Specializing w/o Degree

[SloppyJoe]

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I am going into dental school w/o a bachelor's degree. Is a college degree required or even recommended for specializing after dental school?

 

[gryffindor]

If you apply to the notorious specialties like OMS or ortho (notorious b/c they are ultraselective in who gets in), all programs will ask you to send your college transcript. I really don't know why, I don't think not having an undergrad degree will matter. Your dental school grades are the key to specializing. Many GPR programs ask for you college transcript as well - again, pointless. On my interviews, one school asked about my college & my college GPA, but nothing more than "Where is this college I've never heard of?" and "Oh, you had a nice college GPA." The others didn't even bring it up. If it came down to two candidates, they wouldn't pick the other guy b/c he had a BS degree in bio and you didn't. It's really irrelevant.

 

[Yah-E]

I don't believe a BS or BA degree is a requirement for specializing in Post-Doctoral dental programs.

Think about it, if a bachelors degree is not required for entering dental schools, why would they make a bachelors degree required for dental specialties.

Undergraduate grades, however, are important in some Post-Doctoral application process such as Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery, the 6-year MD residencies, but not so much in the 4-year OMS residencies.

Having a bachelors degree will look good for both Pre-Doctoral (dental schools) and Post-doctoral (dental specialties) applications, but it is not required.

 

[c132]

I know several residents in ortho and 2 in omfs and quite a few medical students and NOT ONE said that they ask for any information about undergrad, they don't care what you made in art, lit, gen chem, physics etc....

 

[DrRob]

A DDS is a degree and in Canada its considered an undergraduate degree.

 

[SloppyJoe]

I am not asking if whatever major you had in undergrad will affect you. But rather if not having one at all will hurt you. I guess the consensus i am getting is that it's ok. Which makes sense, since they will take you w/o a degree. But i've heard of schools like UOP granting people a degree is bio sciences if they are only a few units short. I am a few units shorts in computer sciences, do you guys think i can get one from UOP? (Anyone at UOP?)

 

[aphistis]

Originally posted by SloppyJoe
I am not asking if whatever major you had in undergrad will affect you. But rather if not having one at all will hurt you. I guess the consensus i am getting is that it's ok. Which makes sense, since they will take you w/o a degree. But i've heard of schools like UOP granting people a degree is bio sciences if they are only a few units short. I am a few units shorts in computer sciences, do you guys think i can get one from UOP? (Anyone at UOP?)

Erm, I don't <em>think</em> you're asking whether a dental school will grant you a degree in computer science...but in case you are, the answer is obviously no. As for completing the undergrad degree at UOP proper, that's a possibility.

 

[c132]

Just curious buy, why are you going to dental school with a computer science degree anyways?

 

[Supernumerary]

Originally posted by c132
Just curious buy, why are you going to dental school with a computer science degree anyways?

Nothing unusual about that. In my class, there are bio majors, chem majors, computer science majors, early childhood development majors, former engineers, highschool teachers, business majors, a master of divinity, just about anything you can imagine.

I think it's smart to choose an undergrad degree that interests you. It makes it a whole lot easier to do well in school when you enjoy your classes. 🙂

 

[MarkFitzsimmons]

Are you wondering if going to dental school without a bachelors degree will interfere with getting the masters degree that most specialty residencies grant you? If so, the answer is no.