Hood first dentist to earn M.Ed. from part-time UH program in TMC

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"The Office of Educational Research and Professional Development initiated the collaboration with the two medical schools for the benefit of our faculty," she said. "The master's program is strongly linked to the Educator Initiatives program; in fact, any faculty member who earns this degree can get nine hours of credit through the Initiatives program."

The UH program requires 36 credit hours and takes two years with year-round classes. The classes meet twice a week for three hours each, with an estimated time commitment of about 20 hours per week to meet study requirements.

When Hood decided to pursue the master of education degree, she had been in private practice 26 years and teaching part-time at UTDB for five years.

"I've always been interested in education, and when I was in dental school I knew I eventually wanted to teach," she said. "Although traditionally, teaching at the college or graduate school level has not required a degree in education, I think it's a plus. There are many calls and pressures for sweeping reform in dental education, and I want to be involved and knowledgeable."

For her master's degree, she specialized in instructional technology and design, and community-based education. "I did learn about using technology in teaching, but I also learned how to design instruction to approach different kinds of learners or subjects," she said. "Community-based education involves students going to community sites and learning in real-world settings."

In the course of writing a paper about community-based education for dental students, Hood was invited to give a talk at the University of Washington School of Dentistry in Seattle about the need for dentists in rural communities in Texas and throughout the nation. Ideas were shared about how community-based education can be structured to help address the need, as well as how to engender professionalism in students.

"I don't know that [the Seattle trip] would have happened but for me completing my master's," she said. "It definitely broadened my perspective and gave me new opportunities."

Hood also enjoyed getting to know other professionals working nearby in the medical center. "It was great to work with people from many disciplines here at TMC, and also at the UH main campus. We can learn so much from one another, instead of being isolated in our own separate worlds," she said.

Although she chose to take some of her classes on the UH campus, it's possible to complete the program entirely in TMC classes, she added. For more information about the UH Master's in Education, Texas Medical Center program, visit the Web site or contact O'Neill at Ext. 4022, or by email.