2024–2025 Bulletin Addendum Master of Science in Dentistry and Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study (MSD/CAGS) in Dental Public Health

This 24-month combined program in Dental Public Health prepares dentists for leadership roles in academia, state and federal health departments, community health programs, and health maintenance organizations. Dentists without a CEPH-accredited MPH are encouraged to apply for the combined Master of Science in Dentistry (MSD) and Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study (CAGS) in Dental Public Health program. This program is also suitable for dentists who have completed an MPH and wish to advance their career in research while completing a DPH residency. Successful completion of coursework, a public health field project, and two research projects, including a master’s thesis, are required. The program provides the student with in-depth knowledge and practical experience in epidemiology and biostatistics, healthcare management and finance, social and cultural determinants of health, preventive dentistry, and health education. Students take courses at Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine and relevant courses at the Boston University School of Public Health. Students have opportunities to conduct research and publish papers in professional journals. This program is aimed to meet the eligibility requirements of the American Board of Dental Public Health, preparing students for the ABDPH Qualifying and Certifying Examinations. International dental graduates are eligible to apply.

Curriculum

The following list shows the required courses and possible elective courses that are available for MSD/CAGS students. The Year 1 curriculum encompasses the core course requirements of the Dental Public Health training. Year 2 includes requirements for the Dental Public Health specialty training and eligibility to challenge the American Board of Dental Public Health exams for board certification, as well as to assist the student in the required research projects and master’s thesis. In addition to the required courses, the curriculum for each student is augmented with additional coursework and field experiences based on the student’s interests and research needs. Elective courses listed are available to augment a student’s curriculum plan if needed. These are optional, and no specific number of courses is required.

Year 1 Required Courses

• SDM OB 830 Research Writing
• SDM PH 763 Bioethics and Law
• SDM PH 803 Biostatistics
• SDM PH 804 Applied Statistical Analysis in Dental Public Health
• SDM PH 806 Environmental Health
• SDM PH 808 Healthcare Management and Finance
• SDM PH 810 Fundamentals of Dental Public Health
• SDM PH 812 Oral Epidemiology
• SDM PH 821 Dental Public Health Literature Review
• SDM PH 872 Dental Public Health Policies, Programs, and Advocacy
• SDM PH 888 Seminars in Dental Public Health
• SDM PH 892 Dental Public Health Grand Rounds
• SPH EP 813 Intermediate Epidemiology*
• SPH PH 720 Individual Community and Population Health*

Year 2 Required Courses

• SDM PH 822 Dental Public Health Literature Review
• SDM PH 889 Seminars in Dental Public Health
• SDM PH 893 Dental Public Health Grand Rounds
• SDM PH 900 Supervised Dental Public Health Field Experience
• SDM PH 911 Dental Public Health Project
• SDM PH 991 Research in Dental Public Health
• SPH BS 805 Intermediate Statistical Computing & Applied Regression Analysis*

Additional Elective Courses

• SDM PE 817 Grand Rounds
• SPH BS 821 Categorical Data Analyses*
• SPH BS 852 Statistical Methods for Epidemiology*
• SPH EP 721 Survey Methods for Public Health*
• SPH EP 762 Clinical Epidemiology*
• SPH EP 775 Social Epidemiology*
• SPH SB 818 Qualitative Research Methods*
• SPH SB 820 Assessment and Planning for Health Promotion*
• SPH SB 822 Quantitative Methods for Program Evaluation*
• SPH SB 844 Introduction to Qualitative Analysis for Public Health & Health Services Research*

*See the School of Public Health Bulletin for a detailed description. Course selection may vary according to the School of Public Health schedule.

Completion is not tracked by credit accumulation but by successful completion of individual courses and duration requirements.