The Master’s in Oral Health Sciences (OHS) program at Boston University, affiliated with BU Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (BUGSDM), is a branch of Graduate Medical Sciences located within the Boston University Chobanian and Avedisian School of Medicine. The program was initiated in 2005 to serve as a pathway for students from underrepresented groups to enhance their academic credentials and gain admission to dental school. Taking previous studies into account, this investigation aimed to (1) determine whether working during the undergraduate degree program impacted undergraduate performance, as measured by the student’s cumulative grade point average (GPA); (2) determine whether performance improved during OHS, a program during which a student is assumed to not work due to the program’s academic rigor, as measured by the student’s OHS GPA; and (3) determine whether specific academic factors (e.g. subsection scores on the Dental Admission Test [DAT], certain undergraduate courses such as upper-level biology or upper-level math courses, etc.) were associated with success in coursework and thus could serve as positive predictors for admissions and future success in dental school. Data was obtained using (a) available deidentified applications to the OHS program and (b) available deidentified American Dental Education Association Associated American Dental Schools Application Service applications to BUGSDM for five OHS class years: 2016-2020. Analysis of variance was used to determine if statistically significant relationships existed between academic parameters. It was found that significant relationships existed between OHS GPA and (1) the following DAT subsection scores: perceptual ability, quantitative reasoning, biology, general chemistry, organic chemistry, total science, and academic average and (2) the following undergraduate courses: Biology I, Biology II, and General Chemistry I. Those students earning a B or better in Biology I, Biology II, and General Chemistry I courses were found to have a graduate (OHS program) GPA 0.03-0.04 points higher than the mean. Additionally, those students earning lower DAT scores in the BI (17), GC (18), and OC (18) subsections earned a lower overall OHS GPA. Students earning higher DAT scores in the BI (19), GC (20), and OC (19) subsections earned a higher overall OHS GPA. These relationships were found to be statistically significant. The implications of this study can extend to other U.S. pre-dental post-baccalaureate programs and dental programs and be used as positive predictors for academic success and in admissions.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bu.edu/oai:open.bu.edu:2144/48368 |
| Date | 08 March 2024 |
| Creators | Peters, Christopher Bruno |
| Contributors | Davies, Theresa A., Young, Aaron W. |
| Source Sets | Boston University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
| Rights | Attribution 4.0 International, http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
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