Oral Biology

The Section of Oral Biology is responsible for some of the basic science portion of the School of Dentistry’s curriculum. The faculty in this section teach a broad array of subjects, including biostatistics, immunology, molecular biology, microbiology, pain, and pharmacology, as well as provide individual support and mentorship for dental students seeking to do research in the different fields of dentistry.

The courses listed below are subject to change due to the launch of the new predoctoral curriculum.

The M.S. degree is offered to graduate dentists, dentists engaged in postgraduate specialty training and other qualified individuals who have an interest in oral biology. A total of 36 units is required, 28 units are oral biology core courses and eight units are research-related course electives that are at the upper division or graduate level. Those electives that are not oral biology courses must be agreed upon by the student’s mentor and the master’s degree advisor.

Oral Biology Ph.D. Program

Current dental students, graduate dentists and dentists engaged in postgraduate specialty training and students with B.S. or master's degrees who are interested in advanced oral biology research may choose to apply for the Oral Biology Ph.D. Program. The aim of program is to train the future leaders in academic dentistry and dental research. Ph.D students will be required to take both required core courses and elective courses in the first year and to pass the combined written and oral qualifying exam by the end of second year to advance to candidacy for the doctoral degree. Most importantly, Ph.D students are required to perform high-quality original research projects, analyze their research and write and defend their dissertation before graduation. Depending on research progress, it usually takes 4-6 years to complete a Ph.D degree.

Oral Biology ACCESS Program

ACCESS is a special graduate program at UCLA for the nationwide recruitment of high quality graduate students interested in life science research. Oral Biology has been a part of the ACCESS program since 2005, providing the opportunity for ACCESS students to obtain an Oral Biology Ph.D degree.

This program at UCLA allows post-baccalaureate students to pursue D.D.S. and Ph.D. degrees jointly after having been admitted to both programs individually. D.D.S.-Ph.D. students are required to pass core courses and elective courses of the pral biology graduate curriculum and all courses required in the D.D.S. curriculum for the first three years. In years 4-7, students will devote 25% time to finish the DDS degree and 75% time to complete their Ph.D. dissertation. It may take longer than 7 years to finish both D.D.S.-Ph.D. degrees depending on research progress.