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Dentistry & Oral Science Major

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Dentistry & Oral Science

0 Bachelor's Degrees Annually
797 Master's Degrees Annually
#25 in Popularity

Types of Degrees Dentistry & Oral Science Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many advanced dentistry & oral sciences graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level Number of Grads
Graduate Certificate 923
Master’s Degree 839
Doctor’s Degree 41
Bachelor’s Degree 41
Associate Degree 1

What Dentistry & Oral Science Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to dentistry & oral science and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Dentistry & Oral Science Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

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  • Medicine and Dentistry - Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
  • English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
  • Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
  • Biology - Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
  • Psychology - Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.

Skills for Dentistry & Oral Science Majors

The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to dentistry & oral science:

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  • Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
  • Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
  • Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
  • Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
  • Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Abilities for Dentistry & Oral Science Majors

As you progress with your dentistry & oral science degree, there are several abilities you should pick up that will help you in whatever related career you choose. These abilities include:

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  • Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
  • Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
  • Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
  • Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
  • Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.

What Can You Do With a Dentistry & Oral Science Major?

People with a dentistry & oral science degree often go into the following careers:

Job Title Job Growth Rate Median Salary
Dentists 14.1% $146,970
Dentists, General 19.4% $151,850
Health Educators 14.6% $54,220
Health Specialties Professors 25.9% $97,370
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons 19.1% $208,000
Orthodontists 18.2% $208,000
Prosthodontists 22.2% $176,540

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Dentistry & Oral Science?

41 Bachelor's Degrees Annually
98% Percent Women
32% Percent Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
Advanced Dentistry & Oral Sciences runs middle of the road when it comes to popularity, ranking #25 out of all the healthcare majors we track. In 2021, about 0 graduates completed their bachelor’s degree in this field. This major is dominated by women with about 98% of recent graduates being female.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of dentistry & oral science majors is as follows:

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Race/Ethnicity Number of Grads
Asian 4
Black or African American 2
Hispanic or Latino 6
White 27
International Students 0
Other Races/Ethnicities 2

Some degrees associated with dentistry & oral science may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to dentistry & oral science have obtained the following education levels.

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Education Level Percentage of Workers
High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED) 0.4%
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production) 0.5%
Some College Courses 1.6%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) 11.1%
Bachelor’s Degree 6.5%
Master’s Degree 8.3%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession. 3.1%
Doctoral Degree 29.7%
Post-Doctoral Training 39.9%

Online Dentistry & Oral Science Programs

The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level Colleges Offering Programs Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year) 0 0
Certificate (1-2 years) 1 0
Certificate (2-4 Years) 0 0
Associate’s Degree 1 0
Bachelor’s Degree 33 1
Post-Baccalaureate 0 0
Master’s Degree 144 2
Post-Master’s 188 0
Doctor’s Degree (Research) 34 0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice) 1 0
Doctor’s Degree (Other) 0 0

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to dentistry & oral science.

Major Number of Grads
Nursing 308,114
Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants 88,809
Allied Health Professions 85,413
Health & Medical Administrative Services 85,302
Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services 79,189
Public Health 42,551
Health Sciences & Services 35,887
Mental & Social Health Services 31,550
Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions 29,934
Medicine 29,206
Dental Support Services 25,040
Communication Sciences 23,288
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science 19,017
Pharmacy/Pharmaceutical Sciences 18,729
Somatic Bodywork & Therapeutic Services 10,516
Health/Medical Prep Programs 9,413
Other Health Professions 7,387
Dentistry 6,961
Dietetics & Clinical Nutrition Services 5,644
Bioethics/Medical Ethics 5,056
Alternative Medicine & Systems 3,431
Chiropractic 2,698
Medical Illustration & Informatics 2,689
Health Aids/Attendants/Orderlies 2,244
Optometry 1,789
Medical Science 1,090
Ophthalmic & Optometric Support Services 760
Movement & Mind-Body Therapies 468
Alternative Medical Support Services 136
Energy & Biologically Based Therapies 116

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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