School of Dentistry

Departmental E-mail: ds-grad [at] iupui [dot] edu

Departmental URL: www.dentistry.iu.edu

(Please note that when conferring University Graduate School degrees, minors, certificates, and sub-plans, The University Graduate School’s staff use those requirements contained only in The University Graduate School Bulletin.)

Curriculum

Curriculum
Faculty

Degrees Offered

Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy.

In addition, the School of Dentistry offers the Master of Science in Dentistry and a certificate program in oral and maxillofacial surgery; for details see the School of Dentistry Bulletin.

Special School Requirements

(See also general University Graduate School requirements.)

The M.S. and Ph.D. programs are designed principally for stu­dents who expect to enter dental education and research upon completion of their programs. The M.S.D. program is intended for students interested primarily in the specialty disciplines of dentistry.

Master of Science Degree

Graduate work in the School of Dentistry leading to the M.S. degree includes advanced laboratory, lecture, library, and seminar courses. (See School of Dentistry Bulletin for M.S.D. and certificate programs offered in the advanced specialty disciplines in dentistry.)

Admission Requirements

(1) Bachelor’s degree with appropriate concentration in sci­ence (for applicants, other than dentists, who wish to pursue advanced degrees in dental science); (2) overall B (3.0) aver­age; (3) appropriate level of achievement in course work in the major area of concentration; and (4) evidence of potential for success in advanced graduate work, as attested by letters of recommendation from major professors or others familiar with the applicant’s academic performance or professional background. A personal interview may be required in some instances.

Grades

Students must maintain an academic average of at least 3.0 (B) on a 4.0 scale.

Course Requirements

A minimum of 30 credit hours of approved courses appropri­ate to one of the major disciplines given above, including 6 credit hours in an approved minor subject and 6 credit hours of research.  See School of Dentistry Bulletin and individual program directors for specific details on curricula.

Thesis

Students must submit a thesis based on the original research conducted.

Final Examinations

A comprehensive oral and written examination is taken any time after the first semester. A defense of thesis or manuscript; examination is required upon submission of the thesis or manuscript to the student’s graduate committee.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Degree in Dental Science

The objective of the Ph.D. in Dental Science Program is to provide a core curriculum that offers a solid scientific base for a career in research and/or teaching in the dental sciences. The Ph.D. degree in Dental Science (Preventive Dentistry, Oral Biol­ogy, or Dental Biomaterials track) focuses on basic and clinical science areas as they relate to the human organism and on the effect of dental materials on biological systems. Graduates of this program are ideal candidates for academic teaching and/or research positions in dental schools, medical schools, and other basic science departments as well as for research positions in government institutions and industry.

General Information

Admission Requirements

The program is open to persons who have earned the Doctor of Dental Surgery degree or its equivalent as well as graduates of bachelor of science degree programs. Applicants must have a minimum grade point average of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale (grade point averages from the dental degree in the case of dental school graduates). Candidates for the Ph.D. degree pro;gram must have a minimum percentile score on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) of 600 in the verbal, quantitative, or analytical section. In addition, a TOEFL score of 550 or higher must be obtained by applicants from non-English-speaking countries.

Program Requirements

The degree requires 90 credit hours with 32–40 required course credits (depending on the choice of track) and 12 credits in a minor. Disciplines included in the program are anatomy, biochemistry, biomedical engineering, biostatistics, cell biology, chemistry, immunology, materials science engineering, mechanical engineering, microbiology, molecular biology, pathology, physics, and physiology.

Minor

The minor consists of 12 credit hours in any one of the ad­vanced basic science courses (anatomy, biochemistry, biomedi­cal engineering, chemistry, materials science engineering, mechanical engineering, microbiology and immunology, pathol­ogy, pharmacology, physics, physiology, life science) or their equivalents, as approved by the student’s advisory committee and the chairperson of the minor department. Credit hours for the required courses may not count toward the minor courses.

Teaching Experience

All students participate in the predoctoral dental curriculum by tutoring in small problem-based learning (PBL) groups for a total of two PBL blocks after successful completion of the IU School of Dentistry tutor-training program. Students who are non-native speakers of English must demonstrate oral English competency (determined by the IUPUI English as a Second Language [ESL] Program) before they can participate in the PBL sessions. Students are required to enroll in the IUPUI Preparing Future Faculty (PFF) program.

Qualifying Examination (for Admission to Candidacy)

The qualifying exam consists of two parts: 1) writing and pre­senting an oral defense of a research proposal, and 2) sitting for a comprehensive written examination.

Core Curriculum

Descriptions of the following courses that do not appear on the list of graduate courses in this bulletin can be found in this bulletin or in the School of Medicine or School of Education bulletin.

Oral Biology Track

(The Oral Biology Track core curriculum has a minimum of 44 course credits, composed of 32 required and 12 minor credits.)
 
Required Courses (32 cr. min.)
 
Biochemistry (3-5 cr.)
B500 or B800 and G817
 
Microbiology (3 cr.)
J822 or J510 or J805
 
General Graduate (16 cr.)
G651, G652, G504 or G505, G865, G655, and EDUC J500, PSY 608 or EDUC R503 or other teaching method course recom­mended by the program director.
 
Dental/Oral Biology (10-15 cr.)
R959 or G910 and R956
 
Research (remainder of 90 cr.)
R957 and R958

Preventive Dentistry Track

(The Preventive Dentistry Track core curriculum has a minimum of 52 course credits, composed of 40 required and 12 minor credits.)
 
Required Courses (40 cr. min.)
R909, R910, R911, G974, and G959
 
Courses from the following list can be used to complete the total hours required for the major subject: C607, G900, G905, G911, G965, G967, G973, or R953
 
General Graduate (13 cr.)
G651, G652, G504 or G505, G655 and EDUC J500, PSY 608 or EDUC R503 or other teaching method course recommended by the program director.
 
Dental/Oral Biology (10-15 cr.)
G910 or R959 and R956
 
Research (remainder of 90 cr.)
R958 and G930

Required Dental Sciences Courses for Non-Dental Preventive Dentistry Track Applicants

Applicants without a dental degree may apply for the Preven­tive Dentistry Track, but are required to take the following courses in the first two years of their program: G981, G969, G988 or G935.

Dental Biomaterials Track

(The Dental Biomaterials Track core curriculum has a minimum of 51 course credits, composed of 39 required and 12 minor credits.)
 
Required Courses (39 cr. min.)
 
Biochemistry-Microbiology (3 cr.)
B500 or G959
 
General Graduate (16 cr.)
G651, G652, G504 or G505, G865, G655 and EDUC J500, PSY 608 or EDUC R503 or other teaching method course recom­mended by the program director.
 
Dental Materials (20-22 cr.)
G910, G911, G912, G913, and R956
 
Elective Classes (determined by the student’s advisory committee)
Offered by the Purdue University School of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) or Indiana University School of Den­tistry. MSE 53000 or MSE 23000, MSE 24000, MSE 33500, MSE 35000, MSE 38200, the MSE Graduate Seminar, G865, or M527.

Specialty Courses (determined by the student’s advisory committee)

• Polymers (MSE 59700Y, MSE 52500, and MSE 59700B-A and AE 59000M)
• Ceramics (MSE 51000, MSE 51200, MSE 52300, and MSE 55600)
• Metals (MSE 50800, MSE 52200, and MSE 51000)
• Biomechanics (BME 59500C, BME 59500J, and MSE 55600)
• Tissue Engineering (BME 59500E, BMS 52300, BME 60100, BME 60200, and BME 59500B)

Research (remainder of 90 cr.)

• R957 and G921, G930