AGD Mastership requirements: hours, fees and steps (2026)

The Mastership Award is what the Academy of General Dentistry calls its highest honor for lifelong learning. People write it as MAGD. This post lists the requirements the AGD publishes on its awards pages, as of 2026, plus the changes that start in 2029. It is a summary. The AGD Mastership Award Guidelines are the official policy, so read them before you plan.

What does AGD Mastership require?

The AGD lists seven requirements on its awards page.

The Academy of General Dentistry is also called the AGD. The award is named Mastership, and the letters are MAGD.

How many CE hours count, and which ones?

The total is at least 1,100 approved hours, and only hours earned as an AGD member count. The AGD says the first 500 hours that apply to Fellowship also count toward Mastership. A member does not start over after Fellowship.

Course content must be scientific and directly related to the practice of dentistry. The course must also come from an approved provider. The AGD names providers accepted by the Program Approval for Continuing Education, called PACE, or approved by the ADA’s Continuing Education Recognition Program. Read more about the CE credit rules in your state in the Missouri CE requirements post.

The AGD FAQ also describes extra credit:

• Up to 150 hours combined for teaching and publication.
• 40 hours for a scientific article in a refereed journal.
• Credit for some residency programs completed within four years of joining the AGD. A one-year program may earn up to 150 hours, and a two-year program up to 300 hours.

Articles about practice management are not eligible for publication credit.

What are the steps to apply?

The steps run in a set order. This list follows the AGD pages.

1. Join the AGD and keep membership current for three continuous years.
2. Earn at least 1,100 approved CE hours as a member, with the participation and subject minimums.
3. Check your online transcript against the Mastership Award Guidelines.
4. Log in with your AGD Member ID and submit the online application and fee by December 31.
5. After approval, attend an AGD Convocation Ceremony at the AGD Scientific Session. The AGD allows three years after approval to do this.

The AGD lists the application fee as $930, paid by credit card with the online application. The AGD calls this the current fee, so confirm it on the AGD page. The AGD also offers an Award Navigator that reviews a member’s transcript and maps the remaining requirements at no cost to members.

What if AGD membership lapsed?

Only hours earned as an AGD member count, so a lapse matters. The AGD awards page says a member whose membership recently lapsed can learn how to buy back missed years of membership. The FAQ adds that a member who earned Fellowship and then lapsed does not apply for Fellowship again. If a former Fellow rejoins, the AGD says that person can use the designation again and begin working toward Mastership.

The AGD sets an accrual date, called the MAGD Accrual date, as the date a member begins accruing hours toward Mastership. The AGD says it is typically the date a member has earned more than 500 approved hours. Hours before that date are not lost.

What comes after Mastership?

The AGD offers a further recognition called Lifelong Learning and Service Recognition, or LLSR. The AGD says Masters can keep showing their commitment to learning and to service to the community or organized dentistry by earning it. Effective January 1, 2026, service points toward LLSR start counting from January 1 of the year the member received Fellowship, instead of the year of Mastership.

Is there a Mastership exam?

No. The AGD FAQ says there is no exam for the Mastership Award. The Fellowship Award does have an exam. For the difference between the two, read FAGD vs MAGD.

What changes on January 1, 2029?

The AGD announced changes three years in advance. The 2025 AGD House of Delegates approved them. New minimum hour rules take effect January 1, 2029, and members who apply for the 2030 Mastership Award must meet them.

Members can already log Sleep Medicine CE under subject code 710.

Next step

The AGD Fellowship and Mastership guide covers the full path and the Fellowship exam, and the dental continuing education pillar puts it in context. Contact Dr. Copeland about study club topics. Dr. Jon Copeland, DDS, a general dentist in Wildwood, Missouri, holds a Mastership in the Academy of General Dentistry (2024).