Application & Requirements for Post-doctoral Programs
Welcome! Thank you for your interest in applying to a postdoctoral program at Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine.
Prerequisites
To be considered for admission to a postdoctoral program at Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM), an applicant must hold a U.S./Canadian DMD or DDS or its BDS international equivalent. Current predoctoral students may start the application process during the final year of their programs, but they must receive their dental degree before they can matriculate into a postdoctoral program.
How to Apply
GSDM’s postdoctoral application process includes several components:
- PASS (Postdoctoral Application Support Service) Application
- GSDM supplementary fee and BU ID assignment
- Program-specific requirements and review
The email address applicants list in their PASS application is the primary means of communication for postdoctoral admissions. We recommend that applicants adjust their email settings to allow messages from @bu.edu addresses to ensure that communications regarding the application process are not automatically transferred to spam or junk mail folders.
Note: Please do not send any materials directly to the GSDM Office of Admissions unless explicitly requested to do so. All materials should be submitted within the PASS application.
PASS Application
GSDM participates in ADEA’s centralized application PASS program, and applicants must submit their application through the PASS website. Applicants can find instructions how to complete the ADEA PASS application on the ADEA website. Find specific application details at the ADEA PASS application help center. For more information or questions regarding the application process, applicants can contact PASS customer service at passinfo@passweb.org or 617-612-2065.
To find information on any of the postdoctoral programs offered by GSDM, applicants can use the official ADEA PASS Search engine.
The following documents and test scores are required and must be submitted within the various sections of the PASS application.
Academic History
- NBDE/INBDE, TOEFL, and/or ADAT results should be reported within the Standardized Test portion of the ‘Academic History’ section.
- ECE/WES evaluations required of all foreign and French-Canadian dental school transcripts. Order official ECE/WES results directly from ADEA, per instructions within the ADEA PASS application. The ECE/WES should specify that your dental degree has been awarded. If the ECE/WES evaluation does not specifically state that your dental degree has been awarded, upload a scanned copy of your dental school diploma (notarization not required).
Supporting Information
Applicants should upload the curriculum vitae, undergraduate or advanced degree transcripts, and other additional documents in the “Supporting Information” section of the PASS application.
- 3 to 5 Professional Evaluations (PEFs) (“Letters of Recommendation”)
- Institution Evaluation (IEF) (“Dean’s Letter” + GPA, rankings, etc/)
- Resume/CV
- Unofficial undergraduate transcripts (U.S./Canadian applicants only)
Program Materials
Each department offers several options for postdoctoral certificates and degrees. In this section, applicants may indicate affiliations with GSDM, if any.
- A Personal Statement is required
- Scan of dental school diploma if your ECE/WES evaluation does not specify dental degree awarded
(international applicants only)
- CBSE results – Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery degree applicants only
- Applicants must indicate their program of interest (CAGS/MSD/DScD/etc.) – not applicable for some programs, please review the program-specific requirements.
GSDM Supplementary Fee and BU ID
GSDM Admissions will email a link to the Boston University Applicant Gateway within a week of our receipt of your PASS application. In the Applicant Gateway, you will pay a $75 supplemental fee and link a Boston University identification number (BU ID) to your PASS application. If you are applying to multiple GSDM postdoctoral programs, please pay only one supplemental fee per admissions cycle. Application submission indicates your acknowledgement of the supplemental fee and BU ID requirement.
The application fee is nonrefundable and is not credited toward any charges when an accepted applicant registers as a student. Please note that the Boston University MD – OMFS Residency program-specific supplemental application does not include a supplemental fee.
Program-specific requirements and review
Each department can identify its own program-specific requirements, such as whether applicants must submit NBDE Part 1 & 2 or INDBE results. For a complete list of GSDM’s programs, their ADEA PASS application deadlines, and program-specific requirements, click here.
Departments review all applications for their respective programs, and will contact candidates who have been selected for an interview. Evaluative interviews are part of the application process and are required by most departments for candidates of interest. An interview does not guarantee acceptance into a program.
Postdoctoral program admissions recommendations are made by the program director and postdoctoral admissions committee, but all official offers of admission are issued by GSDM Admissions. All offers of admission are provisional, pending satisfactory completion of all application, enrollment and matriculation requirements.