*For the 2024-2025 admissions cycle, the UCSF International Dentist Pathway will only be offering a 3-year track. This 36-month program will ensure full integration with our DDS curriculum and clinical experience resulting in our graduates being well-prepared for a professional career in the U.S. It also allows our IDP cohort to partake in amazing research opportunities available at UCSF*
The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) School of Dentistry provides a unique balance of clinical excellence, research opportunities and community service as part of one of the leading health science centers in the nation. Since its founding in 1881, the School of Dentistry has evolved from the lone outpost of dental education west of the Mississippi into an international leader in the education of oral health care practitioners and scholars, comprehensive dental care and breakthrough research. The school has a tradition of service, strong clinical programs that prepare dentists for the future and research activities at the vanguard of contemporary science.
We are looking for candidates who share the school's educational objectives and can master our curriculum. We look for evidence of past achievements, as well as outstanding personal qualities and interest in contributing to the advancement of knowledge and service to the dental profession and the community.
We seek graduates who will return to their communities with the clinical, intellectual and interpersonal skills expected of a health professional. In addition, our graduates should possess the enhanced sensitivities, broad understanding, open-minded attitudes and appreciation of cultural diversity that assure equitable distribution of high-quality dental health care to all members of our society. Further, we seek people who have the discipline to apply themselves, the desire to use their talents and abilities to the fullest, and the willingness to undertake leadership roles in academia, in their profession and in their communities.
This International Dentist Pathway prepares dentists trained outside of the United States to earn a U.S. DDS degree. Each year, 20 IDP students are fully integrated into the DDS curriculum and clinical experience in our 3 year program.
Curriculum
UCSF and the School of Dentistry attach importance to creating a culture and environment that promotes student engagement and offers all students an opportunity to be involved in its quality systems. The school is committed to working in partnership with its students in order to enhance all aspects of the student experience. Accordingly, our courses (as listed below) and curriculum are subject to continuous quality improvement and may change in response to feedback and learner needs.
We believe all UCSF dental graduates deserve mastery in procedural and clinical skills coupled with laser-focused critical thinking to prepare them for the next steps in their career, whether clinical practice, research, academia, public sector, or some combination. Students, faculty and staff work as a team to provide scientifically based patient-centered care. We are proud to develop clinicians who graduate as competent dentists, and as scientists.
IDP Curriculum
Our curriculum focuses on physical evaluation of patients, prevention of oral and dental disorders, disease diagnosis, and therapy.
Living and Learning in San Francisco
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