Curriculum Overview
Advanced Standing International Student Program (ISP)
The Advanced Standing International Student Program (ISP) consists of didactic courses supported by online resources, preclinical simulated courses and clinical courses involving direct patient care in the school's clinics.
The ISP program is a hybrid program where ISP students take some of their courses with just their ISP cohort and other courses with the traditional dental students. This has been designed specifically to fast-track courses that incoming advanced standing students will already have taken. In particular, the first semester and part of the second semester are spent in fast-paced and intensive pre-clinical courses, both didactic and simulated labs. ISP students begin their first patient experience during the 3rd month of school in the Periodontics Clinic and Transition Clinic.
Among the courses specifically designed and compressed for ISP students are restorative dentistry, occlusion, complete and removable prosthodontics, fixed prosthodontics, endodontic laboratory, esthetic dentistry and oral radiology. Additionally, students take multiple lecture courses alongside second- and third-year dental students, including clinical dental pharmacology, implant dentistry, orofacial pain, oral surgery, infection control, diagnostic radiology, pediatric dentistry, pain control and medical emergencies.
After completing transition clinic in the spring semester, ISP students are assigned patients for comprehensive care typically starting with oral diagnosis and treatment planning. Rotations are held for oral surgery and emergency dental care. Time spent in the clinic is integrated with traditional dental students. Students also participate in a case presentation seminar where ISP 2 students present treatment plans and patient cases to their faculty and peers.
Advanced standing international students take a course in communication and behavior change in order to enhance their understanding and practice of patient interactions and expectations in North American dental settings.
During the second year, ISP students continue to practice comprehensive patient care. Additionally, students take multiple courses in hospital dentistry, oral pathology, clinical oncology, public health and orthodontics, some alongside second- and third-year dental students.
In the second year, students begin preparing for state or regional board examinations in order to become licensed dentists in the United States. Depending on where the student will practice after graduation will dictate when and where the tests take place. Special activities are held for preparation for state licensure. Both ADEX/CDCA and WREBS examining boards conduct exams at our school in spring and fall. Please note, board exams are subject to change.
Optional Curriculum
ISP students can choose to pursue additional elective credits and research projects. Students participate in these based upon their interests, as well as the amount of time they can dedicate beyond the required curriculum. They are not a part of the standard curriculum and can occur throughout their time of study, however, it is highly recommended that they not begin until after the first semester. These include a global health dentistry course, our Advanced Clinical Training and Service (ACTS) program, and research activities.