Ph.D. Dental Science Program
Short Description of Program:
Currently, the Indiana University School of Dentistry offers two terminal
degrees, a D.D.S. degree and a Ph.D. in Dental Science. Both degrees are the
only similar ones offered at any school in Indiana. The Ph.D. in Dental
Science (Preventive Dentistry, Oral Biology or Dental Biomaterials tracks) is
focused on basic and clinical science areas as they relate to the human
organism and on the effect of dental materials on cariology, molecular biology
and etiology, and pathogenesis. Individuals with this type of training can be
expected to pursue academic teaching and/or research positions in dental
schools, medical schools and other basic science departments in addition to
training that will be suitable for industrial research positions. Individuals
with combined Ph.D./D.D.S. training would be highly recruited to academic
positions at Dental Schools. Our three
Ph.D. tracks contain courses in biostatistics, research ethics, research
communications and effective teaching methods. The two courses in
biostatistics emphasize the important role of appropriate statistical methods
used in biological research. The research ethics course addresses the
importance of a strong ethical approach to the scientific method and human and
animal research. The research communication course is a multidisciplinary
course that will increase the ability of the student to write and review
scientific papers. The teaching methods courses are a recent addition
recognizing that most of our students will ultimately teach in an academic
environment and may have no previous coursework in education. In addition,
students will be required to participate as tutors in our innovative D.D.S.
undergraduate problem-based learning program and to complete the
Preparing Future
Faculty (FF) program.
Recently, the Indiana University School of Dentistry, Division of Dental
Biomaterials, in conjunction with the Purdue University School of Materials
Science and Engineering and the Indiana University Department of Biomedical
Engineering, has begun to offer a graduate program leading to a Ph.D. in
Dental Sciences with specialization in Dental Biomaterials. Course
work will be taken through the Indiana University School of Dentistry,
Purdue University School of Materials Science and Engineering, and Purdue
University Department of Biomedical Engineering. Dissertation research
is conducted within the departments mentioned above based on the students
area of research interest. Subspecialty areas within dental
biomaterials include ceramics, polymers, metals, biomechanics and tissue
engineering. However, students are encouraged to combine their
specialties with other scientific disciplines, (i.e., biomimetics).
This program is designed for individuals who have a background in either
engineering of dentistry. candidates who have backgrounds in both
fields, i.e., Bachelors in Materials or Mechanical Engineering and a DMD or
a DDS degree, are strongly encouraged to apply. Interested individuals
may apply to the Ph.D. track program in Dental Biomaterials and for a
certificate or masters degree in one of the clinical specialty
programs of Prosthodontics, Operative Dentistry, Periodontics or
Orthodontics, at the same time. Interested individuals should apply to
each program separately. Applicants may receive admittance to the
Ph.D. program, however their admittance to a clinical specialty program will
be conditional based on graduation from the Ph.D. program. Gradates of
this program will be equipped with expertise to pursue an academic career in
the fields of dentistry, materials engineering, and biomedical engineering.
Additional opportunities are available to graduates who are planning to
pursue a career in the Dental Materials industry. Students who do not
have a Material Science engineering Background must take Introduction to
Materials Engineering (MSE 530 or MSE 230) as a graduate student.
Description of Research Capabilities:
The Indiana University School of Dentistry has significantly increased its
commitment to research and
over the last 5 years has averaged $6.0 million in
external grant and contract support. In addition, several of our faculty have
established jointly funded projects with faculty in the School of Medicine and
the School of Engineering along with joint academic appointments for teaching
purposes. Multidisciplinary approaches are highly valued at the School of
Dentistry. This heavy research emphasis from our faculty has recently led to
significant increases in faculty commitment to research, released time for
research and recruitment of primarily research-oriented faculty. Since 1993,
the School of Dentistry has completely renovated 7 research laboratories into
state-of-the-art facilities that are occupied by funded
investigators in
addition to at least 11 others.
Student Population:
Open to dental school graduates with a minimum dental school GPA of 3.0/4.0
(as well as individuals with a B.S. degree) and a minimum GRE score of 600 in
either the verbal or quantitative sections. In addition, a TOEFL score of no
lower than 550 must be obtained for applicants from non-English speaking
countries.
Program Requirements: All general requirements of the
Indiana University Graduate School apply,
plus specific requirements of this program, as outlined in the core curricula
below.
Time Limits and Revalidation: All Ph.D. work offered in partial fulfillment of degree requirements must
either have been completed within seven consecutive calendar years of the
passing of the qualifying examination or be revalidated.
Any student whose candidacy lapses will be required to apply to the IU
Graduate School for reinstatement before further work toward the degree may
formally be done. To be reinstated to candidacy in the IU Graduate School, the
student must: 1) obtain the permission of the program director; 2) fulfill the
program requirements in effect at the time of the application for
reinstatement; 3) pass the current PhD qualifying examination or its
equivalent (defined in advance); 4) request reinstatement to candidacy from
the dean. Such reinstatement, if granted, will be valid for a period of three
years, during which time the candidate must enroll each semester for a minimum
of one credit hour.
Continuing Enrollment:
Students who have passed the qualifying examination must enroll each semester
(excluding summer sessions) for any remaining required course work or
dissertation credits. Once such students have accumulated 90 credit hours in
completed course work and deferred dissertation credits, they must enroll for
a minimum of 1 hour of graduate credit each semester until the degree is
completed. Failure to meet this requirement will automatically terminate the
student's enrollment in the degree program.
A candidate who will be graduating in June, July, or August of any year
must enroll in a minimum of 1 hour of credit during that particular summer session.