Application Process and Admissions
DMD/PhD Combined-Degree Program

Prospective students and current UF College of Dentistry DMD students interested in applying for the combined-degree program are highly encouraged to first consult with DMD/PhD Program Coordinator Dr. Frank Gibson prior to submitting an application.

uf college of dentistry

Current UF College of Dentistry DMD Students Interested in the DMD/PhD Program

Students currently enrolled in the college’s DMD program are encouraged to apply to the DMD/PhD combined-degree program. The application, review committees and interview process for the DMD/PhD combined-degree program are independent from admission to UFCD for dental school. Follow the instructions below for submitting an application to the UF Biomedical Sciences Program through the UF Graduate School. In addition, please contact Dr. Frank Gibson, DMD/PhD program coordinator, to obtain a Dean’s Certification Form.

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UF College of dentistry

Prospective UF College of Dentistry Students Interested in the DMD/PhD Program

It is important for prospective students to understand that applications, review committees and interviews for the DMD program and the combined-degree program are completely independent. Students must be accepted into the DMD program for acceptance into the combined-degree program. Therefore, prospective DMD students should apply to the UF College of Dentistry DMD program like all other applicants and subsequently follow the below directives for applying to the DMD/PhD program no more than a month later.

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Important Applicant Information

  • As denoted above, a separate application for the DMD/PhD program must be submitted. Application information is below.
  • An ad hoc DMD/PhD Admissions Committee reviews each application. The committee is composed of at least two UF College of Dentistry faculty and two faculty from the applicant’s prospective concentration program in the Biomedical Sciences graduate program.
  • The DMD/PhD Program Coordinator processes applications and forms the ad hoc admissions committee in consultation with the associate dean for graduate education in the UF College of Medicine.
  • PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS: Applicants are strongly advised to first apply to the DMD program as early as possible, then submit a DMD/PhD application afterwards, no more than a month later. UFCD consistently receives over half of its total DMD program applications by the end of July.
  • Candidates selected for interviews by the DMD Admissions Committee may also interview with members of the ad hoc DMD/PhD Admissions Committee.

DMD/PhD Application Process

Part 1: Apply online to the UF Biomedical Sciences (BMS) program through the UF Graduate School Admissions website, ASAP. After creating an account, go to the online application and do the following:
1. Fill out the pages labeled “Personal Information,” “Conduct Disclosure” and “Application Information.”
2. Under “Program of Study” select Medical Sciences. Choose the Fall term and year you are applying for, then select your intended BMS Concentration or select BMS-Undeclared. Leave blank the boxes labeled Program Specialization and Department Contact Name.
3. Fill out information in “Academic Background.” Have official undergraduate and master’s transcripts (if applicable) sent from your undergraduate institution(s) to:
Office of Admissions, P.O. Box 114000, Gainesville, FL 32611-4000.
However, students who completed a BS or BA degree and/or master’s degree at UF do not need to have transcripts from UF sent. Fill in the appropriate information regarding your dates of attendance and degree(s) awarded by UF. If you are currently a UF DMD student, transcripts from the DMD program are not required.
4. Provide information under “Activities.”
5. Under “Test Scores” leave ALL boxes blank.
6. Under “Additional Questions” and “Statement of Purpose,” provide a personal statement to inform the admissions committee of your career goals and previous research experiences. Discuss at least one research experience in detail (Aim and the background information to justify your aim, techniques used, results obtained and how they advance the field, and future goals based on your results). Address how your research experiences influenced your goals. Provide any other information you want to convey.
7. Under “Additional Questions” and “Resume/Other,” provide the following information: 
       • RESEARCH POSITIONS (Inclusive dates, Position, University/Company, Laboratory, Project, Name of P.I.)
       • HONORS and AWARDS (Title of each award and year given) 
       • TEACHING and SUPERVISORY EXPERIENCE (Inclusive dates, position, University/College or school)
       • CERTIFICATIONS and TRAININGS (A listing of all obtained and dates) 
       • TECHNICAL/LABORATORY SKILLS 
       • PUBLICATIONS (Title, Journal, Vol., Pages, Year) 
       • POSTERS PRESENTED (Title, month/year presented, location, organization) 
       • ORAL PRESENTATIONS (Title, month/year presented, location, organization) 
       • COMPUTER KNOWLEDGE 
       • LANGUAGES
8. Under “Additional Questions” and “Special Programs Application” leave all items blank.
9. The next page is “Letters of Recommendation.” Fill out the information in the application form for having LORs sent. It is highly recommended that at least three letters come from research mentors, other faculty, or from laboratory personnel that supervised your work.
10. Fill out the “Residency Information” page.
11. Fill out the “Acknowledgement” page and submit.
Part 2:
1. Request the ADA to send your Dental Admissions Test Official Report Scores to the DMD/PhD Program Coordinator, Dr. Frank C. Gibson III.
2. Send an email to the DMD/PhD Coordinator indicating you have submitted an application for the DMD/PhD program to UF Admissions, and also have requested that DAT scores be sent.

DMD/PhD Program Coordinator

Frank Gibson

Frank Gibson Ph.D.

Associate Professor, DMD/PhD Program Coordinator
Phone: (352) 273-8856