The Medical University of South Carolina James B. Edwards College of Dental Medicine is one of 66 dental programs in the United States of America. The MUSC dental school requirements are categorized here in the priority of what an applicant must submit to be considered:
Academic
- Pre-requisite courses
- Minimum number of years of undergraduate study required
- GPA
Non-Academic
- Dentistry Admission Test (DAT)
- Dental Shadowing
- Letter of References
- Personal Essay
- Interview
MUSC Dental School Requirements: Prerequisite Courses
All students applying to the MUSC dental school must have completed at least a minimum of 4 academic years of undergraduate study (120semester hours / 180 quarter hours). They must include the following courses:
| Prerequisite Course | Required | Lab Required | Credits (Semester/Quarter) |
| Biology | ✓ | ✓ | 8/12 |
| General Chemistry | ✓ | ✓ | 8/12 |
| Organic Chemistry | ✓ | ✓ | 8/12 |
| Physics | ✓ | ✓ | 8/12 |
AP credits are accepted at the discretion of the Admissions Committee.
MUSC recommends numerical or letter grades for prerequisite coursework. Pass/Fail grades for the Spring 2020 semester will be accepted.
MUSC Dental School Requirements: GPA Calculation and Requirements
| Minimum Overall GPA to Apply | Average Overall GPA of accepted applicants | Lowest Overall GPA Admitted | Average Science GPA of accepted applicants | Lowest Science GPA Admitted |
| N/R | 3.61 | 2.89 | 3.54 | 2.77 |
MUSC Dental School Requirements: Dental Aptitude Test (DAT) and Shadowing
DAT and Shadowing Overview:
Dental Shadowing is strongly recommended but not required.
MUSC Dental School DAT Admission Score Statistics:
| Mean Academic Average Score | Minimum AA Score Given Admission | Mean Perceptual Ability Test | Minimum PAT Score Given Admission | Mean Total Science | Minimum Total Science Score Given Admission |
| 20.3 | 18 | 21.4 | 18 | 19.5 | 16 |
If an applicant has completed the DAT more than once the highest score is considered when calculations are made.
Students looking to test their knowledge in preparation for the DAT can click on this link to access our free practice tests for both the Canadian DAT and American DAT.
MUSC Dental School: Letter of References
A minimum of three individual letters of recommendation or one confidential committee letter is required. It is recommended that letters of recommendation come from those most familiar with the applicant (i.e. faculty member, dentist, leader or mentor in a volunteer organization, etc.)
AADSAS Personal Essays
This University may take into account the AADSAS personal essay you submit to the ADEA. Your personal statement is a one-page essay (not to exceed 4,500 characters, including spaces, carriages, numbers, letters, etc.) that gives dental schools a clear picture of who you are and, most importantly, why you want to pursue a career in dentistry. For more information on the personal essay click on the link above.
MUSC Dental School Requirements: Supplementary Application
This dental school does require a supplemental application to be completed, in addition to the above-mentioned requirements. The supplementary application information can be found at this link. Both applications are required before the application will be marked complete and reviewed by the admissions committee.
MUSC Dental School Interview:
| Mandatory | By Invitation | Number of Applicants Invited | Entering Class Size |
| ✓ | ✓ | N/A | 78 |
Shortlisted candidates will be required to partake in an interview with the admissions team. The interview process for this dental school is unknown. If you are looking for interview practice check out our posts on both MMI Practice Questions and Standard Interview Practice Questions.
Requirements for other Dental Schools in America:
If you would like an in-depth analysis of the dental school requirements for other dental schools in the United States of America click on this link.