Advanced Dentistry & Oral Sciences
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Types of Degrees Advanced Dentistry & Oral Sciences Majors Are Getting
The following table lists how many advanced dentistry and oral sciences graduations there were in 2018-2019 for each degree level.
Education Level | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Graduate Certificate | 856 |
Master’s Degree | 742 |
Doctor’s Degree | 56 |
What Advanced Dentistry & Oral Sciences Majors Need to Know
O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to dentistry and 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
Dentistry and Oral Science majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:

- 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
When studying dentistry and oral science, 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:

- 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
Dentistry and Oral Science majors often go into careers where the following abilities are vital:

- 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.
- Inductive Reasoning - The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
What Can You Do With a Advanced Dentistry & Oral Sciences Major?
Below is a list of occupations associated with dentistry and oral science:
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 Master’s Degree in Advanced Dentistry & Oral Sciences?
Racial-Ethnic Diversity
At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of dentistry and oral science majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Asian | 121 |
Black or African American | 12 |
Hispanic or Latino | 42 |
White | 318 |
International Students | 180 |
Other Races/Ethnicities | 69 |
Geographic Diversity
Students from other countries are interested in Dentistry & Oral Science, too. About 24.3% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:
- Saudi Arabia
- Canada
- India
- Kuwait
- Taiwan
How Much Do Advanced Dentistry & Oral Sciences Majors Make?
Master’s Degree Starting Salary
Data from the U.S. Department of Education shows that advanced dentistry and oral sciences students who graduated in 2015-2017 with a master’s degree made a median starting salary of $179,300 per year. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $151,600 (25th percentile) and $200,500 (75th percentile).

It is possible that some of these people may have taken positions that were not related to dentistry and oral science.
Salaries According to BLS
Dentistry and Oral Science majors often go into careers where salaries can range from $122,320 to $225,760 (25th to 75th percentile). This range includes all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.
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 Advanced Dentistry & Oral Sciences
Some degrees associated with dentistry and oral science may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.
Find out what the typical degree level is for dentistry and oral science careers below.

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 Advanced Dentistry & Oral Sciences Programs
In 2018-2019, 64 schools offered a dentistry and oral science 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) | 1 | 0 |
Certificate (1-2 years) | 2 | 0 |
Certificate (2-4 Years) | 0 | 0 |
Associate’s Degree | 0 | 0 |
Bachelor’s Degree | 18 | 0 |
Post-Baccalaureate | 1 | 0 |
Master’s Degree | 144 | 3 |
Post-Master’s | 166 | 0 |
Doctor’s Degree (Research) | 33 | 0 |
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice) | 1 | 0 |
Doctor’s Degree (Other) | 0 | 0 |
Is a Degree in Advanced Dentistry & Oral Sciences Worth It?
The median salary for a dentistry and oral science grad is $178,800 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.
This is 348% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $2,778,000 after 20 years!

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Majors Related to Advanced Dentistry & Oral Sciences
You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to dentistry and oral science.
References
- 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.
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