Doctor of Dental Surgery (D.D.S.) Program
Admissions
D.D.S./Ph.D. Dual Degree Program
Description of Program
Indiana University School of Dentistry (IUSD) offers an integrated dual degree program that combines the Doctor of Dental Surgery (D.D.S.) with a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Dental and Oral Health Science degree. Students who successfully complete the seven year dual degree program will receive upon graduation, both a Degree in Doctor of Dental Surgery (D.D.S.) and a Ph.D. in Dental and Oral Health Science from Indiana University.
The dual degree D.D.S./Ph.D. program will benefit students who intend to pursue a career in independent research combined with dental clinical practice. The D.D.S./Ph.D. program will also position students to successfully compete for predoctoral dual degree training programs such as the Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Fellowship (Parent F30).
The dual degree D.D.S./Ph.D. program consists of a total of 160 credit hours for the D.D.S. component plus 90 credit hours for the Ph.D. component, which are equivalent to the stand-alone programs taken sequentially. However, students in the dual-degree D.D.S./Ph.D. can share credit hours completed within the D.D.S. curriculum with the Ph.D. program. The amount of shared credit hours will depend on the student’s Ph.D. major focus area. The sharing of course credits from the D.D.S. program thereby decreases the number of Ph.D. courses required, enabling students to enroll in a greater number of Ph.D. research credit hours compared with other dual degree programs (sandwich programs). The dual degree D.D.S./Ph.D. students also complete the required Ph.D. research rotations concurrently with the dental curriculum (D.D.S, years 1-2). In addition, dual degree students have through to the end of the year 7 of the D.D.S./Ph.D. program to complete the Ph.D. dissertation research and defense. Thus, students in the dual degree program complete Ph.D. candidacy and dissertation defense as well as the D.D.S. in fewer years compared to students who enroll sequentially in the standalone IUSD Ph.D. and D.D.S degree programs (9 years).
Admissions Requirements
Admission requirements for the combined D.D.S./Ph.D. degree program are identical to those for each separate program. Separate applications must be made to each program. Students are expected to take responsibility for learning about and meeting the admission requirements of each program which may differ from each other in application documents required, minimal standards of criteria for admission, and deadline dates for each of the separate programs. After both applications are submitted, they will be reviewed by their respective D.D.S. and Ph.D. admissions committees. Once a decision for each separate program has been made, the two committees will confer and make decisions to accept a candidate into either the stand-alone D.D.S or Ph.D. programs or admit the candidate into the combined dual degree D.D.S./Ph.D. program. Students will be notified by email of their admittance into the dual degree program.
The dual degree D.D.S./Ph.D. program is open to individuals with a B.S. degree with a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0/4.0. Given the language of instruction at Indiana University is English, proficiency in reading, writing, speaking, and understanding English is essential. As per the guidelines of the IU Graduate School Indianapolis, applicants whose native language is not English should submit proof of such proficiency by the time they apply for admission. This may be done by taking the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Results of this test should be submitted as part of the application for admission. Applicants will be also required to provide evidence of a completed Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test (Quantitative, Verbal, and Analytical Writing). Students shall be advised that successful candidates typically have scores above the 70th percentile in the verbal, quantitative, and analytic writing sections. Applicants will be instructed to refer to the IU Graduate School Indianapolis bulletin for further information regarding the admission process.
Students who are already enrolled in year 1 or year 2 of the IUSD D.D.S. program who decide to pursue a Ph.D. are also eligible to apply to the D.D.S./Ph.D. program. Before applying, these students will be instructed to first discuss their interest with the Ph.D. Program Director as well as the Associate Dean of Student Affairs and Admissions to ensure they are in academic good standing. Enrolled D.D.S. students who are subsequently accepted in the dual degree D.D.S./Ph.D. program will be unenrolled from the standalone D.D.S. program and enrolled in combined dual degree D.D.S./Ph.D. program. The transition to the D.D.S./Ph.D. program will occur between the second and third year of the D.D.S. curriculum.
Individuals accepted into the IUSD D.D.S. program with advanced standing as part of the Indiana University International Dentist Program (IU-IDP) are also eligible to apply to the combined D.D.S/.Ph.D. program and should follow application and admission procedures for the separate IU-IDP and Ph.D. programs. Students in the IU-IDP program who pursue a D.D.S./Ph.D. degree are expected to graduate in five to six years, compared with over seven years for the separate programs. Based on current admissions procedures, IU-IDP students enter the D.D.S. program in the spring semester of year 2. Therefore, it is expected these students will enter the D.D.S./Ph.D. program at that time. Admissions beyond D.D.S. year 2 (IU-IDP year 1) will generally not be possible, and those individuals will be instructed to apply to the standalone IUSD Ph.D. program.
Students who enter the D.D.S./Ph.D. program will be expected to complete all the requirements of the program, and in some cases may be instructed to enroll in additional Ph.D. graduate-level didactic coursework to complete the 90 credit hours required for the Ph.D. portion of the dual degree program. It is anticipated that late-entry students will complete all rotations within the first year the program (equivalent to D.D.S. years 1-2). All individuals accepted into the D.D.S./Ph.D. program will be eligible to apply for transfer of equivalent graduate level course credits earned at another program or institution, up to a maximum of 30 credits. For students entering the dual degree D.D.S./Ph.D. program after first starting in the D.D.S. program, they will be able to share course credit hours from the D.D.S. curriculum (up to 19 credit hours) and these credits will be counted towards the 30 maximum allowable credit transfers.
Tuition and Fees
The D.D.S./Ph.D. program is a seven year program (five-six years for students in the IU-IDP program who pursue a D.D.S/Ph.D. degree). Students will be expected to cover all expenses associated with the D.D.S and Ph.D. program, including tuition and fees. Several fellowships to help support Ph.D. tuition costs and student stipends may be available.
While every attempt is made to provide accurate and current information in this bulletin, Indiana University reserves the right to change without notice statements in the bulletin series concerning rules, policies, fees, curricula, courses, or other matters.
Updated April 2025