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General Dental Clinical Sciences

Types of Degrees General Dental Clinical Sciences Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing General Dental Clinical Sciences may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Master’s Degree	412
Doctor’s Degree	14

What General Dental Clinical Sciences Majors Need to Know

Studies in General Dental Clinical Sciences build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that General Dental Clinical Sciences graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in General Dental Clinical Sciences emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Education and Training — Importance 4.7 / 5; level 5.9 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 5.7 / 7.
• Biology — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• Medicine and Dentistry — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a General Dental Clinical Sciences program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Active Learning — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to General Dental Clinical Sciences careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.8 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, General Dental Clinical Sciences graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.6 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.6 / 7
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Working with Computers	4.4 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.3 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.2 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.2 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.1 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.0 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by General Dental Clinical Sciences professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Desire2Learn LMS software	Computer based training software	—
Course management system software	Computer based training software	—
Dental software	Medical software	—
Turning Technologies TurningPoint	Multi-media educational software	—
Calendar and scheduling software	Calendar and scheduling software	—
TechSmith Snagit	Graphics or photo imaging software	—
Healthcare common procedure coding system HCPCS	Medical software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
EcoLogic ADAM Indoor Air Quality and Analytical Data Management	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Collaborative editing software	Word processing software	—
Articulate Rapid E-Learning Studio	Computer based training software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for General Dental Clinical Sciences graduates include:

• Anatomy Teacher
• Pathology Teacher
• Neurological Surgery Teacher
• Dietary Aide Teacher
• Dental Hygiene Teacher
• Correctional Therapy Teacher
• Speech Pathology Teacher
• Corrective Therapy Aide Teacher
• Obstetrics Teacher
• Assistant Professor
• Dental Assistant Teacher
• Nutrition Aides Teacher
• Surgery Teacher
• Health Diagnostics Teacher
• Veterinary Medicine Teacher

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to General Dental Clinical Sciences graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	35.9%
Doctoral degree	24.9%
Post-doctoral training	19.1%
Bachelor’s degree	12.5%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	4.6%
Postsecondary certificate	2.9%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in General Dental Clinical Sciences?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 57.3% women and 42.7% men among General Dental Clinical Sciences graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	244	57.3%
Men	182	42.7%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of General Dental Clinical Sciences graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	179	42.0%
Asian	81	19.0%
Hispanic or Latino	42	9.9%
Black or African American	20	4.7%
Two or More Races	14	3.3%
Race Unknown	14	3.3%
International Students	76	17.8%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do General Dental Clinical Sciences Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of General Dental Clinical Sciences graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$209,489
4 years	$191,956
5 years	$225,886

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $225,886 — roughly 8% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online General Dental Clinical Sciences Programs

Fully online options is reported by IPEDS for General Dental Clinical Sciences. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Master’s	1	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in General Dental Clinical Sciences Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, General Dental Clinical Sciences graduates earn a median of $191,956 four years after completion — roughly 405% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences	51.05
Advanced General Dentistry	51.0502
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences, Other	51.0599
Dental Materials	51.0505
Dental Public Health and Education	51.0504
Digital Dentistry	51.0512
Endodontics/Endodontology	51.0506
Geriatric Dentistry	51.0513
Implantology/Implant Dentistry	51.0514
Oral Biology and Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology	51.0503
Oral/Maxillofacial Surgery	51.0507
Orthodontics/Orthodontology	51.0508

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.