Future dentists and pharmacists must have a high school diploma or GED equivalent. Science and math classes are recommended in high school, including chemistry, biology, physics and algebra.
Dental schools require candidates to have completed 2 years of undergraduate college or university coursework before being admitted into the dental program. Most dental school students have earned a bachelor's degree. Before attending dental school, applicants are required to successfully pass classes in organic chemistry, inorganic chemistry, biology, physics and English.
Pharmacy schools require candidates to have completed at least 2 years of professional schooling before applying to pharmacy college. They are required to have taken classes in mathematics, chemistry, physics, biology, humanities and social science. As with dental school, the majority of pharmacy school applicants have completed 4 years of undergraduate education and earned a bachelor of science degree in pharmacy.
Dental and pharmacy schools take a student's academic performance very seriously when considering a candidate's admission. It is important to maintain a high grade point average at the undergraduate level; a GPA of at least 3.3 is recommended.
Pharmacists and dentists both spend their careers servicing their communities; therefore it is imperative that dental and pharmacy school applicants demonstrate a willingness to serve. Candidates should include volunteer work and community involvement on their applications.
Dental and pharmacy schools will also want to see prior experience in the respective fields. Some candidates combine the volunteer and experience requirements by volunteering or interning at their local pharmacy or dentist's office.
Dental school applicants are required to submit scores from the Dental Admissions Test (DAT), a computerized exam that tests applicants in biology, general chemistry, inorganic chemistry, perceptual ability, reading comprehension and quantitative reasoning.
Pharmacy school students must submit scores from the Pharmacy College Admissions Test (PCAT). PCAT sections include verbal ability, quantitative reasoning, writing, reading comprehension, biology and chemistry.