Education

Harvard University: Arts & Sciences: Biological Sciences in Dental Medicine

Category Art and Social Sciences, Biological Sciences, Harvard University, USA, Undergraduate
Tags Arts, Biological, Dental, Harvard University, Medicine, Sciences

The Biological Sciences in Dental Medicine (BSDM) Program, leading to the PhD degree, is located at Harvard School of Dental Medicine and is offered through the Faculty of Arts and Sciences of Harvard University.

The BSDM program combines faculty from the Department of Developmental Biology and other Harvard School of Dental Medicine departments with faculty from basic science departments at Harvard Medical School, and faculty from the Faculty of Arts and Sciences of Harvard University in Cambridge. This program offers advanced study in the molecular, supramolecular, cellular, and supracellular processes that provide the intellectual basis for dental medicine.

Applicants to this program should be interested in pursuing a career in basic or patient-oriented science in the areas of skeletal biology, cell biology and development, immunology, or microbiology leading to a PhD degree. Eligible applicants will be individuals with a baccalaureate in sciences (BS), a master degree in sciences (MS), a doctoral degree in dentistry (DMD, DDS), or a medical doctoral degree (MD).

Completed applications should be received by December 8 in order to be considered for admission for the coming year. Minimal requirements include a bachelor’s degree and undergraduate preparation in calculus, physics, biology, and chemistry, both physical and organic. Strong consideration is given to letters of recommendation, particularly to comments from individuals who have firsthand knowledge of the applicant’s research experience.

Scores from the Graduate Records Examination (GRE) should be submitted (General); subject test is optional in the subject of your choice. Applicants whose native language is not English and who have not received a degree from an English language institution must score at least 600 on the paper version or at least 250 on the electronic version of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).

Students who already have a professional medical degree are not required to take the GRE.
BSDM students receive full tuition and stipend support while they are enrolled and making satisfactory progress toward the PhD degree. International applicants are urged to seek financial support from their national governments and fellowship agencies.

Research Facilities

Located in the Longwood Medical Area of Boston, BSDM brings together faculty in the biological sciences throughout Harvard University. The Medical Area (Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Harvard Medical School, The Forsyth Institute, a cluster of affiliated hospitals, and the Harvard School of Public Health) and Harvard University in Cambridge comprise one of the most concentrated areas of scientific research facilities in the United States. The interaction between faculty working at the various component institutions, through joint teaching and research as well as contact with the affiliated hospitals investigating clinical problems, enables the program to serve as a meeting place for biological, dental, medical, physical, and chemical scientists. This provides students and faculty alike with a wider range of experience and techniques than may be found in any single discipline or department.

Students have access to the Countway Library, one of the most complete biomedical research collections in the nation, and the libraries of The Forsyth Institute and Harvard University in Cambridge.

Program of Study

A rigorous curriculum covers the fundamentals of developmental biology, cell and molecular biology, biochemistry and physiology, microbiology and virology, pathology, immunology, neurobiology, tissue engineering, and genetics. In the first year, students take core courses covering this material. In addition, students take upper-level courses designed to teach reading skills for in-depth analysis of the literature. Rotations in laboratories, in the Longwood Medical Area or in Cambridge, form an integral part of the program and allow students to investigate several research areas before choosing a dissertation laboratory.

In the second year, students will take the Preliminary Qualifying Examination (PQE) and select the advisor for the PhD dissertation work. By the third year, it is expected that most students will devote their full time to dissertation research.

In addition to formal instruction, BSDM also offers a weekly discussion group, a seminar series, poster sessions at the annual

Harvard-Forsyth Research Symposium, and a yearly retreat. Upper-level students are required to serve as Teaching Assistants for a minimum of one term in graduate courses given in the Medical Area or in Cambridge.