Admissions and Graduation Requirements
Boston University Department of Dermatology offers Master of Science, and Doctor of Science degrees in Dermatology after successful completion of 2, and 4 years, respectively, of full-time study and training. The application deadline for programs starting July 1 is November 1.
Eligibility requirements include:
- a medical degree (M.D. or equivalent) from an accredited university
- a year of internship and one or more years of experience in the practice of medicine (preferably dermatology)
- proficiency in English (minimum TOEFL score is 575 for the paper-based test, 232 for the computer-based test, and 90 for the internet-based test).
The Diploma is equivalent to the first year of the Master’s degree, and the Master degree is equivalent to the first 2 years of the 4 year Doctorate degree. Admission to the 4-year Doctorate program can also be granted after successful completion of the Masters program.
Evaluation of the students’ performance in the different courses is based on attendance, exams, written assignments, and faculty evaluations. In clinic, students work under the direct supervision of a faculty member at all times. The faculty member is responsible for assessing in an ongoing manner the students’ history- taking and physical examination skills, background medical and dermatologic knowledge, ability to construct a differential diagnosis, logical approach to patient management, medical judgment, knowledge of therapies including both efficacy and potential side effects, ability to communicate appropriately with referring physicians and other professional colleagues, and consideration and compassion in the care of individual patients.
Each April, 2-3 months prior to the end of the 12 month year, students are required to take the In-Training Examination of the American Board of Dermatology (ABD), a standardized centrally-graded four-hour examination administered to all dermatology residents in the United States at their training program sites. This examination is prepared by the ABD to acquaint trainees with the content and format of the ABD certifying examination, the final hurdle for Board-Certification for American-trained dermatologists after they have satisfactorily completed their training. This comprehensive examination probes knowledge of all aspects of dermatology and includes interpretation of clinical photographs and dermatopathology slides as well as assessment of cognitive knowledge. The exams are computer-graded by the ABD and individual scores and percentile performances are returned to the training programs.
As a graduation requirement, students in the International Graduate Dermatology Program are required to perform at or above the 15th percentile. Toward the end of the second academic year, students also have to pass an oral final examination that will test all aspects of dermatology. An external examiner can be invited to participate in this oral examination. Passing this first oral exam is also a graduation requirement. Students who are not found satisfactory in their coursework will not be allowed to sit for the final examination.
In the case of the Doctorate degree program, in addition to the above, the student must complete a written thesis and successfully defend that thesis to his/her dissertation committee prior to graduation. The thesis committee must consist of at least four persons expert in the subject matter, one of whom is the thesis supervisor who has worked closely with the student for at least one year and at least one of whom may be appointed from outside the Department of Dermatology. A detailed time line of requirements for determining the scope of the thesis, meeting with the thesis committee, obtaining permission to write the thesis, scheduling the oral defense, and modifying the written thesis to the satisfaction of the entire dissertation committee is available on request. In general, preparation and defense of the thesis occupies a substantial portion of the last year of study. In some instances, granting of the degree is delayed beyond the expected date of graduation, pending modification to the written thesis and/or additional meetings with the thesis committee. In order to receive the Doctorate degree, the student must satisfactorily complete both the clinical and course work, as outlined above, and the thesis itself.
