'Privilege diploma' offers quick path to licensure
The Marquette University School of Dentistry has become the first dental school in the U.S. to offer “privilege diplomas” to its graduates, allowing them to obtain their state dental license within a few days of graduating without having to take a licensure exam.
The COVID-19 pandemic forced many states to re-examine how professional licenses are obtained. In Wisconsin — where Marquette University houses the only dental school— that has meant offering diploma privilege to students who graduate from an in-state dental school, eliminating the need for them to pass a written and practical licensure exam to practice there. Wisconsin is also the only state to allow graduates of in-state law schools to gain admission to the bar through diploma privilege rather than a bar exam.
The goal of offering diploma privilege to in-state dental students is to expand access to health care and add more qualified individuals to the workforce at a faster rate.
"We're saying to our dentists, 'Here's a letter guaranteeing that within three days of your school certifying that you graduated from your program, you will have a license in hand,'" said Dan Hereth, the secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Safety and Professional Services.
Read more: CBS
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