Nova Southeastern University

The Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD) program offered by NSU College of Dental Medicine is a one-year general dental program with an optional second year focused on more advanced general dentistry.  An invitation to Year 2 is dependent upon successful completion of Year 1. The program is recognized by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association and culminates in a certificate from Nova Southeastern University College of Dental Medicine.  The residency is designed to refine and enhance the resident's clinical skills and scientific knowledge base in order to improve the practice of general dentistry.

The AEGD residency has a well-defined clinical and didactic component. This course of study is designed to provide advanced training in clinical dentistry beyond the level of predoctoral education. The comprehensive program of didactic lectures and seminars encompasses all disciplines of dentistry and supports the resident's clinical training.

At the commencement of the program there is an intensive orientation program during which, residents will receive training in areas of dentistry that will help enhance their learning experience for the next twelve months. All residents will obtain clinical training in medical/patient management, treatment planning, preventative/restorative dentistry, dental materials, digital dentistry, periodontics, endodontics, prosthodontics, pediatric dentistry, implantology, oral surgery, oral medicine/TMD, and practice management.  The intention of providing specialty seminars within the curriculum is to help the residents maximize their learning experience while in the program and to provide a solid foundation for expansion of knowledge in these areas throughout their career.

The didactic and clinical aspects of the residency occur Monday through Friday from 8:00am – 5:00pm and include general patient care as well as clinical rotations.  With this schedule, approximately eighty percent of the resident's time is directed towards clinical education.

Admissions Process

The AEGD program strictly utilizes the Postdoctoral Application Support Service (PASS).    Applicants are reviewed on a competitive basis, with successful candidates typically having a strong academic background, dental practice experience, research activities, extracurricular and volunteer activities, and positive letters of recommendation.  The following requirements are mandatory for consideration for admission:

• A completed ADEA PASS Application.
• A passing score on the National Board of Dental Examination (NBDE), Part I and Part II, or Integrated National Dental Board Examination (INDBE) at the time of application submission.
• A conferred dental degree prior to the July 1, 2025, start of the program.

Please be aware that it may take up to four (4) weeks to process a PASS applicaton.

• Upon completion of processing, you will receive an email with your application status and/or any actions you may need to take.
• Only applications that have met all requirements, including uploaded documents, will be sent to the admissions committee for review.

International Applicants

The AEGD program at Nova Southeastern University does accept qualified foreign trained dentists. The following requirements are mandatory for consideration for admission: 

• A completed ADEA PASS Application.
• A passing score on the National Board of Dental Examination (NBDE), Part I and Part II, or Integrated National Dental Board Examination (INDBE) at the time of application submission.
• A minimum TOEFL score of 80 (no more than two years old).
• A conferred dental degree prior to the July 1st start date utilizing either the Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE) or World Education Services (WES).

Personal Interview

• Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Applicants who are selected for further consideration for admission will be invited for a first-round virtual interview. To participate in the first-round interview, a completed ADEA PASS application, qualifying score on the TOEFL Exam and successful completion of National Board of Dental Examination, Part 1 and Part 2, or Integrated National Dental Board Examination, must be received by the Office of Admissions prior to the date of the interview.
• If selected, the applicant will be invited to Nova Southeastern University for a second-round in-person interview and a psychomotor skills (bench) exam.  The psychomotor bench test may include the following which is subject to change: typodont tooth preparation for a composite restoration, typodont tooth preparation for an anterior all-ceramic crown, typodont tooth preparations for a PFM crown, and endodontic access on a Real-T Endo tooth. 
• All materials needed for the above bench exam will be provided by NSU-CDM. The fee for this psychomotor bench test is currently $950 (subject to change). This fee is in addition to the tuition for the AEGD program, should you be selected for admission.

 Selection Procedure

After the interview process is complete, the admissions committee will re-review all applications, interview scores, and bench exam scores. The program director will notify candidates selected for admission to the program. 

• Please send any additional documents you would like added to your application file to the following email address: admitdocs@nova.edu.
• Please check your email (including spam and trash folders) for the NSU supplemental application instructions after you have submitted your formal ADEA PASS application.  If you do not receive instructions for the NSU supplemental application, please contact cmendes@nova.edu.
• Acceptance to the first or even into the second round in previous cycles does not guarantee an invitation to interview in this year's cycle.