Oral Biology, PhD Program

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The PhD Program requires approximately four to five years to complete and employs a curriculum which is separate from the MS Program  . Students may enter the PhD program directly following their undergraduate degree and do not necessarily have to earn a master’s degree first. Earning a master’s degree can be incorporated into the PhD program without increasing the total length of time in studies.

Requirements for the PhD degree (a total of 72 credits of coursework; 50 didactic and 22 research)

• Scientific ethics/fundamentals of research course;
• Quantitative methods and design course(s) (two for students in the Craniofacial Genetics Tract);
• Written comprehensive examination after the sixth semester (for advancement to PhD candidacy);
• Dissertation proposal defense;
• Approval of a Dissertation Committee and dissertation research; and
• Dissertation defense.

Students must maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 in required courses to be eligible to take the comprehensive examinations, as well as to graduate.