Dental Scholars Track - Masters Program

Video Resources

• Q & A with our students
• Student seminar: How to succeed in a pre-health Masters program
• Campus information, housing options, and transportation.

About

The Dental Scholars Track is part of the Masters Program. Students graduate with either a Master of Biomedical Science (MBS) or a thesis-based Master of Science (MS) degree. The Dental Scholars Program is designed for students interested in applying to U.S. dental schools. This is a 30 credit program and, in contrast to post-baccalaureate coursework, the Dental Scholars Program leads to a graduate degree.

The School of Graduate Studies - Newark Health Science Campus is physically connected with Rutgers School of Dental Medicine (RSDM) and is taught by faculty of RSDM and the Rutgers New Jersey Medical School. Our students have access to three faculty from RSDM as academic advisors: Dr. Vincent K. Tsiagbe, Dr. Daniel Kadouri and Dr. Carla Cugini. Students receive academic advising throughout their graduate education. Academic advisement covers course selections for each semester, volunteering opportunities, academic concentration selection, dental school application strategy, time management, and much more.

SGS-Newark Health Science Campus graduates entering

Rutgers School of Dental Medicine Class of 2023 with Dr. Tsiagbe

Advantages of the Dental Scholars Track

• Personalized advice from the Office of Admissions at RSDM
• A guaranteed interview at Rutgers School of Dental Medicine by earning a 3.7 GPA after at least 20 credits and a DAT score of at least 20 Total Science and 20 Academic Average or passage on National Boards parts 1 and 2 on first take by BDS students

• Obtain a Concentration in Oral Biology as part of the master's degree (MS or MBS)
• Complete degree in one year, or follow a less intense 3-4 semester program
• Even in non-thesis master's degree, students obtain research experience with dental or medical school faculty
• Community service through the student-run pre-dental society
• Opportunity to take courses in Rutgers School of Dental Medicine (RSDM) and be graded with RSDM students. Students can participate in the following RSDM courses:

• Open registeration: Oral Microbiology (3 credits) and Oral Immunology (3 credits)

• Registeration with permission: Dental Histology (5 credits), Dental Neuroscience (4 credits), Dental Physiology (5 credits) and Dental Biochemistry (4 credits)

 

Dental Scholars FAQs

Click on the link above for a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) related specifically to the dental scholars track of the Masters program.

Curriculum

Students require 30 credits with a grade point average of 3.0 (B-average) or better to graduate. Of these 30 credits, 9 credits come from the core (required) courses listed below. The remaining 21 credits are from elective courses. Based on every individual student's goals, strengths, and timeline, the academic advisors help students create a course schedule from the following:

Core courses:

1. Seminar in Biomedical Sciences or Oral Biology Research Seminar (1 credit)

2. Research in Biomedical Sciences, also called Masters Research Rotations (2 credits), which are typically based in a research laboratory but can also involve clinical or non-laboratory research. Students who have previous research experience can obtain an exemption from this requirement, fulfilling the 2 credits with another course)

3. Any two of the following 3 credit courses:

• Fundamentals in Biomedical Sciences A, Biochemistry (Fall) - dental school course (Dental Biochemistry) can be substituted
• Fundamentals in Biomedical Sciences B, Cell Biology (Spring)
• Fundamentals of Human Physiology (Spring) - dental school course (Dental Physiology) can be substituted
• Fundamentals of Pharmacology (Fall)

Elective courses:

A complete listing of available graduate courses can be found in the Spring and Fall course listings on the course information web page. By selecting specific sets of elective courses, students can also complete a concentration within their Master's degree, with offerings in Neuroscience, Oral Biology, Pharmacological Sciences or Stem Cell Biology.

In conversation with our alum, Charris Allen

Charris Allen
MBS Fall 2016
Our alumnai, Charris Allen was recently awarded the EJI Excellence in Medicine award. Read more

Rutgers School of Dental Medicine
Class of 2021

How did the curriculum help you in reaching your goals?
The curriculum of the program really helped to prepare me for dental school in terms of content and the amount of information. I found that once I matriculated into dental school, especially at Rutgers, it really benefited me to have the background education of the Masters program. It made classes in dental school feel more like a refresher than being bombarded with a lot of new information. It almost felt like I had a slight advantage in having already been exposed to a good amount of the information I was learning in my first year of dental school. It was also nice that a lot of the faculty that teach classes to the Master's students also teach the same courses in the dental school for dental students so I was already familiar with some of the faculty and how they operate. While obtaining my Master's I also got a concentration in Pharmacological Sciences. I enjoyed learning about different drugs and how drugs affect the body and how our body affects drugs.

Describe how particular faculty member(s) affected your learning experience.
Throughout my experience in the Master's program at Rutgers SGS I often consulted with Dr. Tsiagbe for advice and guidance. He played a huge role in my success of getting accepted into dental school. From the beginning he went out of his way to get a current student to give my family and I a tour of the school after I missed the scheduled tour date. He was not only my assigned advisor for the program, but I also had the pleasure of doing research with him. After developing a great relationship with him from consistently seeking advice in regards to my classes and taking the DAT, I asked him to write me a letter of recommendation for dental school and he agreed.

Please share advice for a student starting their education on the Newark Health Science Campus of Rutgers SGS.
My advice is to make the most of your time during the program. There is plenty of time for students to take their time and perform well in classes. This is the time for them to zone in on the second chance opportunity to accomplish their dream of going to dental school. I would implore students to use that time to study, create a future plan, and be intentional with their decision making. The faculty in the program are there to help and are very knowledgeable about the application process for dental school as well as the interview process. Lastly, I want incoming students to know that they are more than capable of excelling at Rutgers SGS. It will take hard work, discipline, pro-activity, and encouragement. Working hard is important, but it is also essential to have people in your corner who are motivating and encouraging. The faculty are great people to talk to for reassurance as well as their fellow classmates