Admissions Requirements
All prospective students must hold a DDS, DMD or equivalent degree from a dental school.
Admission criteria are applied equally to all applicants regardless of race, sex, color, national origin or religion. Minority students are encouraged to apply.
International Students
In addition to the above items, international applicants must include the following in their PASS application:
- Foreign transcripts evaluation
- TOEFL examination scores
International students are required to take the TOEFL exam with a minimum of 90 on the internet-based test, or the IELTS with a minimum score of 7.5. The exam score must be less than two years old.
When you register for any tests, you should indicate the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Graduate School (institution #5816) as a score recipient. If you did not specify the UNC-Chapel Hill Graduate School as a score recipient at the time of taking the test, you must promptly ask ETS to send your scores to us (institution #5816). No departmental code is required.
Applicants should take the test no later than May to ensure that scores arrive by the application deadline, unless listed here as an exception.
When requested to do so by the UNC-Chapel Hill Graduate School, international applicants must submit official academic records bearing the signature of the registrar or another academic official and either a raised or ink stamp or seal of the issuing institution. Records must be issued in the original language and be accompanied by certified English translations. International applicants must also submit verification that the degree has been awarded or a copy of the degree award.
International applicants seeking admission must complete and upload an international student data form and financial certification worksheet, available here. Applicants may submit financial certificate documentation at any time during the application process or they may wait to upload the documentation until they have received your admittance notification from the UNC-Chapel Hill Graduate School. Please note these documents must be received and approved by the International Student and Scholar Services office before visa documents can be prepared.
We encourage applications from non-U.S. citizens and we have a proud record of international alumni Greece, Iceland, Thailand, China and more. However, financial support for international students is sparse. Typically our international students are sponsored by their native countries through government support or university scholarships. Along with their living expenses, international students must be prepared to pay tuition expenses at the level of non-North Carolina residents (see above) for three years of study and training. No stipend support or grants are available for international students unless they are U.S. citizens.
Extramural Rotations
The Department of Pediatric Dentistry is committed to providing dental care to children living in underserved areas. We also believe that understanding working with these populations is an important part of educational training. Therefore, residents are required to rotate through a variety of extramural sites.
Durham County Department of Public Health
Residents provide dental care for children at the Durham County Health Department under the mentorship of the Department of Pediatric Dentistry faculty. This rotation offers residents the opportunity to work as part of a community dental team. Most patients in this program are healthy children between 5 and 15 years of age.
Cherokee Indian Health Service Hospital
Graduate students provide care and assist DDS students in the provision of care for young Native American Cherokee children who often have extensive restorative and surgical dental needs. The week-long clinic is located in the modern Cherokee IHS Hospital in remote western North Carolina on the Cherokee Indian Reservation.
Gateway Education Center
This is a clinical rotation wherein students provide care for patients with cerebral palsy and other developmental disabilities, most of which are related to traumatic head injuries.
Combined Certificate and Master of Public Health Program
This dual training program is designed to prepare pediatric dental residents for positions that require a breadth of knowledge of the field of public health. All requirements of the degree must be completed within five years from time the student first matriculates in the MPH program.
Applicants first must be accepted as a candidate for the dual program by the Department of Pediatric Dentistry and also must be granted admission to the SPH. Following the results of the MATCH, applicants that have been approved will be asked to apply for SPH admissions.
In addition to the courses in specialty of pediatric dentistry, residents in this program will take 13 courses at the Gillings School of Global Public Health (SPH) and participate in a practicum or field training experience. Each graduate student is expected to complete a research project.
Since this program is a true combined program and SPH courses are integrated into the pediatric dentistry schedule, there are no additional tuition costs. There are additional practicum and professional fees.
North Carolina Licensure/Intern Permit
Students who are not graduates of an ADA-accredited dental school must complete a simulation exam as part of their NC intern permit process. Such candidates must pass and complete the simulation exam within two months of their formal matriculation in the program. If a candidate does not pass the simulation exam within the two-month interval, they cannot advance in the clinical program and will be subject to dismissal from the program.
Contact Us
Questions?
Elyse Crawford, Educational Programs Coordinator, Pediatric and Public Health
Email: elysemc@unc.edu
Phone: 919-537-3785
