Master of Science in Dentistry (MSD) in Dental Public Health
The MSD in Dental Public Health program duration is a minimum of one year and entails a field research project or thesis. The program provides the student with broad knowledge and practical experience in epidemiology, biostatistics, healthcare delivery, social and cultural determinants of health, preventive dentistry, health education, behavioral sciences, and environmental health. Students take courses at Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine and relevant courses at the Boston University School of Public Health. The courses form the matrix from which directed field activities evolve. Students have the opportunity to conduct research and are encouraged to publish papers in professional journals. The program is designed to provide education that is equivalent to the Master of Public Health degree and to prepare the dentist for a career in dental public health. Graduates of this program are encouraged to enroll in the one-year CAGS in Dental Public Health in order to meet the residency requirement of the American Board of Dental Public Health.
Curriculum
The following courses are required to complete the MSD degree in Dental Public Health. Additional course selection is available, contingent upon specific needs of each student.
- 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 Health Care 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
- SDM PH 900 Directed Study in Dental Public Health
- SDM PH 991 Research in Dental Public Health
- SPH EP 813 Intermediate Epidemiology*
- SPH PH 720 Individual Community and Population Health*
*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.
Clinical Specialty/MSD in Dental Public Health
Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine provides opportunities to pursue a combined program that fulfills the requirements for a certificate of a clinical specialty and the requirements of the MSD degree in Dental Public Health. The program exposes future clinical specialists to healthcare issues at a societal level through in-depth clinical training and study of a wide range of current issues in healthcare delivery and public health. The duration of the program may vary depending on clinical specialty training requirements, whereas the MSD in Dental Public Health is a minimum one-year program. Graduates of the combined programs are encouraged to enroll in the one-year CAGS in Dental Public Health in order to meet the residency requirement of the American Board of Dental Public Health. Applicants wishing to pursue the MSD in Dental Public Health and a clinical specialty must apply separately to both programs through the ADEA PASS website.
