Oral Health Sciences, M.S.

KORNBERG SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY

Learn more about the Master of Science in Oral Health Sciences.

About the Program

The M.S. in Oral Health Sciences program is designed to meet the needs of those who wish to pursue an advanced science degree. This flexible program allows students to choose either to survey a range of oral health disciplines or to pursue an interest in one particular discipline. Students may pursue a Clinical Specialty Track, a Clinical Internship Track, or a Non-Clinical Track. Each track requires completion of 30 credits of coursework, with an emphasis on producing a scholarly work that demonstrates mastery of the scientific method and creation of new knowledge.

The M.S. in Oral Health Sciences provides advanced education on the structure, development, and function of oral tissues, their interrelationships, and their relation to other organ systems in both health and disease. Emphasis is on gaining advanced understanding of oral and craniofacial structures and their function in health and disease, as well as application of modern biological principles and research techniques in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of oral and craniofacial diseases and anomalies.

Areas of study for the Oral Health Sciences M.S. program include traditional basic biomedical science disciplines, such as advanced biomaterials, advanced digital dentistry, advanced systematic review and critical thinking, anatomy, clinical pharmacology, contemporary laboratory techniques, neurophysiology of pain, oral microbiomes, and regenerative medicine, with emphasis on how these areas relate to oral health and disease. Study and research opportunities are offered in a variety of areas, including, but not limited to, advanced general dentistry, dental biomaterials, oral implantology, oral and maxillofacial radiology, oral microbiology and immunology, oral molecular biology, oral mucosal disorders, periodontal and craniofacial regeneration, pulp biology, and such clinical fields as endodontology, orthodontics, periodontology, and implantology, and public health. The goals of the Oral Health Sciences M.S. program are to:

• advance knowledge and understanding in the scientific field of oral health sciences;
• develop "clinical scholars" in dentistry by offering an adaptive graduate-level education across a variety of dental disciplines applicable to oral health;
• offer oral healthcare professionals the opportunity to attain a deeper, more focused understanding of their respective disciplines; and
• provide graduate-level training and experience in research methodology and technology to better qualify students for careers in academic and/or industry-related oral health activities.

Time Limit for Degree Completion: 4 years, but can be completed in 2 years

Campus Location: Health Sciences Center

Full-Time/Part-Time Status: Students not enrolled in an advanced training certificate program may choose to complete the M.S. degree either full- or part-time. Students enrolled in a Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA)-accredited advanced training certificate program are full-time.

Interdisciplinary Study: The curriculum of the Oral Health Sciences M.S. program is inherently interdisciplinary and crosses traditional department boundaries of basic biomedical sciences, such as anatomy, microbiology, pharmacology, and physiology. A major strength of the program lies in offering Clinical Internship and Non-Clinical tracks such that students who are not enrolled in a specialty certificate program are able to choose from course offerings across all dental specialty programs and disciplines at Temple University's Kornberg School of Dentistry.

Areas of Specialization: Three tracks are offered:

• Clinical Specialty, which is intended for post-graduate students enrolled in a CODA-accredited advanced training certificate program at the Kornberg School of Dentistry. Coursework in the students' respective post-graduate certificate program is used toward fulfilling the required 30 credits for the M.S. degree.
• Clinical Internship, which is intended to be a stand-alone program for students who are not enrolled in an advanced training certificate program at the Kornberg School of Dentistry, but wish to broaden their understanding of clinical dentistry.
• Non-Clinical, which is intended to be a stand-alone program for students with or without a dental degree who have an interest in advanced master's-level education in oral health sciences. The curriculum for students in the Non-Clinical Track does not include clinical courses.

Job Prospects: Graduates of the M.S. in Oral Health Sciences degree program may be engaged in academic teaching and research careers, private clinical patient care, and industry-related oral health activities.

Non-Matriculated Student Policy: Coursework may not be taken on a non-matriculated basis.

Financing Opportunities: Contact the Office of Graduate Education in the Kornberg School of Dentistry for information.

Admission Requirements and Deadlines

Application Deadline:

Fall: March 1

Applicants either accepted into or applying for one of the advanced training certificate programs at the Kornberg School of Dentistry may submit application documents in conjunction with the PASS application for their certificate program. Information regarding advanced training certificate programs at the Kornberg School of Dentistry can be obtained at https://dentistry.temple.edu/.

Applicants not affiliated with one of the Kornberg School of Dentistry's advanced training certificate programs APPLY ONLINE to this graduate program.

Applications are processed as they are received. Late applications may be considered for admission.

Letters of Reference:
Number Required: 3

From Whom: Letters of recommendation should be obtained from faculty members who are familiar with the applicant's academic background and potential for graduate-level study. Referees may know the applicant from dental school or wherever her/his highest degree was attained.

Degree Required for Admission Consideration: Applicants to the Oral Health Sciences graduate program must hold a B.D.S., D.D.S., D.M.D., or an other bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.

Statement of Goals: In approximately 500 to 1,000 words, address:

• academic and research achievements to date,
• overall career goals,
• specific interest in Temple University's Oral Health Sciences graduate program, and
• area and/or topic of proposed research interests.

Standardized Test Scores:
Applicants who earned their baccalaureate degree from an institution where the language of instruction was other than English, with the exception of those who subsequently earned a master’s degree at a U.S. institution, must report scores for a standardized test of English that meet these minimums:

• TOEFL iBT: 100
• IELTS Academic: 7.0
• PTE Academic: 68

Resume: Current resume required.

Program Requirements

General Program Requirements:
Number of Credits Required Beyond the Baccalaureate, B.D.S., D.D.S., or D.M.D.: 30

Required Courses:

Approved Electives for the Clinical Internship Track Grouped by Subject Area

Approved Electives for the Non-Clinical Track Grouped by Subject Area

Culminating Events:
Qualifying Exam Presentation:
Prior to commencing the master's project, the student’s Master's Advisory Committee (MAC) must formally accept the project plan. All students must establish a MAC for their scholarly activity, which reviews and approves the student’s proposed master's protocol and monitors the student’s progress. The committee should consist of a primary faculty research mentor who serves as committee chair, another faculty member who has expertise in the area of research, and a third faculty member from another department who may have expertise in the area to be studied.

The primary research mentor must be a member of the Temple University graduate faculty and approved by the Chair of the student's home academic department at the Kornberg School of Dentistry or the Assistant Dean for Advanced Clinical Education. The MAC must include members of at least two different departments at the Kornberg School of Dentistry, one of which must be the academic department representing the student’s area of research. MAC members may include experts from outside of Temple University. In addition, the Assistant Dean for Advanced Clinical Education may serve as an ex-officio member of the committee. The majority of members of the MAC must be members of the graduate faculty. The committee has responsibility for submitting grades for OHSC 9993 Master's Research Qualifying Examination, OHSC 9995 Master's Thesis Research, and OHSC 9996 Master's Thesis in Oral Biology.

The comprehensive project plan is reviewed by members of the student’s MAC and is then presented by the student in a qualifying exam presentation to demonstrate appropriate understanding of the project. This proposal contains an introduction, theories, hypotheses, scholarly literature review, research methods, proposed alternatives, and any other issues relevant to the project.

Master's Research Project:
All students, regardless of their chosen track, complete a scholarly work acceptable to their MAC. The thesis may be an original research investigation, a self-directed capstone project, or a systematic review:

1. The original research investigation demonstrates the student's ability to design and carry out original research, and to analyze, interpret, and present the resulting data under the supervision of an approved research mentor. The thesis must address a well-focused, scientifically meaningful question and a hypothesis that is of adequate scope and significance to qualify for an M.S. degree.
2. The self-directed capstone project results from the student's applying what has been learned throughout the course of graduate study in the examination of a specific idea. Successful projects are those that have added to the technological and practical advancements involved in the oral health sciences field. Capstone projects identify, define, and research a pertinent problem or opportunity in a real-world setting and develop the means to address it. The findings and end product should be something that can be readily implemented and used.
3. A systematic review summarizes the results of available, carefully designed healthcare studies (controlled trials) and provides a high level of evidence on the effectiveness of healthcare interventions. Judgments may be made about the evidence and inform recommendations for healthcare. These reviews are complicated and depend largely on the available clinical trials, the quality of the trials conducted, and the health outcomes that were measured. Review authors pool numerical data about the effects of the treatment through the process of meta-analyses. Authors then assess the evidence for any benefits or harms from those treatments. In this way, systematic reviews are able to summarize the existing clinical research on a topic.

Each project is unique to the student’s program and, therefore, the student must continuously consult with her/his MAC to ensure that her/his project is proceeding in a timely manner and is consistent with the qualifying exam presentation. When appropriate, a written manuscript must be submitted and orally defended to the student’s MAC. The master's candidate is then invited by her/his MAC to give a formal presentation of her/his project that shall be announced and open to the faculty of the Kornberg School of Dentistry. The date and location are arranged by mutual agreement between the candidate and the MAC. The presentation must meet standards outlined by the MAC regarding foundation, organization, relevance, and practicality of results.

Contacts

Department Contacts: