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Oral Medicine Graduate Program

Student Rights and Responsibilities

Due Process Policies

 Counseling and Advising

The Program Director has an open door policy and is regularly available to meet with students to discuss individual needs. Students are encouraged to present questions, concerns, or complaints at any time. In addition, the Program Director regularly solicits feedback from graduate students on various aspects of the program with the goal of continual improving clinical and didactic experiences.

Student progress is reviewed by graduate faculty on a quarterly basis.  The program director meets individually with each student biannually to discuss the results of quarterly evaluations and offer recommendations regarding student progress.  Other graduate faculty may also attend biannual progress meetings when available.

Thesis projects take place under the guidance of graduate supervisory committee. Supervisory Committees are finalized at the discretion of the OM faculty after thesis proposals have been approved. The committee is chaired by the student’s Research Mentor. Quarterly meetings of these committees, called by the Graduate Student, are mandatory.  Students are encouraged to arrange additional meetings with their Research Mentor or their entire committee when necessary.

Due Process

Graduate students are referred to the University of Washington Handbook, Volume 3:The Students, Part III, Chapter 1 The Student Conduct Code and Part IV, Chapter 1 Academic Grievance Procedures.

Also, please review Graduate School Memorandum No. 33,  Academic Grievance Procedure.

These provide information on the University’s policies regarding due process for graduate students.

For information on the University’s Policies in the School of Dentistry, please see the Principles of Ethics and Code of Professional Conduct of the School of Dentistry.  A copy is on file in the clinic.

Graduate students are also advised that the Commission on Dental Accreditation will review complaints that relate to compliance of the Program with the accreditation standards.  The Commission is interested in the sustained quality and continued improvement of the dental and dental-related education programs but does not intervene on behalf of individuals or act as a court of appeal for individuals in matters of admission, appointment, and promotion or dismissal of faculty, staff or students.  A copy of the appropriate accreditation standards and/or the Commission’s policy and procedure for submission of complaints may be obtained by contacting the Commission at 211 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL  60611-2678 or by calling 1-800-621-8099 extension 4653, or visit the ADA web site.

Graduate Students enrolled in the Graduate Program in Oral Medicine are expected to adhere to the Codes of Conduct of the University and the School of Dentistry and to maintain an overall GPA of 3.0.  In addition, they are expected to adhere to the Department of Oral Medicine requirements expressed in this Handbook.  Oral Medicine Graduate Students are also expected to behave professionally, ethically and to make satisfactory progress in the curriculum as determined by their performance in formal coursework, seminars and clinics.  The Program Director will determine if a student is out of compliance with any of these requirements at least quarterly after consulting with the faculty.  Depending on the offense, the student may be placed on probation, and will be informed of what the probation will involve.  If the student does not satisfactorily complete the probation, the Program Director may dismiss the student.  In more serious violations, the Program Director may immediately dismiss the student from the Program.

The Department of Oral Medicine will use the following procedure for grievances regarding these decisions:

  1. An informal conciliation stage will consist of assistance provided to the student by the Department Chair, or when requested, through the Office of the University Ombudsman. If the Program Director is also the Department Chair, the Dean will appoint a faculty member to assist the student with the conciliation stage.
  2. The Department Chair will appoint a Student Academic Grievance Committee, composed of both faculty and students.
  3. The Chair of the Student Academic Grievance Committee will establish hearing procedures, under which the Grievance Committee will proceed to arrive at advisory recommendations for submission to the Department Chair.
  4. Appeals of decisions made by the Department Chair can be made to the Dean and Provost as an assurance of procedural uniformity.