Graduate Programs
Student Learning Outcomes
Master of Science in Dentistry in Dental Materials (M.S.D.)
Graduates of the two-year postdoctoral program in Dental Materials will achieve core comptencies in Materials Knowledge, Critical Thinking, and Effective Communication.
Materials Knowledge
The graduate will be prepared to:
- describe major classes of dental biomaterials used in clinical dentistry;
- explain the differences in the chemical nature of the major classes of materials;
- recognize the effects of chemical nature on the mechanical behavior of materials; and
- describe the relationship between material characteristics and clinical performance of dental biomaterials.
Critical Thinking
The graduate will be prepared to:
- identify the physical and chemical principles of major material testing methods;
- select and justify appropriate testing methods for major classes of dental biomaterials; and
- formulate hypotheses and design the necessary experiments for a given material evaluation scenario.
Effective Communication
The graduate will be prepared to:
- present research methods and results correctly in oral and written reports;
- provide evidence-based arguments on research findings in oral and written reports; and
- provide suggestions on dental biomaterial selection based on current dental literature.