Program Overview

Oral and Craniofacial Sciences MS

The Oral and Craniofacial Sciences (OCS) Master of Science Degree is a "Plan I" program, requiring a minimum of 30 academic units and a written thesis, including at least one full year of research and didactic study. Students are encouraged to publish their MS thesis work in a peer-reviewed journal with their mentor.

Postgraduate programs at UCSF allow the combination of academic/research training for the MS degree with clinical training leading to a specialty certification, usually over a three-year period.

Like the Oral and Craniofacial Sciences PhD program, the MS program is interdisciplinary in focus, and provides students with the knowledge and research tools needed to study oral and craniofacial tissue and organ systems. From a variety of approaches, students learn about the functions of these tissues and systems, and about the conditions and diseases to which these tissues and systems are susceptible. The OCS program emphasizes the importance of translating scientific discovery into advances in patient diagnosis, treatment, and clinical care.

Faculty

Fifty faculty members are associated with the OCS programs, representing several departments in the UCSF School of Dentistry as well as many departments in the UCSF School of Medicine. This ensures a program curriculum that spans a range of disciplines.

Career Outcomes

Since the OCS/MS program is taken in conjunction with a professional program, most program alumni are working in a dental practice setting.

The Oral and Craniofacial Sciences program is offered by the UCSF Division of Graduate Education and Postdoctoral Scholars, administered by the UCSF School of Dentistry, and delivered by faculty members in the UCSF schools of dentistry and medicine.

The Master’s Degree

• Artificial Intelligence and Computational Drug Discovery and Development MS
• Biomedical Imaging MS
• Clinical and Epidemiological Research MS
• Genetic Counseling MS
• Global Health Sciences MS
• Health Data Science MS
• Healthcare Administration and Interprofessional Leadership MS
• History of Health Sciences MA
• Nursing MEPN
• Oral and Craniofacial Sciences MS
• Translational Medicine MTM

Program Details

• The OCS MS degree is only available to students that have been accepted into one of the School of Dentistry postgraduate programs.
• The program requires a minimum of 30 academic units and a written thesis, including at least one full year of research and didactic study.
• Students are encouraged to publish their MS thesis work in a peer-reviewed journal with their mentor.
• The program is interdisciplinary in focus, providing students with the knowledge and research tools needed to study oral and craniofacial tissue and organ systems.
• The program emphasizes the importance of translating scientific discovery into advances in patient diagnosis, treatment, and clinical care.