Program Overview

Oral Medicine Graduate Program

The Oral Medicine Graduate Program is designed to provide students with a comprehensive education in oral medicine. The program is offered by the University of Washington School of Dentistry and is designed to meet the needs of students who wish to pursue a career in oral medicine.

MSD Requirements and Responsibilities

To earn a Master of Science in Dentistry (MSD) through the Oral Medicine Graduate Program, students must complete the following requirements:

1. Completion of the core curriculum offered by the program.
2. 24 months of full-time clinical training with evaluation of clinical competencies, didactic competencies, and favorable recommendation by graduate program faculty.
3. Completion of an approved research project and Master’s thesis.

The program does not permit part-time enrollment during the 24-month graduate curriculum. The didactic curriculum and clinical training portions of the program are designed to meet the University of Washington graduate school requirements for Master’s degree.

Additional Obligations and Responsibilities

• On-Call coverage:
  • Graduate students begin On-Call responsibilities for OMCS, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, and UWMC in September of their first year.
  • Call responsibilities continue during the duration of the 24-month program.
  • Call is distributed equitably; however, frequency of coverage may vary based on program enrollment (estimated 1 week On-Call every 4-8 weeks).
  • While On-Call, students must be in the greater Seattle area to provide inpatient consultation when required (including after hours and on weekends).
  • Students must respond promptly to all pages, thoroughly document all encounters, and communicate directly with the OM Attending On-Call and the patient’s medical team.
• Absence Policy:
  • Vacation: Each graduate student receives up to 4 weeks of planned vacation during the entirety of the 24-month program.
  • Educational Training: Each graduate student receives up to 1 week of educational training in each year of the program.
  • Approval: Requests for vacation and education training must be placed at least 1 month in advance of the expected date of absence. Students are required to obtain approval from the relevant course directors, attending clinical faculty, and program director.
  • Sick leave: Each graduate student is allotted one day per month sick leave without penalty. Sick leave may be rolled over to the second year if not utilized during the first year.
    • Students are responsible for contacting the Program Director and administrative staff as soon as possible so that clinical coverage can be arranged in their absence.
    • All academic coursework must be remediated; however, course directors reserve the right to decide if makeup sessions, exercises, or exams are possible.
  • Extended leave: If additional leave is required, students can apply for Medical Leave/Family Leave/Childbirth/Adoption. The University will grant a student reasonable request for leave of absence for appropriate duration due to personal illness and/or disability, care of a family member, childbirth, or adoption, or bereavement due to a death of a family member.
• Practice privileges, compensation, professional liability coverage, and outside activities:
  • Practice Privileges: Extramural practice is not permitted during the program. Graduate students are only permitted to perform clinical care within the UWSoD in the context of the Oral Medicine program, with the exception of the WREB examination (where applicable).
  • Compensation: While enrolled in the program, individuals function as graduate students (rather than clinic/hospital employees) and receive no financial compensation.
  • Professional liability coverage: Information regarding professional liability coverage is available.
  • Other activities outside of the graduate program: Activities with the potential to interfere with student responsibilities will be considered by the Graduate Program Director, Department Chairman, and relevant administrators on a case-by-case basis.
• Tuition:
  • Estimated tuition costs are available through the UW Office of Planning & Budgeting’s Graduate Tuition Dashboard.
  • Select the following parameters: Campus – Seattle Campus, Residency – Resident or Non-resident based on your Washington State residency status, Student Level – Masters, Graduate Program – Oral Medicine.
  • It is recommended that independent calculations be completed for Autumn, Winter, Spring, and Summer quarters.
  • Stipends and other financial support are not available at this time.