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Program Facts
The length of the program is 45 months at least 34 by actual attendance. The program consists of twelve quarters of ten weeks each plus three required nine-week summer sessions. There are 88 students enrolled in the first year class with two of these spaces reserved specifically for students participating in joint DDS/PhD program.
The basic science and preclinical laboratory courses are taught primarily in the first 2 years of the curriculum by the appropriate departments/divisions of the medical and dental school. The clinical experiences in comprehensive patient care begin early in the first year. There are numerous selective program covering a wide variety of experiences and topics, such as the clinical management of patients and hospital service rotations.
The off-campus clinical rotations that are an official part of the curriculum are at: Wilson-Jennings-Bloomfield Venice Dental Center and Harbor/UCLA Medical Center.
The goals of the program are to produce graduates who: 1) possess the preventive, diagnostic, and technical knowledge and skills necessary to provide patients with comprehensive dental health in a variety of health care delivery systems; 2) view their role in the profession from a humanitarian perspective, accepting patients’ dental health as a right rather than a privilege, their patients’ psychological and physical health being the prime focus of their practices; 3) are able to provide socially sensitive and responsible leadership in the community of their practice; and 4) continuously update their knowledge of dental health and oral diseases, their techniques, and their practices. The school participates in the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE).
Requirements/Pre-requisites for Admission
- Course/Curriculum Requirements
| # of years: |
Formal minimum 3; majority have 4 |
| # of units: |
90 semester units or 135 quarter units |
* Limitations on accredited community college course work: only 70 semester or 105 quarter units will be accepted.
**Online classes for web-based education are not accepted.
| Required courses with One (1) year of lab (2 sem/3 qtr) |
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|
Semester hours |
Quarter hours |
| Inorganic/General Chemistry |
8 |
12 |
| Organic Chemistry |
6 |
8 |
| Physics |
8 |
12 |
| Biology |
8 |
12 |
Other required courses: No lab required |
| |
English Composition |
6 |
8 |
| Introductory Psychology |
3 |
4 |
| Biochemistry |
3 |
4 |
All courses must be passed with a grade of C or better.
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Other recommended courses:
Choose from among histology, physiology, human or comparative anatomy, social sciences, microbiology, communication, business, composition, technical writing, fine arts, philosophy, engineering and classics.
- Dental Admission Test (DAT): Do not fax score reports
DAT’s must be taken no later than December 31st and within a three-year period (including the current year applying). Canadian DAT's are not accepted.
- Residency Status:
U.S. Citizen or Permanent Resident
(Permanent Residents must be in possession of their Resident Alien Card at time of application)
Foreign Applicants
Applicants from other countries must be eligible for a student visa, meet the regular requirements
for admission to the UCLA School of Dentistry and complete ALL pre-dental pre-requisites at an
accredited U.S. college or university. It should be noted that financial aid is limited to U.S. citizens and permanent residents so foreign applicants should not apply unless they have adequate funding
for their professional educational and living expenses.
Application Process
AADSAS Applicants must submit an application to AADSAS which has its own application fees (depending on the number of schools to which an applicant is applying):
AADSAS
1400 K Street, NW
Suite 1100
Washington, DC 20005
https://portal.aadsasweb.org/
Information to be submitted to the UCLA School of Dentistry after receiving an email notification :
- Personal History Form (secondary application)
- $60.00 application fee made payable to UC Regents
- Official undergraduate and high school transcripts, which must be sent directly to our office in addition to the transcripts submitted to AADSAS
To prevent delays, please do not submit any documents to the School of Dentistry before receiving the email notification.
After submitting the supplemental documents, allow 3-4 weeks for processing. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that their file is complete; status checks will be provided by email and are not available over the phone. Only complete applications will be eligible for review by the committee.
Interview
The Admissions Committee reviews the information submitted from AADSAS and the Personal History Form to select candidates to be interviewed. Interviews are scheduled between November and March.
Timeline
The earliest date students may submit an application to AADSAS is June 1st. Applications submitted after January 1st will not be accepted. The committee begins to review applications in October and candidates are notified of acceptance during the period of December 1st through May 1st as we are on a rolling admissions.
Selection Factors
The Admissions Committee takes into account:
- Scholastic record
- Aptitude for science demonstrated by academic record and the DAT
- Academic performance on DAT, in particular, the PAT portion of the exam to determine spatial aptitude
- Reading comprehension performance on DAT, especially for English as a Second Language applicants
- Manner in which scholastic record was achieved, i.e., course load, breadth of the courses of study, extracurricular activities, and work experience
- Substantive letters of recommendation (minimum of 3) from any objective source
- Personal Interview
Contact Information
Noemi Benitez, Admissions Coordinator
Email: dds_admissions@dentistry.ucla.edu
At the following address:
UCLA School of Dentistry
Office of Student Affairs
10833 Le Conte Ave.
Rm A0-111 Center for the Health Sciences
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1762
Joint Programs
Students who enroll in the DDS program may also apply to combine this degree with a Masters or PhD program in Oral Biology or MBA from the Anderson School at UCLA. The student must apply and be accepted to each program independently.
Pre-Dental Courses
Some prospective students have expressed an interest in a predental technical course. UCLA School of Dentistry offers the Pre-Dental Technique Course through it's Continuing Education Program. This course enables participants to improve the manual dexterity and hand-eye coordination. The course has played a major role in assisting pre-health professional students in making decisions before applying to dental school. The course provides the participants an opportunity to improve their abilities in the preparation for dental school.
The School of Dentistry also offers a Perceptual Skills Workshop. This is a week long sculpture course. This course was designed by artist Ronn Davis to help prepare the student for the Perceptual Ability portion of the Dental Admission Test. In this course you will develop your ability to visualize three dimensional forms on paper by learning different methods of drawing. Carving will be practiced on a variety of materials including plaster and wax.
General Clinic Volunteer Program
The UCLA School of Dentistry General Clinic Volunteer Program is an 80 hour structured program for undergraduate students interested in pursuing a career in dentistry. The program is designed to provide students with a multi-faceted introduction to patient care as delivered in a dental school environment. Volunteers will be introduced and gain experience in a several areas including: Patient Intake and Screening Clinic, Chartroom and Billing Offices, Central Sterilization Services, Teaching Laboratories, and Special Projects from the Office of the Clinic Administrator. At the successful completion of the 80-hour program, volunteers can request a letter of recommendation from the Administrator of the program.
Enrollment
You will need to enroll in the UCLA Medical Center Volunteer Program before contacting the dental school. You can access the program website at: www.healthcare.ucla.edu . Click on Volunteer, Westwood Facilities, Student Program. General inquiries should be directed to the medical center’s volunteer office at (310) 267-8180. The office is located in room B791 (B-level) of the Ronald Reagan Medical Center . The director of the medical center volunteer program is Lisa Harden.
Once you have been cleared, you will be asked to contact Marissa Heredia, the volunteer coordinator for the dental school. She can be reached at (310) 206-1184 or in room 10-136 CHS.
Thank you for your interest and good luck!
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