M.S. Program in Biology/OralBiology

A MESSAGE FROM THE DEAN OF THE COLLEGE OF DENTISTRY

The graduate program in Oral Biology was established in response to the dynamic changes that have taken place over the past decade in the field of oral health sciences. In particular, a new emphasis on the biological building blocks of dentistry -- the basic physiological and pathological mechanisms in the oral cavity and perioral tissues -- has emerged. Since these mechanisms must be viewed in the context of the whole body, dentistry, a predominantly clinical science, has become more grounded in the basic sciences and more medically oriented. Accordingly, the entire scope of oral health care has greatly expanded.

The New York University Master's Program in Biology/Oral Biology recognizes that in this new environment, the demand for researchers in the oral biological sciences has skyrocketed, and that a comprehensive, personalized graduate studies program is needed. The graduate program in Oral Biology fills this need by offering training that is tailor-made to the goals of students interested in a particular aspect of Oral Biology. M.S. students work on a one-to-one basis with distinguished faculty in state-of-the-art facilities and programs designed to match individual research interests and professional goals with the special expertise of the faculty.

As a result of the unique resources and opportunities provided by New York University's graduate program in Oral Biology, graduates are well prepared to advance in an academic career in oral biology or to apply sophisticated oral biological knowledge to careers in the emerging industry of biotechnology.

Whether you are a dentist who views research as part of an academic career or a future researcher in academia or industry, I sincerely hope that you will equip yourself to contribute to the knowledge explosion in the oral biological sciences by applying to the M.S. Program in Biology/Oral Biology at New York University.

Michael Alfano, D.D.S., Ph.D.

A MESSAGE FROM THE PROGRAM DIRECTOR

The New York University College of Dentistry together with the New York University Graduate School of Arts & Sciences is proud to offer a program of study leading to the Master of Science degree in Biology with a concentration in Oral Biology. Didactic courses in Biological Sciences are given by the Department of Biology at the Graduate School of Arts & Science, while Oral Biology courses are offered at the College of Dentistry.

The program is designed to accommodate the varied educational backgrounds and advance the research career goals of the post baccalaureate or post-health professional degree student contemplating a career in the expanding field of oral biological sciences. Accordingly, each individual course of study is tailored to the student's personal career and research goals with the intent of developing the student's essential skills in experimental design, data analysis, and the presentation of research results.

With a national and international reputation as a research university of the first rank, New York University's Graduate School of Arts & Science offers the master's degree student advanced training in Biology that is second to none. At the College of Dentistry, which is noted for conducting the nation's most innovative clinical programs, students also have the advantage of a strong, progressive research component. Research may be conducted within the facilities of the College of Dentistry, the Graduate School of Arts & Science, and other laboratories within the greater University community, thus affording the student the full advantage of New York University's extensive research capabilities.

A central feature of the program is the completion by each student of an original research topic. Progress toward the Master of Science degree in Biology/Oral Biology is carefully monitored by program faculty selected by the student to reflect the student's career and research interests. The scope and comprehensiveness of the program -- which are unmatched in the nation -- prepare the graduate for a successful academic career or a corporate career with Oral Biology applications.

The program offers opportunities to specialize in areas such as bone cell and chondrocyte metabolism, connective tissue biochemistry, molecular immunology, electrophysiology of mineralogenic cells, periodontal and caries microbiology, chemical carcinogenesis, biomineralization and material sciences, periodontal wound healing, salivary protein biochemistry and molecular biology, taste mechanisms, and tumor immunology.

We invite you to accept the challenges and explore the opportunities that the New York University M.S. Program in Biology/Oral Biology offers.

Andrew I. Spielman, D.M.D., Ph.D.

THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF ARTS & SCIENCE:
AN OVERVIEW

The New York University Graduate School of Arts & Science (GSAS) has long been considered a major research center. GSAS dates back to the very beginnings of New York University in 1831. Guided by their vision of a new kind of university in America, the founders of New York University sought to create a private university "on a liberal and extensive scale" -- an urban university reaching beyond the well-to-do to meet the diverse needs and aspirations of the wider community. The founders envisioned something more than a college. Their ideal university would be of the city as well as in it, and it would comprise more than one school, with an important role reserved for advanced research and professional training. Above all, the creation of New York University was motivated by a determination to serve "all the people," by providing a better life through learning for the sons and daughters of immigrants streaming into New York City.

In 1866, New York University became the second institution in the United States -- preceded only by Yale -- to award a doctorate degree for advanced academic work. In the late nineteenth century, new visions of graduate training attracted ever-growing numbers of young women and men to doctoral programs. The first woman Ph.D. candidate at New York University received her degree in 1888. Today, women comprise more than half of the 3,800 graduate students enrolled in over forty departments, institutes, programs, and interdisciplinary research areas. In ways similar to its early dedication to gender equality, the Graduate School has committed its efforts to increasing the enrollments of students from historically underrepresented ethnic backgrounds and from countries across the globe.

Mirroring the cultural diversity of New York City, the Graduate School of Arts and Science is at once urban, ethnically diverse, and internationally focused, with students doing advanced research from more than 75 countries throughout the world. GSAS students take advantage of the excellent research facilities at New York University in Greenwich Village, including our renowned libraries and laboratories, as well as the ambiance of a campus focused around the Village's Washington Square Park.

Because New York University is situated in one of the world's most culturally vibrant cities, graduate students also have access to New York City's great museums, libraries, research sites, and an unsurpassed array of sporting, musical, and theatrical events. In this culturally vital, intellectually dynamic, international milieu, students are trained to ask and answer the kinds of questions that challenge their intellect and imagination, and to achieve new heights of understanding as our rapidly changing world enters the 21st century.
 
 
 

THE COLLEGE OF DENTISTRY:
AN INTRODUCTION

The New York University College of Dentistry, founded in 1865 as the New York College of Dentistry, began with 31 students and 10 faculty members in teaching facilities consisting of rented rooms at the corner of 22nd Street and Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. Although the College of Dentistry was the eighth dental school to be established in the United States, it is presently the third oldest and the largest dental education institution in this country and the unrivaled leader in international dental education.

The College of Dentistry officially merged with New York University in 1925, setting the stage for the promotion of research and postgraduate education. One year after the merger an affiliation was also established between the College and the dental department at the world-famous Bellevue Hospital Center, making it possible for dental students to receive instruction in surgery and to treat patients in the hospital's dental clinic. That same year, the first woman to graduate from the College arrived at NYU, making the school a pioneer in opening access to professional education for women.

The College moved into its present home on First Avenue between 24th and 25th Streets in 1957, and in 1965 the facility was named the K.B. Weissman Clinical Science Building. In 1978, construction was completed on the 11-story Arnold and Marie Schwartz Hall of Dental Sciences, which adjourns the Weissman Building. The expanded facilities of the Schwartz Hall of Dental Sciences enable the College to provide high quality oral health care for as many as 1,200 patients daily, making it the largest provider of comprehensive oral health services in the US and offering unmatched opportunities for clinical experience.

In 1987, the David B. Kriser Dental Center was dedicated by New York University. Located on First Avenue from East 24th Street to East 25th Street in the midst of one of the nation's most renowned health sciences complexes, the Kriser Dental Center, comprising the Schwartz Hall of Dental Sciences and the Weissman Clinical Science Building, houses all of the College's patient clinics, research facilities, and educational programs. The College is within a short distance of other major academic health centers offering potential collaborative activities, including Rockefeller University, Columbia University, and Cornell University.

Today the NYU College of Dentistry includes some 1,200 students enrolled in its oral health professional education programs and boasts a faculty of more than 800 full- and part-time members.

Annually, the College of Dentistry educates more dentists than any school in the United States. NYU-trained dentists practice in every state in the US and in more than 50 countries throughout the world. As a global institution, NYUCD also provides opportunities for postgraduate training for graduates of international dental schools through a unique one-year, full-time Program for Advanced Study in Dentistry and Dental Specialties for International Graduates.
 
 
 

THE GRADUATE SCHOOL AND THE COLLEGE OF DENTISTRY:
ACADEMIC RESOURCES

The Libraries

As a student in the M.S. Program in Oral Biology, you have access to the Elmer Holmes Bobst Library and Study Center at the Washington Square Campus, the John and Bertha E. Waldmann Memorial Library at the Kriser Dental Center campus, and five additional NYU libraries, whose focuses range from medicine, law, and mathematics to real estate and fine arts.

The Kriser Dental Center Laboratories

At the Kriser Dental Center, sophisticated teaching and research laboratories are the site of ongoing advances in the oral biological sciences. The planning of the modern, spacious laboratories has taken into account the importance of a strong focus on integration in the oral biological sciences and a highly individualized interchange between faculty and students. The result is a design which provides a collegial and efficient environment for students whose contributions to teaching and research in oral biology will take the oral health sciences in entirely new and promising directions.

In addition to the extensive research space at the College of Dentistry, the M.S. Program in Biology/Oral Biology offers interaction with other components of New York University, including the Department of Biology, the School of Medicine, and affiliated hospitals.

Partnerships with industry, government, and foundations also make the NYU College of Dentistry research community a particularly fertile environment for learning. Major sources of funding include the NIH, NSF, Colgate-Palmolive, Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson and The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Moreover, because NYUCD fosters and encourages research collaborations that cut across boundaries of discipline or department, a spirit of teamwork prevails among clinical and basic science faculty. As a result of this strong emphasis on a cross-disciplinary approach to research, the M.S. student has access to a broad, integrated mix of expertise and perspectives.

Recreational Activities

Full privileges at the Coles Sports and Recreation Center at the Washington Square Campus add a significant recreational dimension to the life of the NYU student. The Sports Center contains extensive athletic facilities, including the largest Nautilus and weight-training center in the eastern US, a rooftop track, NCAA-regulation swimming pool and diving tank, fencing salle, and courts for basketball, squash, tennis (indoor and out), and racquetball. Students also enjoy spectator sports when Coles hosts championship international fencing and wrestling matches; NCAA men's and women's basketball, UAA fencing, wrestling, and men's and women's volleyball. Additional popular activities include ballroom dancing, martial arts, training for the triathlon or just relaxing in the sauna.

At the Kriser Dental Center, a modern campus dining hall features international specialties. There's a comfortable student lounge where you can relax with friends, and the Saklad Auditorium is home to a host of special cultural and social events.
 
 

ADMISSION TO THE M.S. PROGRAM IN BIOLOGY/ORAL BIOLOGY

The M.S. Program in Biology/Oral Biology seeks candidates of the highest caliber to make a major contribution to the newer knowledge in oral biology.

The program is open to candidates with a dental degree from a US or international dental school, or with a baccalaureate or equivalent. Candidates are chosen based on their academic records, recommendations, and an assessment of the candidate's scientific potential. All candidates must meet the requirements of the Department of Biology of the Graduate School of Arts & Science. Candidates should have a strong background in biology, chemistry, mathematics, and physics. A supervisor, who is a member of the graduate faculty, is assigned to each student to closely monitor the student's progress.

Applicants who are graduates of international dental schools are required to submit evidence of all previous education and training. This should include 1) a copy of the applicant's diploma from a dental school listed and approved by the World Health Organization (copy of original and certified English translation); 2) a copy of the applicant's school transcript (copy of original and certified English translation); and 3) a letter of recommendation from the dean or other senior faculty member. The applicant must also understand and be able to communicate in English, both written and oral. Accordingly, every applicant whose native language is other than English is required to take the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) and to submit the scores. Scores of less than 550 are generally not acceptable.

Candidates are encouraged to apply one full year prior to the starting date of the program, as listed in the bulletin of the Graduate School of Arts & Science. The M.S. Program in Biology/Oral Biology usually accepts candidates for admission for the fall term but spring term admissions are also decided on an individual basis.

Students are awarded the M.S. degree upon 1) completion of 36 credits with an average of B or better, of which 8 credits must be based on an original research thesis which is mandatory, and 2) completion and defense of an original research project.
 

Application Procedures
Applications for admission to the M.S. Program in Biology/Oral Biology can be obtained in person or by writing to:

Graduate School of Arts & Science
New York University
Office of Admissions and Financial Aid
6 Washington Square North
Post Office Box 907, Cooper Station
New York, NY 10276-0907
Telephone: (212) 998-8050
Fax: (212) 995-4180

Further information about this program may be obtained by writing to:
Graduate Coordinator
Division of Basic Sciences, #837S
New York University
College of Dentistry
345 East 24th Street
New York, NY 10010
Telephone: (212) 998-9545
Fax: (212) 995-4087