Melbourne Dental School

Education for the health sciences: transitioning to the Melbourne Model in the School of Dental Science

THE MELBOURNE MODEL IS THE WAY OF THE FUTURE.

Under the Melbourne Model, dentistry students will graduate with a Doctorate of Dental Surgery* as well as a Bachelor degree. The first people with these dual degrees are expected to graduate in 2014 and will be in a strong position to enhance their careers in dentistry.

School of Dental Science Melbourne Model FAQ

 

When will the changes take place at Melbourne for students who want to become dentists, dental hygienists or therapists?

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So, what will be different?

Melbourne has traditionally offered dentistry as a five-year Bachelor degree program, the Bachelor of Dental Science. Under the Melbourne Model it will offer a Doctor of Dental Surgery*, a graduate-entry program culminating in a higher and more prestigious qualification. To be eligible for selection into the new four-year professional entry degree, you need to have completed a minimum three-year undergraduate degree and undertake an aptitude assessment which may include a manual dexterity test.

What is a Doctor of Dental Surgery* – how will it be different to the Bachelor of Dental Science?

A Doctor of Dental Surgery* (DDS) is a professional entry degree which is a higher level qualification than a Bachelor degree, offering more intense clinical training and preparing graduates for higher-level work and better career outcomes.

To undertake the DDS* first you would complete a three-year Bachelor degree with specified prerequisites, including anatomy, physiology and biochemistry or equivalent subjects then apply for the four-year Doctor of Dental Surgery*

I thought a doctorate was an academic research degree?

The Doctor of Dental Surgery* is a professional entry degree, different from the academic research-based degrees of Doctor of Philosophy or Doctor of Dental Science held by some dentistry graduates in Australia and offshore. These graduates have spent three or more years undertaking a very substantial piece of original research into dentistry. Both these degrees will continue to be available at Melbourne for graduates, together with the Doctor of Clinical Dentistry which is a three-year clinical coursework degree preparing qualified dentists for registration as a dental specialist.

What sort of benefits could I expect from the new Melbourne Model and the Doctor of Dental Surgery*?

There are many. First, doing a Bachelor degree for three years allows you to think clearly about what sort of health professional you want to be. You would be able to think about your future before you commit, and test yourself. Then, because you would do a professional entry program for four years afterwards, you would get more intensive clinical training and exposure to research before you graduate. It’s a great package.

The School of Dental Science has an enviable international research reputation ranking alongside Harvard and Toronto. Students are taught and supervised by highly qualified academics with qualifications and research experience from leading universities all around the world.

Just as our current Bachelor of Dental Science students benefit from this enviable expertise, Doctor of Dental Surgery* students will benefit more so as they will come in with three years of rigorous university study behind them.

Of course, some of our current Bachelor of Dental Science students also enter with previous tertiary study behind them…and it shows! With the new professional entry degree we will be able to develop the academic, clinical and research skills of our graduate entrants even further.

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Wouldn’t it be simpler just to study for five years and get it over with?

As health professionals, dentists continue to study after finishing the current undergraduate degree anyway. The Melbourne Model is really a way to improve the quality of your early training and ensure you are ready for work at the top of the profession and are confident in your career choice. You will also have the association with The University of Melbourne - Melbourne is a great study partner with more student support facilities than any other university in Australia. Plus this way you get two degrees, one of which is a higher-level graduate degree and therefore more prestigious even than two undergraduate degrees.

I’ll be ready to enrol at university in 2008 or 2009. If the Melbourne Model starts in 2008 how do I get into dentistry at Melbourne? What do I need to be eligible to apply?

In 2008 and 2009, you can choose one of two pathways: either a five year Bachelor of Dental Science -our existing Bachelor degree or you can choose the Melbourne Model pathway to the Doctor of Dental Surgery*.

2009 is the last year the BDSc will be offered so for 2008 and 2009 the entry requirements remain the same: to be eligible for consideration for school-leaver entry you will need an ENTER score of 96, a weighted UMAT score above the 20th percentile and satisfactory completion of the VCE with a study score of at least 35 in English (any) and Chemistry and one of Specialist Mathematics, Mathematical Methods or Physics.

Interstate, IB and other non-VCE school-leavers will have to have undertaken the equivalent prerequisite subjects and have achieved equivalent results in their secondary schooling and the UMAT. The UMAT (Undergraduate Medicine and Health Sciences AdmissionTest) is an aptitude test developed by the Australian Council for Educational Research on behalf of universities to help select candidates for degrees in medicine and health sciences.

Non-school leavers will also be eligible for consideration, as is currently the case, if they have achieved the pre-requisite subjects or their equivalents during their tertiary studies and have scored above the 20th percentile in the UMAT.

International students must achieve an academic standard equivalent to that required of local students and meet The University of Melbourne’s English Language requirements in order to be considered for entry.

If you choose the Melbourne Model in 2008 you should apply for entry into a New Generation science-based bachelor degree program which allows you to undertake the prerequisite subjects for the Doctor of Dental Surgery*. The ENTER and prerequisite subjects required for entry into the bachelor degree program will depend on the particular program you select but you will not have to sit the UMAT. If you are applying at The University of Melbourne you would probably apply for either the Bachelor of Biomedicine or the Bachelor of Science. Once you have completed your Bachelor degree you can then apply for the Doctor of Dental Surgery*.

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What’s the difference between the Bachelor of Biomedicine (BBM) and the Bachelor of Science (BSc)? Will choosing the Bachelor of Biomedicine help me get in to the Doctor of Dental Surgery*?

Neither program will have an advantage over the other when it comes to the University considering candidates for the Doctor of Dental Surgery*. The Bachelor of Biomedicine is for those with a particular interest in the medical sciences who want a course of study that closely reflects that interest and intention. Both the Bachelor of Biomedicine and the Bachelor of Science will offer the prerequisites necessary for entry into the Doctor of Dental Surgery*. Students entering these New Generation courses in 2008 should seek advice from Course Advisors in the relevant faculty information centres for advice on subject selection.

How can I be sure that at the end of my Bachelor degree, I can get into dentistry? Will there be any guarantees?

We will offer a guaranteed Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP) in the Doctor of Dental Surgery* for those students with an ENTER of 99.9 (achieved in the final year of schooling in Australia in 2007 or 2008) and who meet the threshold UMATrequirement (test to be undertaken in final year of secondary school) provided they commence a New Generation undergraduate course at the University of Melbourne in 2008 or 2009 and complete that undergraduate course with a H2A (75%) weighted average over the last two years of the 3-year undergraduate degree There is no guaranteed pathway for fee-paying students.

Will there be scholarships offered and will they be for the Bachelor degree, the Doctor of Dental Surgery* or for both?

Scholarships will be offered for graduate programs. The University of Melbourne is increasing funding available for scholarships to $100m in 2008. Further details are available from the University of Melbourne Scholarships Office website.

If I am selected into the final intakes of the Bachelor of Dental Science in 2008 and 2009, can I defer for a gap year?

You may apply to defer your studies if you are selected for entry in 2008 but not in 2009. Generally deferrals are only granted in exceptional cases.

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What will be the prerequisite subjects I have to take in an undergraduate degree to make me eligible for the Doctor of Dental Surgery*?

You will have to complete the equivalent of 12.5 points (one unit) of human anatomy, 12.5 points (one unit) of physiology and 12.5 points (one unit) of biochemistry at 200 level or above.

Will I be able to get a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP) for the whole seven years if I want to study dentistry at Melbourne?

Commonwealth Supported Places will be available for all undergraduate degrees and for the Doctor of Dental Surgery*.  It is expected that 50% of the local student places in the DDS* will be CSP places.

Will Australian and International Fee-paying places still be available?

Yes.

How many students will be accepted into the Doctor of Dental Surgery* program in 2011?

It is expected a total of approximately 80 places will be offered. This includes all fee types.

I am currently studying at another Australian university – what do I need to do to get into The University of Melbourne’s Doctor of Dental Surgery*?

You will have to complete your undergraduate degree, have undertaken the pre-requisite subjects or equivalents and have achieved the same overall academic score as is required of students undertaking a Melbourne undergraduate degree. You will also need to successfully undertake the aptitude assessment for the Doctor of Dental Surgery* which may include a manual dexterity test.

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I am currently studying at the University of Melbourne. Can I get into the Doctor of Dental Surgery* if I haven’t done a Bachelor of Biomedicine (BBM) or Bachelor of Science (BSc) at Melbourne?

Students from other New Generation degrees at Melbourne may also have the opportunity to tailor their studies to include the prerequisites for entry into the Doctor of Dental Surgery*. Such students should seek advice about the possibilities and appropriate subject/course choices from Course Advisors early in their degrees. Students will have to successfully undertake the aptitude assessment for the Doctor of Dental Surgery* which may include a manual dexterity test and have achieved the required academic standard and prerequisite studies to be considered.

Do I have to sit the UMAT to get into the New Generation Bachelor degrees?

No. However, to be eligible for a guaranteed pathway into a CSP place in the graduate dentistry program satisfactory completion of the UMAT in the final year of secondary schooling is required.

What do I need to get into one of the New Generation degrees at The University of Melbourne?

Please follow the links from The University of Melbourne homepage to find out more about the New Generation degrees.

Can I get into the Doctor of Dental Surgery* if I complete the Bachelor of Oral Health at the University of Melbourne or elsewhere?

At the present time, no. The Bachelor of Oral Health at The University of Melbourne is a heritage undergraduate program which will continue to take in both school-leaver and non-school-leaver applicants. Bachelor of Oral Health students do not currently study, as part of their undergraduate degree, subjects which are deemed equivalent to those required as prerequisites for entry into the Doctor of Dental Surgery*.

However, it is envisaged that from 2008 University of Melbourne Bachelor of Oral Health students who wish to, may be able to tailor their course of study to include the prerequisite subjects for entry.  Bachelor of Oral Health graduate applicants will have to successfully undertake the aptitude assessment for the Doctor of Dental Surgery* which may include a manual dexterity test and have achieved the required academic standard and prerequisite studies to be considered.

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Why have you put an asterisk on the title Doctor of Dental Surgery*?

The exact title of the new graduate-entry degree in dentistry has yet to receive final University approval.

Further Information

If you have other questions about the Melbourne Model changes to the study of dentistry at Melbourne please call us on (03) 9341 1500 (+61 3 9341 1500 for international callers) or e-mail enquiries@dent.unimelb.edu.au or call in to see us on the 4th floor, 720 Swanston Street, Carlton (the Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne building).

And keep checking our website, too! As more information becomes available we will continue to update information on this site.

If you are interested in finding out about the Melbourne Model changes to other courses in the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences please follow these links:

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