Postgraduate Prosthodontics Application and Admissions

The Application Process

The UTHSC College of Dentistry Advanced Prosthodontics Program participates in the American Dental Education Association’s (ADEA) Postdoctoral Application Support Service (PASS). The Advanced Prosthodontics Program also participates in MATCH.

The ADEA-PASS program is a centralized application service for those interested in applying to advanced dental education programs in the United States. For more information on the PASS process and to initiate application to the UTHSC Advanced Prosthodontics Program please contact PASS at:

• Email: passinfo@passweb.org
• Phone: 617.612.2065
• Website: http://www.adea.org

The ADEA-PASS application is very specific regarding the method of information collection and documentation necessary to complete the application. Applicants are encouraged to follow the instructions provided by ADEA-PASS very carefully to assure that all information is correctly provided.

Application materials should be completed and received by PASS by September 1 for admission the following July.

Non US/Non Canadian Citizens

In addition to the above application requirements, applicants that are not citizens of the United States or Canada must also provide the following directly to the Department of Prosthodontics (UTHSC College of Dentistry, ATTN: Nancy Wilson, 875 Union Avenue, Memphis TN 38163):

• An official Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score report or an official International English Language Testing System (IELTS) scores report must be submitted directly from the testing service.
• All foreign transcripts must be evaluated by a reputable credentialing service (such as ECE – Educational Credential Evaluators); an official report for each foreign document evaluated must be submitted directly from the credentialing service.

The deadline for completion of the UTHSC Advanced Prosthodontics Program PASS application is September 1st of the year preceding anticipated admissions. Review of applicants with completed PASS applications and invitations for on-site interviews will begin September 1st of the year preceding anticipated admissions. Application review and interviews will continue until the resident class is filled. Therefore, applicants are strongly encouraged to complete the PASS application process and submit all required supplemental materials by September 1st of the year preceding anticipated admissions.

An on-site interview is required prior to acceptance into the Program. All interviews will occur at the UTHSC College of Dentistry in Memphis, Tennessee, and will involve one-on-one and/or group meetings with faculty members and residents currently enrolled in the Program. The applicant’s demeanor, professionalism, interest in Prosthodontics, and creativity of responses are given special attention.

Admission Decisions

The following are among the factors considered when selecting applicants for interviews and when selecting interviewees for acceptance into the Program:

1. Motivations and goals.
2. The interview.
3. Academic performance in college and dental school, including GPA and class rank.
4. Performance on standardized tests (submission of official reports from National Board Dental Exams, Part 1 and Part 2, is required for ALL applicants).
5. Clinical and laboratory experience.
6. Dental laboratory skills.
7. Extracurricular activities.
8. Research experience.
9. Letters of reference
10. Participation in organized dentistry

In general, to be considered for the UTHSC Advanced Prosthodontics Program, an applicant must have earned a DDS, DMD, or equivalent degree, compiled at least a "B" coursework average, and rank in the upper 50% of his or her graduating class.

Notifications

Review of applicants with completed PASS applications and invitations for on-site interviews will begin September 1 of the year preceding anticipated admissions. Notification of acceptance into the Program is generally provided on or before December 1. Upon receiving notification of acceptance into the UTHSC Advanced Prosthodontics Program, the student is required to sign an assurance document reserving his or her position in the Program. It is then appropriate for the student to notify all other programs to which he or she has applied to be discontinued from further consideration.

Foreign Applicants

Based on the authority given to UTHSC by the Department of Homeland Security, INS Program #MEM0058 for the issuance of F-1 student visas, highly qualified foreign applicants may be admitted to the Advanced Prosthodontics Program in the UTHSC College of Dentistry.

Foreign applicants must meet the same criteria for admissions as U.S. citizens, including the submission of official score reports for the National Board Dental Examination (NBDE), Part 1 and Part 2. Additionally foreign applicants must demonstrate proficiency in written and spoken English.

Proficiency in written and spoken English is critical to timely and expected progress through advanced dental training in Prosthodontics. Foreign applicants must demonstrate proficiency in written and spoken English by submitting either acceptable TOEFL scores ( Test of English as a Foreign Language ) or acceptable IELTS scores (International English Language Testing System ). The minimum acceptable score on the TOEFL is 610 (paper-based exam), 250 (computer-based exam), or 102 (internet-based exam).

The minimum acceptable score for the IELTS is an overall band score of 7.5. All scores submitted in fulfillment of the English proficiency requirement for foreign applicants must be no older than 2-years.

TOEFL is administered through the Educational Testing Service (ETS). Applicants wishing to have TOEFL scores sent to the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, College of Dentistry, should use the Destination Institutional (DI) Code 1850. TOEFL scores sent from other institutions to UTHSC College of Dentistry will not be accepted. Please note that IELTS results must be sent to the UTHSC College of Dentistry directly from an IELTS Testing Center. TOEFL or IELTS score reports provided to the applicant will not be accepted by the UTHSC College of Dentistry.

Foreign applicants must demonstrate financial resources adequate to complete their education at UTHSC College of Dentistry. Stipends may be available for foreign dentists accepted into the UTHSC Advanced Prosthodontics Program.

Tuition for both in-state and out-of-state students is waived by the Board of Trustees of the University because prosthodontic residents are enrolled in the UTHSC College of Graduate Health Sciences. There is no tuition.

Upon arrival at the UTHSC College of Dentistry, residents are required to purchase a number of items to facilitate the prosthodontic educational experience in both the laboratory and clinic. Additionally, residents are strongly encouraged to acquire the following items early in their residency experience: digital clinical camera, surgical telescopes/loupes, subscriptions to several professional Prosthodontic journals, and a notebook computer. Residents are also strongly encouraged to become student members of the American College of Prosthodontists (http://www.gotoapro.org/). For a list of required and suggested resident acquisitions, as well as estimated costs, go to Required Prosthodontic Resident Acquisitions.

The University has established a Student Financial Aid Department which is committed to removing the financial barriers to education for students with limited resources. Several forms of financial aid assistance for students may be secured through University and other sources. Information is available by contacting the UTHSC Financial Aid Office.

Insurance

All enrolled students and residents at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center must have health insurance. An affordable health insurance plan is available through the University. If the student or resident elects a different health insurance plan, proof of comparable coverage must be provided. For descriptive information on the health insurance plan available through the University, visit the following websites:

• UTHSC Student Health Insurance
• UTHSC Resident & Post-Doc Insurance Information
• University Health Services

Stipends

All prosthodontic residents serve as teaching assistants in the Department of Prosthodontics. As teaching assistants, residents are involved in the organized instruction of predoctoral dental students. Experience is gained in both pre-clinical prosthodontic laboratory courses and pre-doctoral prosthodontic clinics. Residents are subjectively monitored for content and quality of teaching.

Teaching predoctoral dental students is an important aspect of the postdoctoral training experience. Inclusion of this experience in the Advanced Prosthodontics Program curriculum complies with accreditation standards for advanced specialty education programs in prosthodontics, as set forth by the American Dental Association's Commission on Dental Accreditation.

As teaching assistants, Prosthodontic residents are provided an annual stipend of approximately $15,000. This stipend is intended to help defray the cost of an education in Prosthodontics and to allow the student to concentrate on studies. This stipend has been available to Prosthodontic residents for several years and is expected to continue. Residents are paid monthly on the last working day of the month.