General Dental Clinical Sciences

Types of Degrees General Dental Clinical Sciences Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many general dental clinical sciences graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Master’s Degree	316
Graduate Certificate	74
Doctor’s Degree	14

What General Dental Clinical Sciences Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to dental clinical sciences were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

Knowledge Areas for Dental Clinical Sciences Majors

According to O*NET survey takers, a major in dental clinical sciences should prepare you for careers in which you will need to be knowledgeable in the following areas:

• Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Biology - Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
• 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.
• 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 Dental Clinical Sciences Majors

When studying dental clinical sciences, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:

• Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• 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.
• Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

Abilities for Dental Clinical Sciences Majors

As you progress with your dental clinical sciences degree, there are several abilities you should pick up that will help you in whatever related career you choose. These abilities include:

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

What Can You Do With a General Dental Clinical Sciences Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with dental clinical sciences:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Dentists	14.1%	$146,970
Health Specialties Professors	25.9%	$97,370

How Much Do General Dental Clinical Sciences Majors Make?

Salaries According to BLS

Dental Clinical Sciences majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $122,320 to $178,800 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes all degree levels, so you may expect those with a more advanced degree to make more while those with less advanced degrees will typically make less.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to General Dental Clinical Sciences

Some careers associated with dental clinical sciences require an advanced degree while some may not even require a bachelor’s. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.

Find out what the typical degree level is for dental clinical sciences careers below.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
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)	2.9%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	4.6%
Bachelor’s Degree	12.5%
Master’s Degree	35.9%
Doctoral Degree	24.9%
Post-Doctoral Training	19.1%

Online General Dental Clinical Sciences Programs

In 2020-2021, 34 schools offered a dental clinical sciences program of some type. 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)	0	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	0	0
Bachelor’s Degree	2	0
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	29	0
Post-Master’s	7	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	8	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	1	0
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Is a Degree in General Dental Clinical Sciences Worth It?

The median salary for a dental clinical sciences grad is $122,320 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 207% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $1,648,400 after 20 years!

Majors Related to General Dental Clinical Sciences

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to dental clinical sciences.

Major	Number of Grads
Orthodontics/Orthodontology	297
Advanced General Dentistry	210
Oral Biology & Oral & Maxillofacial Pathology	151
Pediatric Dentistry/Pedodontics	144
Endodontics/Endodontology	141
Prosthodontics/Prosthodontology	117
Periodontics/Periodontology	113
Other Advanced/Graduate Dentistry & Oral Sciences	105
Dental Public Health & Education	49
Oral/Maxillofacial Surgery	44
Dental Materials	0

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.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020

More about our data sources and methodologies.