Graduate Admissions
Graduate and Advanced Education Programs
Texas A&M School of Dentistry offers advanced education programs in major dental specialty areas and graduate programs that lead to an MS in Oral Biology or a PhD in Oral and Craniofacial Biomedical Sciences.
Information on Texas A&M School of Dentistry policies and guidelines regarding application deadlines, academic due process, attendance, gender or sexual harassment, bloodborne and infectious diseases are available by request to the various program directors.
Admission Procedures for Clinical Specialty Programs
The DENTPIN (Dental Personal Identifier Number) is a unique personal identifier for applicants involved with the U.S. dental education system and standardized testing programs. You must register or retrieve a DENTPIN from the American Dental Association site and use it to proceed with your application to a dental education program or application service, your application to test, or your score report request.
Various entities, such as the ADA and National Board Examination, use the DENTPIN to identify students and test-takers and for the confidential, secure reporting, transmission and tracking of test scores and academic data.
Admissions Procedures for the Basic Science Track MS in Oral Biology or PhD in Oral and Craniofacial Biomedical Sciences
The basic science track MS and PhD programs accept applications via Texas A&M University GraduateCAS. A dental degree is not required for the basic science track programs.
Specialty Certificate Application Forms and Fees
The specialty certificate programs accept applications through the ADEA Postdoctoral Application Support Service (PASS).
Individuals applying to a mandatory combined clinical specialty / MS program (Oral & Maxillofacial Pathology, Orthodontics, Periodontics, and Prosthodontics) may do so using a single application form. If applying through PASS or Match, please contact PASS (202-332-8795) or Match (416-977-3431) directly for applications. If applying through PASS, it is not necessary to send another application to the Texas A&M School of Dentistry. PASS fees are paid to PASS and all documents are uploaded to PASS. Originals of certain documents (transcripts, diplomas, etc.,) will be required if you are accepted into a program.
Requirements
References
Follow the instructions in PASS for requesting personal references. A brief visit or telephone call will both obtain their permission and show your appreciation for the effort.
Transcripts
While unofficial transcripts can be uploaded in your PASS application, if you are accepted into a program, official transcripts from all colleges and universities you have attended will be required. Information on where to send these transcripts will be provided in a matriculation packet that is sent to you following final admission. International applicants must have their transcripts evaluated by Educational Credentials Evaluators. They can be reached at PO Box 514070, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53203-3470, by telephone at (414) 289-3400, or by fax at (414) 289-3411. You should request the "course-by-course" report.
If you have a dental degree, or expect to receive one, request that a letter from the Dean of the dental school, certifying your grade point average and class standing, to upload into PASS.
Graduate Record Exam
Orthodontics requires that all applicants (US/Canada or foreign dental degree) take the Graduate Record Exam (GRE) General Test. Endodontics requires applicants who graduated from a dental school outside of the US or Canada to take the GRE General Test.Scores must be less than five years old. While you can self-report scores in your PASS application, students who are accepted into a graduate program will have to have official scores sent directly from the Educational Testing Service to Texas A&M University. Use code 6003 for reporting GRE scores. A department code is not needed.
National Board Scores
Whether or not you must provide NBDE or INBDE scores can vary by program and you should follow the instructions in PASS or contact the Program Director for verification.
English-Language Skills
To demonstrate your ability to speak and understand English, you must fulfill one of the following:
- a TOEFL score of at least 80 on TOEFL iBT (550 paper-based), or
- a TOEFL Essentials score of at least 8.5, or
- an IELTS score of at least 6.0, or
- a GRE Verbal Reasoning score of at least 146 (400 on the old scale),
- completing all years of a Bachelor's degree or higher at a US accredited university (subject to approval), or
- acquiring alternative verification during the admission process from the Graduate and Professional School via a departmental request. An international graduate student holding an advanced degree from an accredited institution located in the US qualifies for alternative verification.
Curriculum Vitae or Resume
Include with your application a copy of your Curriculum Vitae, or resume, and a narrative on your goals and objectives.
Personal Interviews
Personal interviews may be required at the discretion of the Admissions Committee or Program Director.
Required of All New Students
Bacterial Meningitis Vaccine
Texas Senate Bill 1107 (now TEC 51.9192) was passed and signed into law by Texas State Governor Rick Perry. Effective January 1, 2012, TEC 51.9192 (amended by SB No. 62, effective Oct. 1, 2013) requires all students entering an institution of higher education (public and private) to either receive a vaccination against bacterial meningitis or meet certain criteria for declining such a vaccination before the first day of the semester.
Drug Screening
Individuals accepted into programs of Texas A&M School of Dentistry must submit to and satisfactorily complete a pre-matriculation drug screening as a condition of admission. This screening must be completed and satisfactory results received by Texas A&M School of Dentistry before participation in a rotation or patient treatment that requires such a screening. Students who refuse to submit to or do not pass the drug screening review will be dismissed from the program.
The drug screening will be performed as a part of the pre-matriculation process and results must be received before a student is granted patient access. Information on how to complete this required drug screen will be sent to the students prior to their enrollment. This is an unobserved urine screen generally acceptable for prescreening of employees and students in educational rotations where they have access to vulnerable populations. A report of the results of this test will be provided to the School of Dentistry Student Health Clinic Nurse. Students are responsible for the cost of the screening. Fees for the test will be charged to the student's account.
Students may be asked to repeat drug screens on an annual basis..
Random drug screens may be requested at any time during your program.
The complete University CBC Rule is available online. The pertinent Rule is 11.04.99.M1.
Criminal Background Checks
All individuals accepted into programs at Texas A&M School of Dentistry must satisfactorily complete a criminal background check (CBC) review as a condition of matriculation. These CBCs disclose all actions - including convictions, arrests, charges, grand jury indictments, and deferred adjudications. Enrollment will not be final until the completion of a CBC with favorable results. Admission may be rescinded based on a review of the CBC.
Students who refuse to submit to or do not pass the CBC review will be refused admission or dismissed from the program.
The CBC is an online process that allows the applicant to see the results of the CBC and to release a report to the Texas A&M School of Dentistry security personnel. Security will access the report online and relay any remarkable findings to the administrative committee responsible for review of any adverse results. Students have the right to challenge the results of the agency providing the information and should contact the background check vendor if they feel there are errors in the report to be sent to Texas A&M School of Dentistry.
The applicant is responsible for the cost of the CBC and may pay with credit card or money order. The company will quote a package rate, but individuals with multiple names will incur additional fees.
The complete University CBC Rule is available online. The pertinent guideline is 11.04.99.Z2.01
Mandatory Health Insurance
Experiences of our students reinforce the wisdom of maintaining health insurance. With this in mind, Texas A&M School of Dentistry has a mandatory requirement for this coverage. The Texas A&M University System (TAMUS) offers a policy, but the student may fulfill this obligation in any way he or she chooses. The information and enrollment forms for the policy offered to students may be found through the TAMUS website.
Proof of insurance coverage must be submitted to the School of Dentistry Office of Student Affairs each year or as coverage expires. Students employed as Graduate Assistants may be eligible for coverage through their employment.
Questions or concerns may be directed to Student Affairs at 214-828-8210.
Health Insurance Provisions Related to International Students
Because health care in the USA is expensive, it is a Texas A&M University guideline that all students who are not citizens or permanent residents of the US are required to be covered under the Student Health Insurance Plan or have equivalent insurance coverage. "Equivalent coverage" means that an alternate guideline must meet or exceed each of the following:
- Repatriation of remains in the amount of $7,500 and
- Medical evacuation to one's home country of at least $10,000 and
- Medical benefits of at least $50,000 per accident or illness and
- A deductible not to exceed $500 per accident or illness.
If you will be eligible to receive health insurance coverage through employment as a budgeted Graduate Assistant (Research or Teaching or a combination fo the two), working a minimum of 20 hours a week, you will have opportunity to sign up during new employee enrollment for the "Optional Accidental Death and Dismemberment" guideline. This portion of the employee policy will cover the "medical evacuation and repatriation" requirements. You may also purchase "medical evacuation and repatriation" coverage under a separate policy.
It is important that international applicants be aware of the following information regarding health care in the US.
- Social Security is a mandatory retirement system in the USA and does not pay health care costs.
- No medical costs in the US are subsidized by the government for international people who are non-residents. The US does not have socialized medicine. All costs of health care are paid by the patient.
- All insurance policies are different in their coverage, costs, and the percentage of medical costs that will be reimbursed. Compare policies before purchasing.
- It is likely that the insurance provider will require the patient to pay in full all medical bills and then submit a claim form for reimbursement of covered expenses. Reimbursements can take several months. Copies of all medical bills and related documents should be kept for a least one year.
- Payment of bills and/or submitting insurance claim forms for reimbursement is the responsibility of each individual who receives medical treatment.
The following are terms that insurance policies have in common and that international applicants should understand before purchasing a policy. Questions about any aspect of a policy should be directed to the insurance company before purchasing.
- Dependent coverage means insurance for spouse and/or children. It is available in most policies at additional cost.
- A premium is the amount you pay to buy the policy.
- A deductible is an amount of money that you must pay for your health care services before the insurance policy will begin to pay. It can be a specific amount or a percentage of the cost of the medical bill. The is a non-refundable cost.