ProgramsHealth Professions and Related Programs

    Dentistry

    CIP51.04

    48 colleges offer Dentistry. See what it covers, which degree levels are available and what graduates earn and borrow.

    Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition

    Colleges offering it
    48
    at its most common level
    First professional earnings
    $176,003
    median, 4 years after
    First professional debt
    $295,188
    median federal loans
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    Colleges offering it, by degree level

    Certificate
    1
    Associate's
    1
    Master's
    3
    Doctoral
    4
    First professional
    48
    Graduate/professional certificate
    3
    Published colleges reporting the program. College Scorecard field of study, 2025.

    What it covers

    About Dentistry

    A program that prepares individuals for the independent professional practice of dentistry/dental medicine, encompassing the evaluation, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases, disorders, and conditions of the oral cavity, maxillofacial area, and adjacent structures and their impact on the human body and health. Includes instruction in the basic biomedical sciences, occlusion, dental health and prevention, oral pathology, cariology, operative dentistry, oral radiology, principles of the various dental specialties, pain management, oral medicine, clinic and health care management, patient counseling, and professional standards and ethics.

    Definition: National Center for Education Statistics, Classification of Instructional Programs 2020, code 51.04.

    By degree level

    Earnings and debt by degree level

    Medians across colleges of each college's own program median. Earnings are for graduates who received federal aid and were working.

    Colleges offering Dentistry and median graduate earnings and debt at each degree level
    Degree levelCollegesMedian earningsMedian debt
    Certificate1Not reportedNot reported
    Associate's1Not reportedNot reported
    Master's3$329,2254 yrs after · 1 college$206,4222 colleges
    Doctoral4$165,1434 yrs after · 2 colleges$416,8853 colleges
    First professional48$176,0034 yrs after · 40 colleges$295,18842 colleges
    Graduate/professional certificate3Not reportedNot reported

    Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard field-of-study data, 2025. Colleges with too few graduates have their earnings and debt suppressed, so the number of colleges reporting is smaller than the number offering the program.

    Careers

    Careers this program leads to

    Occupations linked to Dentistry by the NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk, highest national median pay first. Pay and outlook are BLS figures for each occupation.

    Career explorer
    • Bright outlook

      Healthcare practitioners

      Dentists, General

      Median pay
      $170,950
      Outlook
      Faster than average

      Doctoral or professional degree

      • Critical Thinking
      • Judgment and Decision Making
      • Active Learning

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    Questions about Dentistry

    How many colleges offer Dentistry?

    Published colleges on CollegesRef report Dentistry at these degree levels: certificate (1 college), associate's (1 college), master's (3 colleges), doctoral (4 colleges), first professional (48 colleges), graduate/professional certificate (3 colleges). Counts are from College Scorecard field-of-study data (2025).

    What do Dentistry graduates earn?

    At the median college, first professional graduates in Dentistry earn $176,003 a year four years after finishing, across 40 colleges that report earnings. Figures cover graduates who received federal aid.