MHA Pathway to Dentistry

Students in the MHA Pathway to Dentistry Program will benefit by:

✔ Receiving scholarship support from School of Dental Medicine in the amount of $3,500 during the fall and $3,500 in the spring semesters of the 1st year of the program,

✔ Having a reserved seat in the DDS class the year after matriculating,

✔ Completing a rigorous, graduate-level, 1st year MS-MHA curriculum prior to embarking on the dental school curriculum,

✔ Completing hand skills courses in conjunction with the MHA 1st year curriculum, prior to starting the DDS curriculum,

✔ Participating in professional development seminars co-facilitated by both the MHA and SDM faculty,

✔ Enrolling in MHA coursework on the CU-Anschutz campus and integrating themselves in the campus community and culture prior to starting the DDS curriculum,

✔ Receiving mentorship from both MHA and SDM faculty throughout their studies,

✔ Receiving strong support from the School of Dental Medicine during their first year as MHA students,

✔ Obtaining a level of expertise in anatomical sciences and modern imaging and modeling modalities that can shape residency placements and specializations, and

✔ Receiving both a Master of Science and a DDS degree upon completion of the MHA Pathway to Dentistry Program curriculum.

Potential applicants must check yes to at least one of the following to be eligible for admissions to the MHA Pathway to Dentistry Program:




• I belong to an ethnic group who is currently under-represented in the medical community:

  

  • Black or African American
  

  • Hispanic/Latino
  

  • Native American/Alaska Native
  

  • Pacific Islander/Native Hawaiian
  

• I am from an educationally or financially disadvantaged background.
  


• I am from a federally designated rural/frontier community.
  


• The household in which I grew up in was in one of the lowest 10% per capita income counties in the United States.
  


• The household I grew up in was designated to be below the US Federal poverty guidelines or poverty thresholds according to the US Department of Health and Human Services.
  


• I was born or raised in a county designated as underserved by health professionals or a part of the “safety net.”
  


• I am a first-generation student – (A) an individual both of whose parents did not complete a baccalaureate degree; or (B) in the case of any individual who regularly resided with and received support from only one parent, an individual who’s
 only such parent did not complete a baccalaureate degree. *Siblings do not count because they are technically first-generation as well. In addition, students’ whose parents have attained a bachelor’s or an advanced degree from another
 Country are not considered first generation.
  


• I am a non-traditional student applicant: Non-traditional Student- referred to as adult students, students who delay entry into college, students with children, students who are married, students attending part-time, students working full-time, and
 financially independent students.
  


• I wish to serve the underserved: My career goals include practicing dentistry in communities that lack access to dental care and are underserved by dental practitioners.




All applicants to the MHA Pathway to Dentistry Program must meet the admissions requirements of the Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) degree.

Prerequisite Requirements

The following courses (semester hours or equivalent quarter hours) are required to apply to the School of Dental Medicine. All coursework must be completed with a grade of C or better from an accredited U.S. college or university at the conclusion of the spring term of the year accepted. No more than 60 semester hours are allowed from a community/junior college. High school advanced placement (AP) courses can be accepted for prerequisite course work and will be evaluated on a case by case basis. Official documentation will be required to include AP scores. International students should contact the admissions office directly.

• General Biology or General Zoology with Lab (8 semester hours)
• General Chemistry with Lab (8 semester hours)
• Organic Chemistry with Lab (8 semester hours)
• General Physics with Lab, Algebra or Calculus based (8 semester hours)
• Microbiology, Lab not required (3 semester hours)
• General Biochemistry, Lab not required (3 semester hours)
• English Composition (3 semester hours)
• 90 semester hours with at least 30 hours of upper division credit
• Suggested Electives: Courses to consider include anatomy, cell biology, histology, immunology, physiology, business management/finance, psychology, and communications. Courses may be in a single area with a general background in many areas or may group together several related areas in the sciences or humanities.

The MHA Pathway to Dentistry Program utilizes a holistic admissions process and recommends an overall cumulative GPA of 2.80 and above and a science GPA of 2.60 and above for a successful application.

Dental Admission Test

Each applicant must complete the Dental Admission Test (DAT). The computerized test can be taken at any time during the year however, applicants are encouraged to complete the DAT by August 1 prior to applying to the DDS program. ADEA will obtain the applicant's official DAT scores directly from the testing center and will import the scores directly into the application. All applicants need to have a DAT score of 18 or higher to be eligible for the MHA Pathway.

Dental Shadowing Requirements

A minimum of 25 hours of dental shadowing are required prior to applying to the MHA Pathway to Dentistry Program. Ideally, these hours will include time with a variety of general and specialty dental clinics. Once admitted to the MHA Pathway to Dentistry Program, it is expected that students will complete an additional 25 hours of dental shadowing prior to starting the DDS curriculum in year 2 of the MHA Pathway to Dentistry Program.

Students will have a reserved seat at the University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine for the academic year following their successful completion of the 1st year curriculum of the Modern Human Anatomy Program. All students must meet the following requirements to successfully continue to the Doctor of Dental Surgery program:

• Complete a minimum of 24 credits of ANAT core coursework with grades no lower than a B-.


• Maintain an overall GPA of 3.0 or higher during the entire duration of the 1st year (will be evaluated per semester).


• Successfully complete the Hand Skills Course/Workshop, a free class held on four Saturdays throughout the Fall semester, five Saturdays in the Spring semester, and three evenings in the Summer semester.


• Complete two mandatory one on one meetings with the School of Dental Medicine's Director of Diversity Programming to check in on progress.


• Complete any additional dental shadowing requirements to satisfy the minimum 50-hour requirement for CU SDM admissions.


• Consistently demonstrate academic and non-academic ethics, collegiality, and professionalism.


• Complete all required supplemental experiential learning opportunities through the CU School of Dental Medicine.

Colorado Resident: $800.00 per credit hour. 

Non-Resident: $1272.00 per credit hour. 

View the Estimated Cost of Attendance. 

Tuition and costs listed here are based on the 2023-2024 academic year and are subject to change. 

Students applying directly to the Master of Science in Modern Human Anatomy Program must meet the Doctor of Dental Surgery prerequisite requirements outlined above on this website.

To apply, students must:

• Complete the Modern Human Anatomy application through the Graduate School's Application for Admission,
• Submit official transcripts from all colleges, universities, and professional schools attended,
• Provide three letters of recommendation,
• Provide official DAT scores,
• Pay an application fee of $50.00, due at the time of the application submission.

Students admitted to the MHA Pathway to Dentistry Program through the Graduate School's Application for Admission will be required apply to the Doctor of Dental Surgery Program through the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) application service during their first year in the MS-MHA program. Applications may be filed beginning June 4 prior to matriculating to the MS-MHA program.

Students applying directly to the Doctor of Dental Surgery program are eligible for the MHA Pathway to Dentistry Program. Applicants must apply through the American Dental Education Association (ADEA) application service. Applications may be filed beginning June 4 of the year preceding admission. The latest filing date is October 15. While a rolling admissions process is utilized, which may extend acceptances through March of the admission cycle year, early application is strongly encouraged as acceptances are offered as early as December 1. Only completed applications are reviewed.

The following must be sent directly to the ADEA:

• Completed AADSAS application - available online at American Dental Education Association (ADEA)
• Official transcripts from all colleges, universities and professional schools attended
• Letters of recommendation: Two letters from science instructors AND one letter from a non-science instructor, dentist you shadowed or employer OR Pre-Dental Committee letter (must include two science instructors)
• A $90.00 application fee is due with the application. A separate email will be sent out with instructions on how to submit payment. If applicants of the MHA Pathway to Dentistry Program would like to apply for a fee waiver, they can do so by contacting the School of Dental Medicine's Office of Admissions.

DDS applicants who are selected as a good fit for the program will be invited to apply to the MHA Pathway to Dentistry Program via email after December 1st of the preceding year of admission.