Dental office manager education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a dental office manager. Dental office managers usually study dental assisting, business, or health care administration. 36% of dental office managers hold a bachelor's degree, and 31% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 1,599 real dental office manager resumes to see exactly what dental office manager education sections show.

The most common colleges for dental office managers are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

There are also many online dental office manager courses to help get the education required to be a dental office manager.

There are certain dental office manager certifications that you should consider. These dental office manager certifications include Dental Assistant (RDA) and Certified Dental Technician.

What education do you need to become a dental office manager?

What degree do you need to be a dental office manager?

The most common degree for dental office managers is bachelor's degree, with 36% of dental office managers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 31% and associate degree degree at 13%.

Bachelor's, 36%

Associate, 31%

High School Diploma, 13%

Diploma, 6%

Other Degrees, 14%

What should I major in to become a dental office manager?

You should major in dental assisting to become a dental office manager. 25% of dental office managers major in dental assisting. Other common majors for a dental office manager include business and health care administration.

Dental Assisting, 25%

Business, 24%

Health Care Administration, 7%

Psychology, 6%

Other Majors, 38%

Most common colleges for dental office managers

Dental office managers often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, Western Washington University, and The University of Alabama. Here are the most common colleges for dental office managers in the US based on their resumes.

Dental office manager common college	Percentages
University of Phoenix	17.86%
Western Washington University	7.14%
The University of Alabama	7.14%
Miami Dade College	4.76%
New York University	4.76%

Show more common dental office manager colleges

Best majors for dental office managers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Dental Assisting	24.5%
2	Business	23.8%
3	Health Care Administration	6.6%
4	Psychology	6.1%
5	General Studies	4.6%

Show more common dental office manager majors

Best colleges for dental office managers

The best colleges for dental office managers are University of Southern California, New York University, and University of Pennsylvania.

A dental office manager with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for dental office managers. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become dental office managers.

1. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

2. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Enrollment

9,142

3. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

4. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

5. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

6. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

7. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

8. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

9. Ball State University

Muncie, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,896

Enrollment

15,529

10. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

20 best online courses for dental office managers

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Top 10 most affordable universities for dental office managers

The most affordable schools for dental office managers are Baruch College of the City University of New York, california state university - bakersfield, and university of florida.

If the best universities for dental office managers are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for dental office managers.

1. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

2. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

3. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

4. SUNY Farmingdale

Farmingdale, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$8,306

Cost of attendance

16,091

5. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

6. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

7. Clayton State University

Morrow, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$5,419

Cost of attendance

17,697

8. Dickinson State University

Dickinson, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$6,768

Cost of attendance

15,506

9. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

10. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for dental office managers

The hardest universities for dental office managers to get into are University of Southern California, New York University, and University of Pennsylvania.

Some great schools for dental office managers are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for dental office managers based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

2. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

4. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,497

5. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

6. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

7. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

Admissions rate

23%

SAT average

1,434

8. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

9. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

10. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

Admissions rate

23%

SAT average

1,398

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for dental office managers

The easiest schools for dental office managers to get into are D'Youville College, mount saint mary's university, and gwynedd mercy university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a dental office manager without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for dental office managers.

1. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

2. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

3. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

4. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

5. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

6. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

7. AdventHealth University

Orlando, FL • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,016

8. Texas Woman's University

Denton, TX • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,059

9. Presentation College

Aberdeen, SD • Private

Admissions rate

97%

SAT average

1,050

10. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

Average dental office manager salary by education level

According to our data, dental office managers with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $75,843 annually. Dental office managers with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $71,404.

Dental office manager education level	Dental office manager salary
Master's Degree	$71,404
High School Diploma or Less	$55,509
Bachelor's Degree	$64,084
Doctorate Degree	$75,843
Some College/ Associate Degree	$57,226

Dental office manager education FAQs

What is the best college for Dental Office Managers?

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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