Melbourne Dental School

Transitioning to the Melbourne Model at the Melbourne Dental School.

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 students are expected to graduate in 2014 and will be in a strong position to enhance their careers in dentistry.

Melbourne Dental School - 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.

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.

How can I be selected into the new Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS)*

Selection Criteria into the Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS)* (Draft resolution May 2009)
  1. The Selection Committee will evaluate the applicant’s ability to pursue successfully the course using the following criteria:
    • an undergraduate degree in any discipline, with studies to have been completed within the last 10 years
    • successful completion of pre-requisite studies in anatomy, physiology and biochemistry at second-year level
    • performance in the Graduate Australian Medical Schools Admission Test (GAMSAT) or, for international students residing overseas, performance in the North American MCAT (Medical College Admission Test), or the United States DAT (Dental Admission Test) or the Canadian DAT (Dental Aptitude Test). All sections in the GAMSAT will be weighted equally.
  2. The Selection Committee will shortlist applicants for selection on the basis of their performance in previous studies (GPA) and their results in the GAMSAT or DAT.
    • The Grade Point Average (GPA) will be calculated on the last 3, full-time years of the applicant’s undergraduate coursework studies (including Honours).
    • Weightings will be applied according to the approved Melbourne Adjusted Grade Point Average (MAGPA) calculations in force in any given year, or in the absence of any defined MAGPA, by weighting the first of the final three, full-time years by 1, the second year by 2 and the final year by 3.
  3. Offers will be made on the basis of a combined ranked list where ranks by GPA and GAMSAT (or DAT) are given equal weighting.
  4. In assessing students under special entry schemes, the Selection Committee will consider aspects of disadvantage as set out, from time to time, in the University of Melbourne Graduate Access policy, evidence of rurality for rural applicants and confirmation of aboriginality for indigenous applicants.

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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.

The Melbourne Dental School 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 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.

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 should seek advice from Course Advisors in the relevant faculty information centres for advice on subject selection.

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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. Further details are available from the University of Melbourne Scholarships Office website.

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.

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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.

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 achieve the required academic standard and prerequisite studies to be considered.

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.

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

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*.

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 Council 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 click here.

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