Operative dentistry
• Oral and maxillofacial surgery
• Oral and maxillofacial pathology
• Oral and maxillofacial radiology
• Orthodontics
• Pediatric dentistry
• Periodontics
• Dental public health

Scholarships
The department offers several scholarships based on academic strength, research interests and experience, community service, leadership qualities, and diversity. An example would be an Academic Performance Award, which ranges from $5,000 to $7,500 a year for up to four years. Scholarships are awarded to entering students and renewed automatically for the duration of the student’s dental education, providing academic performance is maintained.

Refer to the Office of Student Financial Aid for a complete list of available scholarships.