The College of Dentistry at Howard University is the fifth oldest in the United States, established in 1881. The facility serves the surrounding community as a patient care institution with an on-site clinic where postgraduate dentists give treatment. With a mission that focuses on education, service and research, students are exposed to all three of these vital components during their dental education.
Programs offered within the College of Dentistry at Howard University include a graduate degree of doctor of dental surgery (DDS). Postdoctoral programs are available for established dentists who wish to gain further education to specialize in the areas of oral and maxillofacial surgery, orthodontics or pediatric dentistry. A general practice residency is also available along with advanced education classes in general dentistry. The school also offers a joint DDS/MBA degree and runs a dental hygienist program.
Those seeking admission to the DDS program must meet minimum admissions criteria. Prospective students must have a bachelor of arts or science degree, a minimum overall GPA of 2.7 and a minimum GPA of 2.7 for all science classes. A score of 17 for each of the eight sections on the Dental Admissions Test is also required. A number of minimum core course requirements must be met as well, including eight hours of inorganic chemistry, eight of organic chemistry, six of human anatomy and six of physics. Students who did not take the required classes can meet the requirements at any accredited four-year college before applying.
The average age of students in the dental program is 24, with over half of the population being male. Average class size of entering students is 80, with an average GPA of 3.17. Approximately 63 percent of students are minorities. As of 2011, tuition for first-year students is $39,657. Second-year students pay $34,983. Third-year students pay $30,737 with fourth-year students paying $30,314.