The Indiana University School of Dentistry offers a Ph.D. in Dental Sciences with tracks in dental biomaterials, oral biology, and preventive dentistry. The only program of its kind in Indiana, the Ph.D. focuses 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.
Learn about the Ph.D. programApply to the Ph.D. in Dental Sciences program
Contact us
Program director: Dr. Angela Bruzzaniti
Office of Graduate Education1121 West Michigan Street
Indianapolis, IN 46202
- Phone: 317-274-5348
- Email: dsgrad@iu.edu
Admission requirements
To be eligible to apply to the Ph.D. program, you must:
- Hold a doctorate in dentistry (D.D.S. or D.M.D) or a Bachelor of Science degree
- Have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale (dental school GPA for applicants with D.D.S. or D.M.D. degrees; undergraduate GPA for applicants with B.S. degrees)
- Have a minimum GRE score of 160 on the verbal section or 148 on the quantitative reasoning section
- Have a minimum GRE score of 3.0 on the analytical writing section
- Demonstrate proficiency in the English language. If English is not your native language, you must earn a minimum score of 79 on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL iBT) or a minimum score of 6.5 on the Cambridge International English Language Testing System (IELTS).
Enrollment in the program is limited by the number of appropriate faculty available to serve as research mentors.
Application process
Step 1: Apply to IUPUI
To apply for admission to IUPUI, you must complete the online IU Graduate CAS Application and pay a $80 application fee.
Read all the instructions carefully to make sure you submit your application correctly. If you have any questions about applying to IUPUI, contact the IUPUI Graduate Office.
Application deadline
The application deadline for the Ph.D. program is November 1 each year.
Go to the IU Graduate CAS Application to apply. Create an account.
- Answer the citizenship question
- Click on Add Program
- On right hand side of screen is an area to search for programs
- Type in Dental Science PhD and this program should appear at the bottom of your screen. Add this program to your CAS application.
- Click on my application on the left corner of the screen, complete the application, pay the $80 application fee and submit the application.
You are required to provide three letters of recommendation as part of your application. Your evaluators should be professional sources who can provide an unbiased critical assessment of your abilities, skills, strengths, and weaknesses and comment on your qualifications for graduate dental study. Examples of professional and academic sources are professors and clinical instructors. Evaluations should not be requested from a nonacademic source unless you have extensive work experience with that individual and/or you have been away from academic institutions for some time.
Provide the names and email addresses of your evaluators in the “Recommendations” section. Each recommender will receive an email with a link to an online evaluation form.
Your personal statement should describe in your own words the experiences that have shaped your interest in the M.S.D. program. Outline your immediate and long-term professional goals. If you include any statements or quotes that are not your original thoughts, you must cite your sources. All personal statements are submitted to Turnitin to ensure originality and proper citation.
Type in personal statement under the documents section of the application.
A CV is a type of resume, most often used in academia that provides a summary of personal accomplishments, goals, professional achievements, employment history, research completed, and any research publications.
Add current CV under the documents section of the application.
Step 2: Submit supplemental materials
All applicants
All applicants must submit the supplemental materials listed here. Read all the instructions carefully to make sure you submit your materials correctly.
You must submit official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended. The transcripts should include work already completed and work currently in progress. They should also include:
- A complete list of courses taken
- The number of credits awarded for each course or the number of hours of classroom, lecture, and laboratory
- Grades received for each course
- Diplomas or certificates earned
- Information about the school’s grading scale
If the original documents are not in English, a verified translation must be sent with your official transcripts in your native language.
Transcripts should be sent electronically to dsgrad@iu.edu.
GRE scores
You are required to submit GRE scores from within the past five years to IUPUI unless:
- You have a graduate or professional degree from a U.S. college or university
- You are applying to the D.D.S./Ph.D. dual-degree program. Applicants to the dual-degree program can submit DAT scores in lieu of GRE scores.
IUPUI’s school code is 1325.
NBDE scores
You may submit Integrated National Board of Dental Examination (INBDE) scores to the School of Dentistry if applicable.
Download the certification of disciplinary history form, fill out the candidate section, and send it to your dental school. A school official must complete the form and email the completed form to dsgrad@iu.edu.
International applicants
International applicants are required to submit additional supplemental materials. You are considered an international applicant if either of these statements apply to you:
- You are a U.S. citizen, permanent resident (green card holder), refugee, or political asylee whose secondary education was outside of the U.S.
- You are not a U.S. citizen.
If you’re an international applicant, you must have Educational Credential Evaluators review your official transcripts and provide a course-by-course report to the School of Dentistry.
If English is not your native language, you must demonstrate English proficiency to be admitted to the Ph.D. program. You must earn a minimum score of 79 on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL iBT) or a minimum score of 6.5 on the Cambridge International English Language Testing System (IELTS).
If you’re admitted to the program, you will need to provide financial support information to the IUPUI Office of International Affairs.