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Pre-dental Scholars Program

The Pre-dental Scholars program is an accelerated program which allows students to receive conditional acceptance to Marquette’s School of Dentistry. The Pre-dental Scholars program allows students to reduce from eight years to seven the total time needed to complete bachelor’s and dental degrees. Pre-dental scholars enroll either in the Klingler College of Arts and Sciences or College of Health Sciences and complete their undergraduate studies in three years. Students are awarded a bachelor’s degree upon successful completion of their first year in Marquette's School of Dentistry. For information, visit the Office of Admissions.

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Admission to the Pre-dental Scholars Program

Admission to the Pre-dental Scholars program is offered to prospective first year students during the spring of their senior year in high school and to current Marquette students in the spring of their first year. Admission guarantees the scholar a place in the Marquette University School of Dentistry, after completion of the third year of undergraduate studies (and having earned at least 98 credits), and as long as the student meets the academic and behavioral standards of the program, and earns a satisfactory score on the Dental Aptitude Test (DAT), as determined by the Marquette Dental Admissions Committee. Students who wish to be considered for the Pre-dental Scholars program must complete the Pre-dental Scholars application.

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Undergraduate Curriculum

A typical bachelor’s degree consists of four parts: University Core of Common Studies (UCCS) requirements, college curriculum requirements, major requirements and electives. In the first three years of the Pre-dental Scholars program, students will partially complete the major requirements and elective hours and finish all UCCS and college curriculum requirements. Courses taken in the fourth year (first year of dental school), count as requirements toward both the bachelor’s and dental degrees.

Approved Majors

Klingler College of Arts and Sciences: Biological Sciences or Physiological Sciences. The Pre-dental Scholars coordinator and faculty advisers will be responsible for the academic advising of the pre-dental scholars. See Curricula Information for course sequences in biological sciences and physiological sciences for pre-dental scholars.

College of Health Sciences: Biomedical Sciences. The assistant dean will be responsible for the academic advising of the pre-dental scholars. See Curricula Information for course sequences in biomedical sciences for pre-dental scholars.

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Academic Standards for the Pre-dental Scholars

Students will maintain a place in the Pre-dental Scholars program by fulfilling the following requirements:

• Earn a cumulative 3.500 grade point average at the end of each semester in the program.
• Receive a grade of no less than a B or better in all science or math courses.
• Complete a typical course load of 15-18 credit hours per semester.
• Under no circumstances will a student in this program be admitted to the School of Dentistry before completing six semesters of full-time course work at Marquette University.
• May not repeat any math or science courses.
• AP course work in any science or math will not satisfy prerequisite requirements.

Failure to meet the academic requirements in any semester will result in the scholar being placed on probation beginning the following semester. Courses taken in the probationary semester must be approved in writing by the scholar's academic adviser. If, at the end of this probationary semester, the scholar has not brought the cumulative grade point back up to a 3.500 and/or has received less than a B grade in any science or math course, he/she will be withdrawn from the program. If the scholar has returned to the academic standards by the end of the probationary semester, he/she will be returned to good standing in the program.

1. During this probationary semester, the scholar must complete a typical 15-18 credit course load and may not withdraw from any course(s).
2. A second probationary semester will not be permitted and will result in withdrawal from the program.
3. Failure to meet the academic standards during the spring semester of the junior year will result in withdrawal from the program and will impact your admission to Marquette's School of Dentistry.

Appeals: An appeal to any decision must be made to the Pre-dental Scholars Committee in writing and should elaborate on any personal or medical circumstances that affect your academic performance. Any appeal related to grades or classroom performance, however, must be taken up with the faculty involved or through the use of his/her department’s grade appeal procedures.

University Probation: Behaviors and/or activities that lead to University Probation may result in removal from the program and impact admission to Marquette's School of Dentistry. Such activities include academic dishonesty or any activity deemed inappropriate, unethical, or illegal.

Academic Dishonesty: Any activity deemed inappropriate, unethical, or illegal, regardless of whether that behavior leads to University Probation, may result in removal from the program and impact admission to Marquette's School of Dentistry.

Summer Course Work: All Science and math courses must be taken at Marquette University unless your academic adviser agrees, in writing and in advance, that circumstances warrant that courses may be taken elsewhere. Science or math courses taken at junior, community, two-year, or technical schools are not acceptable and will not satisfy the science and math requirements of this program. Courses in the humanities are not subject to the above restriction, but must be approved from your college adviser.

Dental Aptitude Test (DAT): The DAT may be taken as early as the spring semester of the sophomore year, but no later than the fall semester of the junior year.

While the dental school is bound to hold a place for scholars who meet all requirements, students are not obligated to attend Marquette’s School of Dentistry. Withdrawal from this program, whether voluntary or otherwise, does not necessarily compromise your ability to apply to Marquette's School of Dentistry through normal application procedures, providing that you are competitive with other applicants.

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Grades/Graduation/Graduation Honors

The undergraduate colleges will base their calculations for academic honors on all credits earned toward the bachelor’s degree, including all Dental School credits completed through the term in which the students satisfies all undergraduate degree requirements, including the minimum 128 credits needed for the degree.

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Financial Aid

Since pre-dental scholars will be spending only three years as an undergraduate at Marquette, the financial aid and scholarships received will be applicable only to the first three years at Marquette. After completion of the first three years or undergraduate degree, scholars must apply for financial aid and scholarships as an Independent Graduate/Professional student, rather than as an undergraduate.

Since the criteria for admission to the Pre-dental Scholars program match the criteria for many of the merit-based scholarships awarded by the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, it is highly probable that scholars in the program will also receive merit-based scholarships to Marquette University.

It is important to note that these scholarships, while renewable for up to eight semesters at the university, are only for undergraduate study. As a result, scholars will only be able to apply these scholarships to the first three years at Marquette, because once classes begin in Marquette's School of Dentistry, scholars will no longer be considered undergraduates. The fourth year or earlier of the scholarship will be forfeited.

Pre-dental Scholars would be eligible to apply in the third year for any Dental School financial aid and scholarships available to any student in the first year of Dental School.