This is the preliminary (or launch) version of the 2023-2024 VCU Bulletin. This edition includes all programs and courses approved by the publication deadline; however we may receive notification of additional program approvals after the launch. The final edition and full PDF version will include these updates and will be available in August prior to the beginning of the fall semester.

Note: Admission to this program is temporarily suspended.

The advanced dental specialty education program in prosthodontics offers the resident a comprehensive 36-month course of study in clinical and didactic prosthodontics. The program is designed to educate qualified individuals to pursue careers as practicing clinical dental specialists in prosthodontics. The program will train new generations of prosthodontists through the combination of conventional prosthodontics and advanced digital technology, enabling graduates to provide state-of-the-art prosthodontic care for patients requiring complex prosthodontic care.

The program will provide an optimal and well-rounded academic environment for prosthodontic training through excellence in didactics, research and clinical service. During the program residents will become well-versed in contemporary biomaterials and be able to appropriately evaluate and apply these biomaterials in patient care using evidence-based approaches. They will be trained in pre-prosthetic surgery as well as digital technology associated with dental implant placement and restorations.

Graduates will be life-long learners, competent in all aspects of prosthodontic treatments including fixed, removable, implant and maxillofacial prosthodontics. They will be proficient in applying contemporary clinical prosthodontics through a combination of conventional and advanced technology.

The program meets the educational requirements for limitation of practice to the specialty of prosthodontics and prepares the student for examination by the American Board of Prosthodontics.

The program makes students educationally qualified to take the written portion of the American Board of Prosthodontics examination in the senior year. Residents are required to pass the written portion of the examination prior to graduation and are encouraged to continue and complete the board certification process. The examinations are usually given every year in February and immediately after the American College of Prosthodontists annual meeting.

Student learning outcomes

Graduates of this program will:

  1. Be able to formulate and conduct a research project relevant to their discipline
  2. Practice evidence-based advanced level dentistry
  3. Demonstrate the ability to communicate with patients, colleagues in general dentistry, dental specialties, medicine and other health care practitioners
  4. Demonstrate advanced clinical skills in the provision of ethical and informed patient care

  5. Be proficient in the delivery of state of the art prosthodontic care including:

    1. Treatment planning

    2. Appropriate multidisciplinary consultation 

    3. Contemporary diagnostic technologies

    4.  Conventional and digital prosthodontic technologies

    5. Surgical and prosthodontic techniques and technologies associated with dental implants 

VCU Graduate Bulletin, VCU Graduate School and general academic policies and regulations for all graduate students in all graduate programs

The VCU Graduate Bulletin website documents the official admission and academic rules and regulations that govern graduate education for all graduate programs at the university. These policies are established by the graduate faculty of the university through their elected representatives to the University Graduate Council.

It is the responsibility of all graduate students, both on- and off-campus, to be familiar with the VCU Graduate Bulletin as well as the Graduate School website and academic regulations in individual school and department publications and on program websites. However, in all cases, the official policies and procedures of the University Graduate Council, as published on the VCU Graduate Bulletin and Graduate School websites, take precedence over individual program policies and guidelines.

Visit the academic regulations section for additional information on academic regulations for graduate students.

Degree candidacy requirements

A graduate student admitted to a program or concentration requiring a final research project, work of art, thesis or dissertation, must qualify for continuing master’s or doctoral status according to the degree candidacy requirements of the student’s graduate program. Admission to degree candidacy, if applicable, is a formal statement by the graduate student’s faculty regarding the student’s academic achievements and the student’s readiness to proceed to the final research phase of the degree program.

Graduate students and program directors should refer to the following degree candidacy policy as published in the VCU Graduate Bulletin for complete information and instructions.

Visit the academic regulations section for additional information on degree candidacy requirements.

Graduation requirements

As graduate students approach the end of their academic programs and the final semester of matriculation, they must make formal application to graduate. No degrees will be conferred until the application to graduate has been finalized.

Graduate students and program directors should refer to the following graduation requirements as published in the Graduate Bulletin for a complete list of instructions and a graduation checklist.

Visit the academic regulations section for additional information on graduation requirements.