Graduate Program in Oral Health Sciences

The mission of the Graduate Program in Oral Health Sciences is to foster academic and creative research excellence in the field of Oral Health Sciences. Our program provides advanced interdisciplinary training for graduate students to enable them to become academic and research leaders in the dental and craniofacial sciences, and to contribute to improved understanding of human oral and systemic health and disease.

DEGREE PROGRAMS

  • PhD Program, Doctor of Philosophy degree is designed for students desiring extensive research training as well as in-depth course work in oral health sciences.
    PhD Program

    PhD Program

    Doctor of Philosophy degree is designed for students desiring extensive research training as well as in-depth course work in oral health sciences.

    Program Information
  • DDS/PhD Program, DDS/PhD combined training is available for students committed to an academic or research career. This is a minimum 8 year program and combines the DDS curriculum with studies directed toward a PhD in Oral Health Sciences.
    DDS/PhD Program

    DDS/PhD Program

    DDS/PhD combined training is available for students committed to an academic or research career. This is a minimum 8 year program and combines the DDS curriculum with studies directed toward a PhD in Oral Health Sciences.

    Program Information
  • MS Thesis Program-Suspended, Master of Science degree thesis program has been suspended.
    MS Thesis Program-Suspended

    MS Thesis Program-Suspended

    Master of Science degree thesis program has been suspended.

    Program Information
  • MS Dental Hygiene Program, Master of Science in Oral Health Sciences for Dental Hygienists is available for dental hygienists who seek careers as dental hygiene educators. This pathway emphasizes training in basic and applied dental science as well as a research experience. This program requires a capstone project but not a thesis.
    MS Dental Hygiene Program

    MS Dental Hygiene Program

    Master of Science in Oral Health Sciences for Dental Hygienists is available for dental hygienists who seek careers as dental hygiene educators. This pathway emphasizes training in basic and applied dental science as well as a research experience. This program requires a capstone project but not a thesis.

    Program Information

ADMISSIONS PROCESS

NOTE: Admissions is suspended for the MS Thesis degree until further notice.

NOTE for Autumn 2024 admissions: The UW Graduate School application is moving to a new platform for Autumn 2024 admissions. The graduate application may not be available until September 2023 for Autumn 2024 applicants.

 

The annual application deadline is January 15. Your graduate school application, including all required application materials, must be submitted by that date. Oral Health Sciences accepts applications for Summer or Autumn Quarter start.

Please contact the OHS Graduate Program with questions after reviewing the information below: ohsgrad@uw.edu

 

Apply

 

The Graduate School of the University of Washington is administratively responsible for admissions to graduate study. To apply to the Graduate Program in Oral Health Sciences, applicants must submit an application to the UW Graduate School as well as meet all requirements set forth by the Graduate School. You can find information on the Graduate School’s policies and procedures, along with a link to the on-line application, on their page Understanding the Admissions Process.

APPLY NOW

The Graduate School’s FAQ section of their Admissions website may also be useful.  Information for underrepresented and minority applicants, including programming, resources and funding opportunities and can be found at the page Graduate School’s Equity & Justice in Graduate Education.

PhD, DDS/PhD

For 2024 Admissions cycle: The MS Thesis degree program is currently suspended for admissions. OHS is not accepting applications for the MS Thesis for the foreseeable future. 

  • Applicants must have either a Bachelor’s in the life sciences (e.g. Microbiology or Biochemistry) or a professional degree from a Dental or Medical School (e.g. DDS, DMD, MD).  We seek applicants who show great promise of successful careers in research with an interest in teaching.  Our applicants typically have strong undergraduate records as well as previous laboratory experience and demonstrated skills in life sciences or public health research.
  • A minimum 3.0 grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) for the last graded 60 semester credits or 90 graded quarter credits
  • Demonstrated English Language proficiency for all Graduate School applicants whose native language is not English.

MS DH

  • Applicants must have either a Bachelor’s degree in dental hygiene from an accredited program or an Associate Degree in dental hygiene from an accredited program plus a Bachelor’s degree in any area
  • A minimum 3.0 grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) for the last two years of study
  • Demonstrated English Language proficiency for all Graduate School applicants whose native language is not English

All Degrees

The GRE is not required for admission.

Please review the UW Graduate School’s English Proficiency information including COVID-19 updates regarding current English Proficiency admission policies.

Minimum scores required for OHS admissions are:

  • 7.0 on the IELTS
  • 92 on the TOEFL ibt

When requesting official TOEFL scores from the Education Testing Service, use institutional code 4854 for the University of Washington.

PhD, DDS/PhD

For 2024 Admissions cycle: The MS Thesis degree program is currently suspended for admissions. OHS is not accepting applications for the MS Thesis at this time. 

  • UW Graduate School online application and fee
  • Three letters of recommendation.  We prefer that the letters of recommendation be from university teachers or your professional supervisors who know you well enough to provide us with an objective evaluation of your potential as a graduate student.  A good recommendation would include statements about your research abilities and any progress you have made towards research goals.  You will designate your recommenders on the graduate application.
  • A 200-300 word statement of your educational and professional objectives which includes a general area of research interests, academic goals, motivation, and background.  You should upload your statement into the graduate application.  Optional:  a personal statement that addresses the relationship between your personal background and your aspirations.
  • A Biographical Sketch which is a CV/resume.
  • Unofficial transcripts should be uploaded into the graduate application.  You will only need to submit official transcripts directly to the Graduate School if you are offered acceptance.  This information, along with complete mailing addresses,  will be provided on the Graduate Application after you have been offered admission and accepted.  Note that the Graduate School ONLY accepts official transcripts sent directly from your previous institution.
  • Proof of English language proficiency if English is not your native language

MS DH

  • UW Graduate School online application (upload all below documents to the online application) and fee
  • Three letters of recommendation
  • Statement of purpose
  • CV/Resume
  • Unofficial transcripts from all attended institutions. You will only need to submit official transcripts directly to the Graduate School if you are offered acceptance.  Note that the Graduate School only accepts official transcripts sent directly from your previous institution.
  • Proof of English language proficiency if English is not your native language

*Please note that GRE test results are not required for any degree program.

You are an international applicant if you are NOT a U.S. citizen, immigrant, or green card holder.  International students must have a visa status that allows for academic study at the University of Washington.  If accepted, all international applicants must show proof of financial ability.  This information will be provided on your graduate application after you have accepted the offer of admission.  Additional international applicant information can be found here.

Tuition

Please refer to the tuition and fee rate schedule for the most current tuition rates.

Funding

STUDENT PROFILES

Claire Mills

Claire Mills, DDS

DDS/PhD Student

What do you enjoy about being an OHS DDS/PhD student?  As a dual degree student, I am able to gain a comprehensive perspective of translational research from the bench to clinic. This is very beneficial to help me develop clinically relevant and scientifically feasible research questions to investigate during my training and in my career.

What are you currently researching?  My research project is to investigate the role of field cancerization in the pathogenesis of oral squamous cell carcinoma. Field cancerization is a mechanism of tumorigenesis where a widespread area of cells are exposed to carcinogenic insult, and certain genetic changes prompt specific cells to progress to dysplasia and eventual carcinoma. The goal of my project is to identify which of these changes drive tumor formation in patients.

Priti Mulimani, MDS (Orthodontics), MOrth RCSEd, FDS RCSEd

PhD Student

What do you enjoy about being an OHS PhD student?  I love getting my PhD training in the OHS department due to the astounding number of inter-disciplinary collaborations and connections it facilitated for me. Here, I got opportunities and support to explore various avenues relevant to my research interests and to put together a customized research project which best suited my goals with the help of my expert PhD mentors and advisors. This has totally helped me choose a project that aligns with my long-term goal to become an independent translational researcher by gaining expertise in biomedical science research techniques in addition to my previous orthodontic expertise.

What are you currently researching?  As an orthodontist, my research interests are in understanding the cellular, molecular, and genetic modulators of periodontal biology and orthodontic tooth movement. My PhD research project explores how the behavior of periodontal ligament cells is regulated by inflammatory mediators and mechanical force. This entails investigating the periodontal ligament response both at a single cell level and at a tissue level using two- and three- dimensional in vitro experimental techniques, at the Cell Biomechanics Lab in South Lake Union UW Medicine Research Center.

Priti Mulimani
Api Yavirach

Apichai Yavirach (Yao), DDS

PhD Alumnus

What do you enjoy about being an OHS DDS/PhD student?   What I like the most about the OHS department is that it gave me a chance to explore my research interest and collaborate with other investigators outside of the dental school. After I graduate, I plan to go back to Thailand and work as an instructor at the Faculty of Dentistry, Chiang Mai University.

What are you currently researching?  As both a dentist and researcher, I love to apply basic sciences to dental research since understanding the oral diseases from a microbiology perspective can provide very useful pieces of information leading to novel and efficient treatments. In the Giachelli lab, I have been investigating possible pathophysiology of medication-related osteonecrosis of the jaw (MRONJ) mainly focusing on osteoclasts and macrophages, and working on the application of engineered osteoclasts as a potential local cell therapy.

CONTACT INFORMATION

ohsgrad@uw.edu

206-543-5477

 

Robert A. Cornell, PhD

Professor & Graduate Program Director

cornellr@uw.edu

206-616-6706