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Apr 27, 2024
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2023-2024 Graduate Catalog
Oral Biology PhD
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The PhD program in oral biology provides training for those who wish to pursue basic and/or clinical research in dental medicine or the biomedical sciences. Candidates may include those with bachelor’s, master’s or DDS (or the equivalent) degrees. The program requires students to be committed to research and an academic career. Students choose an area of concentration from disciplines, but may also combine work in several fields in order to support their research interests. Disciplines include biochemistry, biophysics, clinical studies, developmental biology, epidemiology, immunology, microbiology, cell and molecular biology, physiology and pharmacology.
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Required Courses
The Ph.D. degree requirements include a minimum of 72 credit hours; 25 of these must include formal course work (lecture courses in which a letter grade is given); and a minimum GPA of 3.0 is required. Students are expected to receive a grade of “B” or better in all courses. Graduate credit is also granted for laboratory rotations and dissertation research. Participation in the department’s Journal Club (ORB 519 /ORB 520 Critical Analysis of Literature in Oral Biology) and Seminar Series in Oral Biology (not a course) is also required. Other requirements include a Ph.D. Qualifying Preliminary Examination and a Ph.D. Dissertation Defense. The Preliminary Examination must be completed during the third semester in the graduate program. This examination is composed of two phases, a written proposal and an oral presentation. A faculty member is appointed by the Graduate Committee to serve as a Preliminary Exam Advisor to the student during the written phase of the exam.
Students admitted directly into the Oral Biology Ph.D. Program have similar course and programmatic requirements as those admitted through the PPBS program. Each student selects a thesis laboratory and the faculty member in charge of that laboratory becomes the student’s major professor. The major professor must be a member of the graduate faculty.
Complete required courses, listed below, based on program of admission.
Required Courses for PhD Students Directly Admitted to the Oral Biology PhD Program (11 credits)
Required Courses for PhD Students Admitted from the PPBS (9 credits)
Oral Biology Core (21-24 credits)
Required courses for all PhD students in the Department of Oral Biology.
Required Training
- RCR/CITI - Responsible Conduct of Research/CITI Training 0 Credits
Informal Course Work: Annual Student Seminar
- Second Year Students: Students in their second year in the Department as Doctoral students prepare the Research Proposal that is the Department’s Preliminary Examination for Application to Candidacy for the Ph.D. degree (see Research Proposal below)
- Third Year - Degree Completion: Following completion of the Preliminary Exam, students will be required to present their research to the Oral Biology faculty in an annual one-hour seminar. The purpose of the seminar is to inform the department of research progress, provide an opportunity for the student to receive constructive feedback, and give the students opportunities to present their work orally prior to the dissertation defense. It is the student’s responsibility to schedule the seminar, which will usually be held in conjunction with the Oral Biology Journal Club. The student is responsible for ensuring that their major professor is available for the scheduled date and time, and for maximizing the attendance of their dissertation committee members.
Preliminary Examination Guidelines
Students will complete a preliminary exam during the third semester of the Ph.D. program. The Graduate Co-directors will appoint a preliminary exam advisor for each student. For the purposes of the Preliminary exam, each student will have a Proposal Committee chaired by the student’s preliminary exam advisor (referred to as the Preliminary Exam Committee (PEC) chair). The PEC Chair will serve as the Committee’s administrative head ensuring that (1) the student and the committee adhere to the Proposal Timetable; (2) that both student and faculty are being responsive to this timetable and to the academic objectives of this process; and (3) that discussions of the written drafts and the oral defense are objective and consistent with the Department’s academic goals.
Doctoral Thesis Defense and Thesis Research Presentation
The Doctoral Thesis Defense will consist of two separate presentations by the candidate. First, the written thesis will be reviewed by the Thesis Committee and by the Outside Reader. Upon the written approval of the Outside Reader (completion of the Outside Reader Response Form provided to the Co-Directors of Graduate Studies, see below) and by all members of the Thesis Committee, the student will schedule an Oral Presentation of the Thesis to be held with the Thesis Committee; attendance by the Outside Reader is encouraged but not required. Second, following a successful Oral Presentation to the Thesis Committee by the student, the student will schedule an open Departmental Thesis Seminar at which time the student will present her/his doctoral research. The open Departmental Thesis Seminar should be scheduled within 2 weeks of successful completion of the Oral Presentation to the Thesis Committee. Successful completion of both presentations will constitute a successful defense of the Doctoral Thesis.
The dissertation is composed of several research papers written in a traditional format that includes an abstract, introduction, methods, discussion, and appendix. The introduction section should be extensive, and in the style of a review article, and the discussion section must critically present and analyze the various aspects of the research covered in the manuscripts. The student works closely with their major professor and dissertation committee during the writing of the dissertation. The dissertation must be approved by the major professor, dissertation committee, and the Outside Reader.
Total Credit Hours: 72
3.0 Degree GPA required
Instruction Method
- In Person (100 percent of courses offered in person)
Program Contact
School of Dental Medicine Advanced Education Admissions Office
315 Squire Hall
Buffalo, NY 14214
Email: sdmpg@buffalo.edu
Phone: 716-829-6927
SED Statement
This program is officially registered with the New York State Education Department (SED).
Online programs/courses may require students to come to campus on occasion. Time-to-degree and number of credit hours may vary based on full/part time status, degree, track and/or certification option chosen. Time-to-degree is based on calendar year(s). Contact the department for details.
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