College of Dentistry
In a special meeting called for by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) in May 26, 2021, the Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) was one of the four state universities nationwide, hand-picked to establish the Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) program. Encouraged by this consideration, the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs organized the MMSU DMD Team, which was responsible for planning and preparing the standards, requirements and prescriptions stipulated in the CHED Memorandum Order No. 3, S2018 known as the “Policies, Standards and Guidelines for the Doctor of Dental Medicine Program”. However, the plan was shelved because of the unavailability of a college dean to spearhead the program.
The prospective of offering the DMD program was revisited in mid-2023 when the possibility of meeting all the minimum standards, requirements and prescription was more attainable. Fortified by the positive impact resulting from the stakeholders’ meetings and feasibility studies, the MMSU resolved to set up the College of Dentistry (COD) under the virtue of Board Resolution No. _____, S 2024. The decision to institute the MMSU – COD hopes to help address the prevailing poor oral health of the Filipinos by producing competent dental practitioners who are receptive to the professional and moral demands of local, national and global communities with changing oral health needs. Being the first and only state university in the northern Philippines, the establishment of MMSU – COD aspires to offer opportunity to promising local learners to pursue dental education within their means and convenience.
After six months of preparation and CHED -Technical Committee on Dental Education visit in June 20, 2024, the MMSU – COD was granted the Government Authority to operate the DMD program by the CHED effective 1st semester, SY 2024-2025, per CEB Resolution No. 405-2024.
On its maiden school year, the COD has twenty-three pioneering students.