Doctor of Science in Dentistry (DScD) in Dental Public Health
This 36-month program in Dental Public Health prepares dentists for leadership roles in health policy, academics, and government settings. Successful completion of coursework, a public health field project, and an oral competency examination-along with an original dissertation-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 behavior, 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. The combined DScD/CAGS program is a 36-month program suitable for dentists who do not hold a CEPH-accredited MPH or equivalent and seek a career and board certification in dental public health. This program is aimed to meet the eligibility requirements of the American Board of Dental Public Health, preparing the students for the ABDPH Qualifying and Certifying Examinations. International dental graduates are eligible to apply.
Curriculum
The following list shows the core courses and some, but not all, suggested elective courses that are available for DScD students. The Year 1 curriculum encompasses the core requirements of the Dental Public Health training (i.e., required courses for the MSD in Dental Public Health). In addition to the required courses, the curriculum for each student is designed based on the student's interest and research requirements.
Year 1
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
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 911 Public Health Project
SDM PH 992 Research in Dental Public Health
Year 3
SDM PH 823 Dental Public Health Literature Review
SDM PH 890 Seminars in Dental Public Health
SDM PH 894 Dental Public Health Grand Rounds
SDM PH 993 Research in Dental Public Health
Years 2 and 3 Elective Courses
SPH BS 722 Design & Conduct of Clinical Trials
SPH BS 805 Intermediate Statistical Computing & Applied Regression Analysis
SPH BS 810 Meta-Analysis for Public Health & Medical Research
SPH BS 820 Logistic Regression and Survival Analysis
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 854 Advanced Epidemiology
SPH SB 820 Assessment and Planning for Health Promotion
SPH SB 822 Quantitative Methods for Program Evaluation
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 unit accumulation but by successful completion of individual courses and duration requirements.
January 2025
Henry M.Goldman School of Dental Medicine
635 Albany Street,
BOSTON,
Massachusetts,
02118, United States
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.
TOEFL is required for all applicants whose first language is not English. TOEFL minimums are 90 iBT or 550 PBT. Exemption is considered for applicants who have earned a U.S. degree. IELTS is not accepted for admissions purposes.
*There may be different IELTS requirements depending on your chosen course.
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