Program Director: Dr. Jonathan Korostoff, contact
Program Overview
The Master of Science in Oral Biology (MSOB) degree program is designed for outstanding students who are interested in either integrating more extensive research or structured evidence-based learning into their postgraduate education. Enrollment in the MSOB program is limited to individuals concurrently registered in one of the postgraduate specialty training programs at Penn Dental Medicine.
Candidates receive the MSOB degree after completion of both their specialty training and the Master’s curriculum, which consists of didactic, seminar and research practicum courses. Students are expected to participate in a project of sufficient scope and intensity or construct a structured and critically-evaluated literature review focused on an important oral health-related research or clinical question. Presentation of an in-depth review of the relevant literature along with a manuscript reporting the results of the research or systematic review are required for graduation.
Thesis Committee
Thesis committees consist of the research mentor and three appropriate Penn Dental Medicine standing or associated faculty members (rank of Assistant Professor or higher) chosen by the candidate and his/her mentor. One individual, other than the research mentor, is designated as the chairperson of the committee.
MSOB Program Competencies
By the end of the program, students must demonstrate performance in the following competency statements:
- Demonstrate advanced scientific knowledge in the student’s selected area of concentration.
- Demonstrate proficiency in delivering oral presentations and scientific writing.
- Critically analyze current literature and report on the strengths, limitations and recommendations for future research design.
- Demonstrate the ability to use each component of the scientific method in completing a MSOB degree research project.
- Discuss ethics in research.