This is the preliminary (or launch) version of the 2024-2025 VCU Bulletin. Courses that expose students to cutting-edge content and transformative learning may be added and notification of additional program approvals may be received prior to finalization. General education program content is also subject to change. The final edition and full PDF version will include these updates and will be available in August prior to the beginning of the fall semester.
Dental students with an interest in academic and research careers are afforded the opportunity to undertake advanced degree training while in dental school. The D.D.S./Ph.D. (dual degree) program seeks to train students interested in translating oral research to the clinic. These clinician-scientists will help bridge the gap between basic and clinical science in the field of dentistry.
Students will have both a research and a clinical mentor. Students will complete the first two years (preclinical years) of dental school during which time they will select their Ph.D. dissertation laboratory. Following completion of their second year of the dental curriculum, students will focus on the requirements for their Ph.D. The main undertaking at this phase is laboratory research that leads to the Ph.D. dissertation. Students are exempt from certain didactic courses in the Ph.D. program in recognition of the content in the dental curriculum. This will improve time to degree for the dual degree program. Students will also to take part in weekly clinical sessions to maintain their dental knowledge. After completion of doctoral degree requirements, students re-enter the dental curriculum in the third year.
Program goals
The objectives of this dual degree program are to:
- Train clinician scientists to bridge the gap between basic and clinical science in oral and systemic health.
Among the many benefits offered by participation in the dual degree program are the following:
- Students holding these degrees will have the tools to integrate research, practice and education in pursuit of new technologies and treatments for diseases of the head and neck.
- The combined program has a reduced time to degree.
The diplomas for this dual degree program may be awarded simultaneously.
Student learning outcomes
See each degree program page for learning outcomes.
Other information
School of Dentistry program policies
The School of Dentistry provides policies applicable to all programs administratively housed in the school. Information on the doctoral program is available elsewhere in this Bulletin. Additional information on dental programs is available on the School of Dentistry website.
The requirements for a dual professional/graduate degree in the School of Dentistry are equivalent to those required of students seeking a graduate degree alone and are determined by the individual program. For additional information, please visit the program website.
Admission requirements
The following requirements represent the minimum acceptable standards for admission to the dual degree:
- A minimum GPA of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale
- A personal statement, which should include long-term career goals to assess reasons behind the candidate’s application; how a dual degree helps achieve those goals; the factors motivating a career in research; research experience, including dates, places and duration
- A current resume or curriculum vita
- Three letters of recommendation that speak to the scientific competency and experience of the applicant
Application procedure
Prospective students should submit applications to AADAS for admission to dental school. At the same time, they should apply directly to the Ph.D. in Oral Health Research program for admission to the Ph.D. program, stating their interest in the dual degree program. Those invited to Richmond for interviews will take part in the standard interview for the School of Dentistry and will spend a second day interviewing with members of the D.D.S./Ph.D. steering committee, as well as touring labs of faculty scientists.
Degree requirements
In addition to the VCU Graduate School graduation requirements, students can earn both the D.D.S. and Ph.D. in Oral Health Research degrees by having eight credit hours counted toward both degrees. This dual degree program allows students to earn both the D.D.S. and the Ph.D. after completion of a minimum of 268 credit hours rather than 276 credits required for both degrees. Students must fulfill all requirements of the 195 credit-hour D.D.S. degree. Eight hours of D.D.S. basic science courses will be applied to the Ph.D. in Oral Health Research degree as electives. Students in the dual degree program may be advised to take additional didactic courses to support their research.
Expected time to degree for the combined program is seven years as opposed to the nine years normally required for the two degrees. This time saving is achieved by students conducting some of their research requirements during the years they are taking the dental curriculum, thus shortening the time to degree for the Ph.D. component. Both diplomas are awarded simultaneously and only after completing all requirements for both degrees.
Curriculum requirements for the D.D.S.
The curriculum in the dental school is organized into a competency-based, four-year program leading to the Doctor of Dental Surgery (D.D.S.) degree. The program emphasizes study in three broad areas: biomedical sciences, clinical sciences and behavioral sciences.
The biomedical sciences include the in-depth study of human anatomy, genetics, material science, microbiology, pathology, pharmacology and physiology.
The clinical sciences prepare the student for the actual practice of dentistry and provide exposure to the various specialties in dentistry.
The behavioral sciences cover such topics as dental health needs, the system of health care delivery, practice management, professional ethics and behavioral factors.
Laboratory and clinical experiences are offered throughout the four years to develop the skills and judgment vital to the practice of general dentistry.
| Course | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| DEBS 501 | Dental Gross Anatomy | 6.5 |
| DEBS 502 | Dental Neuroanatomy | 1 |
| DEBS 503 | Infection and Immunology (counts as elective in Ph.D. program) | 3.5 |
| DEBS 511 | Microscopic Anatomy | 5 |
| DEBS 512 | Physiology and Pathophysiology (counts as elective in Ph.D. program) | 5 |
| DEBS 513 | Dental General Pathology | 6 |
| DEBS 601 | Dental Pharmacology and Pain Control I | 4 |
| DEBS 701 | Dental Pharmacology and Pain Control II | 2 |
| DENS 503 | Introduction to Behavioral Science in Dentistry | 1.5 |
| DENS 508 | Dental Materials I | 1 |
| DENS 513 | Foundations of Effective Interpersonal Skills During Patient Interactions I | 2 |
| DENS 515 | Clinical Skills I | 1 |
| DENS 516 | Clinical Skills II | 3.5 |
| DENS 522 | Preclinical Restorative Lecture I | 4 |
| DENS 523 | Preclinical Restorative Lab I | 4.5 |
| DENS 524 | Evidence-based Dentistry and Critical Thinking I | 1 |
| DENS 532 | Preclinical Restorative Lecture II | 1.5 |
| DENS 533 | Preclinical Restorative Lab II | 1.5 |
| DENS 603 | Foundations of Effective Interpersonal Skills During Patient Interactions II | 2 |
| DENS 607 | D2 Clinical Dentistry I | 1 |
| DENS 608 | Dental Materials II | 1 |
| DENS 611 | Introduction to Professionalism, Ethics and Ethical Decision-making | 1 |
| DENS 617 | D2 Clinical Dentistry II | 2 |
| DENS 619 | Evidence-based Dentistry and Critical Thinking II | 1 |
| DENS 621 | Dental Occlusion | 1 |
| DENS 622 | Dental Occlusion Lab | 1.5 |
| DENS 627 | D2 Clinical Dentistry III | 6.5 |
| DENS 628 | Introduction to Dental Public Health | 1 |
| DENS 632 | Preclinical Restorative Lecture III | 1 |
| DENS 633 | Preclinical Restorative Lab III | 1 |
| DENS 642 | Fundamentals of Treatment Planning | 1 |
| DENS 662 | Advanced Restorative and Digital Dentistry Lecture | 1 |
| DENS 663 | Advanced Restorative and Digital Dentistry Lab | 1 |
| DENS 708 | Dental Materials III | 0.5 |
| DENS 718 | Dental Materials IV | 0.5 |
| DENS 727 | D3 Clinical Dentistry | 8 |
| DENS 730 | Dental Practice Management III | 1 |
| DENS 735 | Patient Management and Professional Conduct I | 5 |
| DENS 740 | Dental Practice Management IV | 1 |
| DENS 745 | Patient Management and Professional Conduct II | 5 |
| DENS 752 | Clinical General Practice Dentistry | 13 |
| DENS 753 | D4 Treatment Planning Seminar | 1 |
| DENS 762 | Clinical Service-learning | 4 |
| ENDO 622 | Principles of Endodontics | 1 |
| ENDO 623 | Principles of Endodontics Lab | 1.5 |
| ENDO 731 | Endodontic Therapy | 1 |
| ENDO 739 | Clinical Endodontics III | 1.5 |
| ENDO 749 | Clinical Endodontics IV | 1.5 |
| GENP 511 | Dental Anatomy | 2.5 |
| GENP 514 | Fundamentals of Occlusion | 2 |
| GENP 521 | Dental Anatomy Lab | 1.5 |
| GENP 620 | Cariology | 2 |
| GENP 739 | Clinical Operative III | 5 |
| GENP 742 | Treatment Planning Seminar | 2 |
| IPEC 501 | Foundations of Interprofessional Practice | 1 |
| ORPT 620 | Oral Radiology I | 1 |
| ORPT 621 | Dental Radiology | 1 |
| ORPT 622 | Oral Pathology | 3 |
| ORPT 623 | Temporomandibular Disorders and Orofacial Pain | 1 |
| ORPT 732 | Clinical Oral Pathology and Oral Medicine | 1 |
| ORPT 737 | D3 Radiology Rotation | 1 |
| ORSG 622 | Introduction to Oral Surgery | 1 |
| ORSG 731 | Medical Management of Emergency Care Dental Patients | 2 |
| ORSG 733 | Principles of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery | 1.5 |
| ORSG 739 | Clinical Oral Surgery III | 2.5 |
| ORSG 749 | Clinical Oral Surgery IV | 2 |
| ORTH 623 | Orthodontics Lecture | 2 |
| ORTH 733 | Orthodontic Therapy | 1 |
| PEDD 622 | Introduction to Pediatric Dentistry | 2 |
| ORTH 739 | Clinical Orthodontics III | 1 |
| PEDD 730 | Special Care Dentistry | 1 |
| PEDD 733 | Advanced Pediatric Dentistry | 1 |
| PEDD 739 | Clinical Pediatric Dentistry III | .5 |
| PEDD 749 | Clinical Pediatric Dentistry IV | 1 |
| PERI 525 | Diagnosis of Periodontal Diseases | 1 |
| PERI 526 | Etiology and Pathogenesis of Periodontal Diseases | 1.5 |
| PERI 627 | Non-Surgical Periodontal Therapy | 1.5 |
| PERI 733 | Surgical Periodontal Therapy | 1 |
| PERI 739 | Clinical Periodontics III | 5 |
| PERI 749 | Clinical Periodontics IV | 1 |
| PROS 624 | Preclinical Removable Prosthodontics | 2 |
| PROS 625 | Preclinical Removable Prosthodontics Lab | 4 |
| PROS 626 | Clinical Principles of Dental Implantology Lecture | 1 |
| PROS 628 | Clinical Principles of Implantology Lab | 1 |
| PROS 731 | Complete Denture Prosthodontics | 1.5 |
| PROS 735 | Removable Prosthodontics Diagnosis and Treatment | 1.5 |
| PROS 739 | Clinical Fixed Prosthodontics III | 2 |
| PROS 740 | Clinical Removable Prosthodontics | 3.5 |
| PROS 749 | Clinical Prosthodontics IV | 2 |
| Total Hours | 195 | |
Curriculum requirements for the Ph.D.
Based on the equivalent knowledge acquired by successfully completing DEBS 503 and DEBS 512 during the D1 and D2 years, the eight elective credits required for the Ph.D. are satisfied.
| Course | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core courses | ||
| OCMB 701 | Oral Microbiology and Disease | 2 |
| OCMB 702 | Infection, Immunology and Oral Cancer | 2 |
| OCMB 703 | Research Topics in Oral Biology | 1 |
| OCMB 704 | Oral Biology Seminar Series (one-credit course taken eight semesters) | 8 |
| OCMB 706 | Proposal Preparation | 1 |
| OCMB 707 | Research Skills and Career Development | 1 |
| Electives | ||
| Satisfied by DEBS 503 and DEBS 512, taken in D1 and D2 years of D.D.S. program | 8 | |
| Research requirement | ||
| OCMB 705 | Oral Biology Directed Research (taken for a minimum of 58 credits) | 58 |
| Total Hours | 81 | |
The minimum total number of credits required for the dual degree option is 268.
Plan of study
Students will complete the first two years (preclinical years) of dental school during which time they will select their Ph.D. dissertation laboratory. Following completion of their second year of the dental curriculum, students will focus on the requirements for their Ph.D. The main undertaking at this phase is laboratory research that leads to the Ph.D. dissertation. Students are exempt from certain didactic courses in the Ph.D. program in recognition of the content in the dental curriculum. This will improve time to degree for the dual degree program. Students will also to take part in weekly clinical sessions to maintain their dental knowledge. After completion of doctoral degree requirements, students re-enter the dental curriculum in the third year.
Contact
Oonagh Loughran, Ph.D.
Director of graduate research programs
oloughran@vcu.edu
(804) 828-3910
Additional contacts
Dung Pham
Executive assistant
dpahm3@vcu.edu
(804) 827-6262
Program website: philipsinstitute.vcu.edu/postgraduate