Numerous resources are available to assist students and residents in areas related to the academic program.
The business office of the School of Dentistry is directed by the assistant dean of fiscal services.
Under direction of the associate dean of student services, this office is responsible for recruiting and advising potential students, coordinating admissions and pre-dental programs, managing admissions committee activities and directives, and providing consultation and assistance in nonacademic areas including student financial aid, health and health insurance, housing, and on-campus social and fraternal group activities.
The student store stocks equipment, books, and supplies for the educational program. It is the main campus resource for students, faculty, staff, alumni, and guests. The store also provides e-books, print-on-demand and binding services. Merchandise and Apple products are available from the store's website, www.dentalstudents.com.
Financial aid at the university is available only to U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and eligible non-citizens. Loans and grant funds are available from private, state, and federal sources. The financial aid office assists students in managing their financial resources and their indebtedness. It also conducts needs analyses and provides comprehensive financial guidance for every student applying for financial aid. Eligibility for most available financial aid funds is based on demonstrated financial need. An applicant must be approved for admissions before financial aid can be awarded.
Complete information about the types of financial aid available and the application process can be obtained from our website at www.dental.pacific.edu or from the financial aid office located in the Office of Student Services.
The school is located in the Pacific Heights neighborhood of San Francisco and maintains an apartment facility within walking distance of the campus and multiple living units in the city's historic Presidio.
Rental eligibility for both housing facilities is reserved for dental students registered and actively participating in an educational program at the school. Vacancies are filled each year by lottery from a list of applicants who have been accepted for admission to the school; however selection and continuation of rental eligibility is subject to the complete discretion of the school. Rent is due and payable by the first day of each month. Failure to pay on the due date will result in assessment of a late payment fee for each month's delinquency in payment. Such delinquency may result in suspension or termination from the educational program.
The school maintains a listing of off-campus, privately-owned apartments for interested students. The school does not endorse, investigate, or guarantee the tenability of listings or suitability of those responding to any off-campus listing.
The Pacific apartment building contains unfurnished one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments; study and lounge areas; laundry rooms; a dental laboratory; a physical fitness center; and offers 24-hour security.
Units in the Presidio consist of two-, three- and four-bedroom unfurnished apartments. The facility, located on the West side of the Presidio directly across Baker Beach, is approximately three miles from the dental school. All apartments have hardwood floors, refrigerator, stove, dishwasher and washer/dryer hook-ups. Each unit is assigned one covered parking space.
The Health Sciences Library of the University of the Pacific, Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry and the California Pacific Medical Center is located diagonally across from the school. The library's collection includes about 11,000 book titles, over 120 electronic books, about 200 clinical videos, and access to over 3,000 online journal titles. The library has a comprehensive collection of print journals and books in all areas of dentistry, the basic and clinical sciences, and medicine. There is access to important online resources including Ovid, PubMed, Cochrane, and Dental & Oral Science Source via the library website at www.cpmc.org/hslibrary. The 20,510 square-foot library facility, built in 1912, underwent extensive renovation in 1998 and 2004 that incorporated modern design elements, furnishings, and technology while retaining the original architectural features. The library provides computers, photocopiers, scanner, audiovisual equipment, group study rooms, and individual study carrels. Wireless access is available throughout the building. The reading room houses current journals, reference book and casual reading materials.
The library is supported by the dental school's Ernest G. Sloman Memorial Library Fund.
First-year students participate in a mandatory retreat shortly after matriculation. Through discussions with upper class students, faculty, advisors, and administrators around a theme relevant to the profession, new students are acquainted with the various aspects and demands of the dental educational program and with ongoing student activities.
Many faculty members who teach first-year courses serve as advisors to new students to provide friendly ears and sounding boards for their concerns and to assist them in the transition from undergraduate to professional education. Students may choose an advisor or are assigned one at the beginning of their first year. Second- and third-year students have access to their assigned group practice clinic administrator as well as course directors and other faculty members.
Academic counseling is provided by advisors as well as course directors, faculty members, the associate dean for academic affairs, and the assistant dean of academic affairs. Referral to professional health care counseling is available; however the school cannot warrant the services of external health care providers. (Students should become familiar with the procedures of such counselors before engaging the services.) Services of a psychologist trained in student stress and study skills problems are available to students on an on-call and drop-in basis.
Dental and orthodontic treatment benefits are available at the School of Dentistry during regular clinic hours for students in good standing and their spouses and children living at home. Students and their spouses/children who request and are accepted for dental care pay at a reduced rate established by clinic administration.
Throughout the building there are plaques, badges, and Walls of Honors recognizing the strong philanthropic support enjoyed by the school. The dental school's generous alumni, friends, foundations, corporations, and organization donors build clinics and classrooms, provide scholarships, fund faculty positions, provide dental care to patients, and support numerous projects that help keep the dental school strong. Most prominent of our recognition walls is located on the third floor, celebrating the conclusion of a seven-year capital campaign that raised a record-breaking $65.7 million, 131% of the campaign's original $50 million goal.
The Office of Marketing & Communication directs communications and marketing programs to increase the visibility of the dental school and to enhance its identity to various constituents. The marketing & communication team promotes not only the dental school, but also the school's students, faculty, staff, alumni, and clinics, through effective media relations, Web communications, event planning, publication development, and marketing strategies.
The Division of Continuing Dental Education provides dynamic and multidisciplinary continuing education programs for members of the dental and other health professions. Program formats include didactic, laboratory workshops, and hands-on clinical sessions with live-patient treatment, or any combination thereof. Programs range from half-day to multiple sessions. CDE offers more than 90 courses each year that are presented by many of the profession's outstanding leaders and educators. Annual attendance at clinical and lecture presentations exceeds 4,000 dentists and dental auxiliaries. Courses are offered at the dental school as well as selected locations throughout California and the United States.
Pacific dental students, faculty and staff receive discounted rates to attend continuing education courses offered by the division. Tuition charges are minimal for students and faculty depending on the program. Recent Pacific graduates are entitled to enroll in two open enrollment lecture courses. Pacific dues-paying alumni members receive a 10% discount on most CDE programs offered by the Division.
Contact the Division of CDE at (415) 929-6486 for further information.
All states require successful completion of the National Board Dental Examination to be eligible for licensure. National Dental Board Examinations are given in two parts: Part I covers basic sciences and Part II covers dental sciences. Successful completion of Part I is required before Part II may be taken. Passage of Part II is a condition of graduation from the School of Dentistry.
To practice in California graduates must successfully complete one of the following options: (1) pass the Western Regional Examination Board licensure examination (WREB), or (2) complete a 12-month post-doctoral program approved by the Commission on Dental Accreditation. The program can be either a GPR (General Practice Residency) or AEGD (Advanced Education in General Dentistry). The WREB is given at various sites throughout the year. Pacific Dugoni graduates have the opportunity to take the WREB at the school just prior to graduation and with the approval of the Dean.
July 2011
