GENERAL PROGRAM INFORMATION

The program is designed for students who wish to pursue a research-intensive program of graduate training in Oral Biology leading to the degrees of M.Sc. or Ph.D.

The Department of Oral Biology is responsible for teaching all undergraduate and graduate courses in Oral Biology in the Faculty of Dentistry. This responsibility ensures that the members of the department have a wide range of expertise in the basic biological sciences. Admissions to our MSc or PhD Graduate programs depend upon the availability of a potential supervisor.

ADMISSION PROCDURES:

A complete admissions application consists of the following:

1. A completed application form to Faculty of Graduate Studies.
   Please indicate the name of the advisor who has agreed to supervise. Failure to identify an advisor will result in rejection of the application. Advisors' contact information is on the Department of Oral Biology research profiles page.
2. Admissions fee of $100 in Canadian currency.
3. Official academic transcript(s)
4. 2-3 letters of reference
5. Curriculum vitae or resume
6. Statement of Intent indicating your scientific background and research interests (one paragraph).
7. Current Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score (if not a native English-speaker).

For international students the process usually takes 4-6 months from the date of submission to FGS, while for Canadian applicants the procedure is 2-3 months. The fee structure is different for Canadians ($4200 for year-1) and International applicants ($8249 for year 1). More information about the fee structure can be found at Student Affairs - Registrar's Office. Should the GPA of an international student be greater than 3.5 they may be eligible to receive a scholarship ($4200 for year-1 only). More information is available at Faculty of Graduate Studies - International Student Funding.

RESEARCH INTERESTS OF MEMBERS OF THE DEPARTMENT:

• Salivary physiology - mathematical modelling of interactions between saliva and plaque.
• Bacterial virulence and disease progression.
• Pseudomonas aeruginosa acute and chronic infections in humans.
• Cell signaling, stimulus-response coupling underlying platelet activation.
• Bitter taste and extra-oral bitter taste signaling.
• Signal transduction pathways, G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs).
• GTP-binding proteins in cell function.
• Development of mineralized dental tissues under pathological conditions.
• Biology of calpain protease.
• Environmental factors and lung development, tobacco smoke.
• Neurobiology of emotions and motivation.

COURSES OFFERED:

Please check the Faculty of Graduate studies course calendar for current course offerings and program requirements for Oral Biology. Students may also be required to take courses offered by other departments in the University, if these are relevant to their studies.

*If you are interested in applying for any of the Dentistry Graduate programs, please visit the U of M Faculty of Graduate Studies  for the required forms and information.