Resources for Current Students

Students/residents may find all of the policies below, as well as much more information, in the Graduate Student Handbook. The handbook may be accessed online via MyHSC. 

About DENTPIN®

The DENTPIN (DENTal Personal Identifier Number) is a unique personal identifier for applicants and students involved with the U.S. dental education system and standardized testing programs. You must register or retrieve a DENTPIN from this site and use it to proceed with your application to a dental education program or application service, your application to test, or your score report request.The following programs use the DENTPIN to identify students and test-takers and for the confidential, secure reporting, transmission and tracking of test scores and academic data:

• Dental Admission Test (DAT)
• National Board Dental Examination (NBDE) Part I/Part II
• National Board Dental Hygiene Examination (NBDHE)
• American Dental Education Association (ADEA) Associated American Dental Schools Application Services (AADSAS)
• Texas Medical and Dental Schools Application Service (TMDSAS)
• ADEA Postdoctoral Application Support Service (PASS),
• ADEA Centralized Application for Advanced Placement for International Dentists (CAAPID)

Find more information regarding how to register for or retrieve a DENTPIN at the American Dental Association's DENTPIN web page.

Requirements for Completion of Advance Education Programs

Certificate Programs

Advanced training programs leading to a clinical certificate vary with respect to requirements for courses and semester hours, clinical and research experience, and duration according to the requirements proscribed by the respective professional accreditation organizations. Consult the individual specialty training program for details.

Professional M.S. Programs

Requirements for all professionally-oriented M.S. programs include the following elements:

• Minimum of two years in residency as a full-time student
• Minimum of 32 semester credit hours of courses acceptable for graduate credit
• Successful completion of all required course work on the degree plan
• Successful completion of a Master's degree

Students in a combined clinical certificate and professional graduate program must complete all of the requirements of the clinical program and of the M.S. before the certificate and degree are awarded.

Core Curriculum

The core curriculum is a demanding academic requirement consisting of intensive study in the basic sciences and integrated clinical sciences.  Individual advanced education programs may require successful completion of certain core courses. Consult the individual specialty training program for details.

• Candidates for an M.S. degree are required to take eight of the core courses.
• Certificate-only candidates must take six of the core courses.  
• Dental Hygiene M.S. students are required to take only BMS 5260161.

Core Courses

Degree Plans

Advanced education students or residents who are enrolled in certificate or degree programs having a course curriculum itemized in the College catalog must follow that degree plan. The degree plan in the College catalog at the time of the student's/resident's matriculation will be the plan to be followed.

Degree plans must be filed with the Office of Research and Graduate Studies before registration for the spring semester of the student's/resident's first year. If there is a need to deviate from that curriculum, the change and the reason for it must be submitted to the Office of Research and Graduate Studies for approval before a student/resident registers for the first time.

For students in advanced education programs that are less structured and do not itemize specific courses in a degree plan in the College catalog, the following applies:

After students in Biomedical Sciences (BMS) have met with the Program Director and settled on the tentative list of initial courses, that list must be forwarded to the Office of Research and Graduate Studies. Then, when a mentor has been selected and the degree can be updated (no later than the end of the first semester of residence) a degree plan must be submitted to the Office of Research and Graduate Studies for approval.

It is understood that occasionally degree plans will change as research interests and/or mentors change. At those points in time, revised degree plans must be submitted to the Office of Research and Graduate Studies for approval. Students in Biomaterials Science must follow a time frame similar to that used by BMS for submission and approval of degree plans.

Advanced Standing

Courses taken in residence at an accredited U.S. institution or approved international institution with a final grade of B or greater will be considered for advanced standing if, at the time the courses were completed, the student/resident was in degree-seeking status, and if the courses would be accepted for credit toward a similar degree at Baylor College of Dentistry.

Such courses must be approved by the Program Director and the Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies. Course work in which no formal grades are given, or in which grades other than letter grades (A, B, C, D, etc.) are given (e.g., P, S, U, etc.) is not accepted for advanced standing. An official transcript from the university registrar at which the courses were taken must be sent directly to the Office of Graduate Admissions at BCD. Acceptance of courses will not decrease the on-campus minimum residence requirement with each graduate program. Upon approval, one-third of the total hours required for the degree may count toward advanced standing status; a maximum of 10 hours for the Master's and 32 for the Ph.D.

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Course Auditing

Audit students are those who desire to attend class(es) without receiving academic credit. Fees are assessed for audit registration. The Academic Department should identify which courses are available for audit.

Approval to audit or visit a course is permitted, subject to completion of an audit application, seating availability and approval by the course instructor, department head and Associate Dean of Academic Affairs. Auditing normally conveys only the privilege of observing and does not include submitting papers, taking tests or participating in laboratories or fieldwork. An auditing student will pay an audit fee appropriate for the course(s). Late registration fees are not charged. Audit application forms can be obtained from the Office of the Registrar and all component Student Affairs offices.

Academic credit is not given for an audited course. Should the individual wish to receive credit for the course, she/he must register, pay and retake the course. Students may not change to "audit" status after the Add/Drop period, but must remain in the course or with draw through normal withdrawal procedures.
There is no limit on the number of courses an individual may audit. The instructor may limit the number of students in the class who are taking the class as an audit.On the official class rolls, grade sheets and student transcript, "N" or appropriate remark will appear adjacent to the name of the student who is auditing that course.The refund policy for audit courses is the same as it is for regular courses.

Audit Form 

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Full-Time/Part-Time Status

Government regulations provide for full-time status for undergraduate students based on a full-time load of 24 semester hours per academic year and 12 semester hours per semester. The definition of full-time students for graduate programs is left to the institution. Using the guidance of the undergraduate regulations this is the method used to derive full-time status for our clinical and basic science graduate programs:

A graduate student/resident is considered full-time based on the program in which the student/resident is participating.  The BCD academic year for graduate students/residents includes the summer term and is not optional. Therefore the full-time equivalent is 9 semester hours or greater during a fall or spring semester, 4 semester hours or greater during the summer term.

Graduate residents engaged in a clinical program are considered full-time as a result of their credit hours enrolled as well as the clinical hours which are an integral part of their program.

Deviation of the Full-Time Status for Graduate Students

The exceptions to this rule are when residents engage in clinical activity in addition to their credit hour enrollment or exclusively in clinical activity as the sole activity of their program (e.g., OMS & AEGD). These residents are always full-time.

These programs have long been accredited by CODA and our residents have been recognized as full-time students by the amount of clock hour time which accrues in these clinical settings. Further, the U.S. Congress, during the Reauthorization of the Higher Education Acts in 1992, recognized the peculiar nature of dental residency and chose to reaffirm the student nature of participants in advanced education programs in dentistry.

Financial Aid

Graduate students/residents must be enrolled at least half-time to receive student financial aid and be eligible for deferral of loan repayment.

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Continuous Enrollment Policy

The Continuous Enrollment Policy requires all graduate students maintain a minimum of one semester hour enrollment at Baylor College of Dentistry following completion of their degree plan defined course work until they complete the requirements for their Certificate and Degree and until the degree has been awarded.  Completion of requirements includes final submission of an approved thesis copy and successful electronic submission to ProQuest.  While the Certificate may be awarded when a defendable draft of the thesis is submitted to the Office of Research and Graduate Studies (with approval by the Program Director), the Master's diploma will not be awarded until ProQuest has notified the Office of Research and Graduate Studies that the electronic submission process has been completed.

Students who have completed their prescribed course of study as defined in their degree plans, or who are preparing for preliminary or comprehensive exams, or who are engaged in research/analysis/writing of thesis or dissertation, may enroll for one semester hour each semester and be recognized as being in a full course of study.  However, students with financial aid should be aware they must be enrolled at least half time to continue to be eligible for deferral of student loans.

Mandatory Health Insurance

Baylor College of Dentistry requires all students/residents to have and maintain health insurance throughout their entire dental education at the college. It is strongly recommended that student/resident medical policies inlcude hospitalization, medical and mental health benefits.  Numerous options are available including coverage provided by carriers associated with the Texas Dental Association, the Texas A&M University System, the American Student Dental Association, private pay insurance and, of course, coverage under a parent's or spouse's insurance program. Any of the above will fulfill the obligation for health insurance.

The College Student Health Clinic proivdes only basic care and retains a resident to consult on a limited basis with limited hours. Serious illnesses, emergencies or hospitalizations as well as wellness visits, mental and maternity care can result in a significant financial burden well beyond a person's ability to pay.  Also, financial aid rules and regulations limit what may be offered in regard to type of expense and total dollars of funding. The College has arranged for a specific dollar value of financial aid funding to assist in the payment of insurance premiums for the student. Premiums for spouse or dependents are the student's responsibility.

Disability Insurance

Though the College does not require disability insurance it may be to the student's/resident's benefit to investigate this kind of coverage. In the event of a disabling injury or illness that requires leave or keeps the student/resident from completing the curriculum,, disability insurance provides income for day-to-day living and servicing of financial aid or other debt.

• Insurance Acknowledgement 

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• HSC Catalog
• BCD Catalog