Australian Dental Schools in Australia

University of Sydney Dental School

Program Overview - Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD)

University and Faculty:	The University of Sydney Faculty of Health Sciences
Program:	Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD)
University Location:	Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
City Population:	4.5 million
Student Population:	47,200
International Student Population:	11,000
Campus Location:	Dental Hospital campus (Surry Hills, a suburb of Sydney) and Camperdown/ Darlington campus (main campus)
Program Duration:	Four years
Semester Intake:	February each year
Next Intake:	February 2013
Est. Annual Tuition:	$60,000 AUD (2012 fee)
Est. Total Tuition:	$240,000 AUD (based on 2012 fees)
University of Sydney Agent:	OzTREKK educational services TP01544

The University of Sydney's Doctor of Dental Medicine is a graduate-entry program that focuses on teaching dental health with a strong emphasis on clinical skills. Throughout the four-year program, students develop their clinical skills through early patient-based teaching and are given the necessary foundations for independent learning through simulated exercises at a research hospital.

Responsibility and leadership skills are built upon in the early years of the Doctor of Dental Medicine as the program benefits from supervised learning outside the comfort of the university by the end of the second year of the program. Practical development outside of the faculty serves to bolster the clinical component of the Doctor of Dental Medicine through immersion in the field, and by their final year students will have experience in Australian practices ranging from metropolitan clinics to rural hamlets.

Beginning in the first year and continuing throughout the program, postgraduate coursework is coupled with technical training. The comprehensive design of the Doctor of Dental Medicine assures students that they will have a complete and thorough knowledge of all aspects of the dental health profession, and throughout the program students will study modules covering tooth conservation, trauma, oral surgery, periodontology, and many others. Moreover, the University of Sydney's focus on comprehensive education affords students the unique opportunity to take an active role in their training by undertaking a research thesis during their second year and submitting their findings to an academic journal for publishing by the end of their final year.

Unique Features of the Program

The Doctor of Dental Medicine has been purposefully designed to adhere to the well-rounded course structure of the North American postgraduate model, but has also maintained the sophisticated clinical training for which the University of Sydney has come to be renowned, giving students an applicable knowledge of dental health from the community to the laboratory.

Sydney's Dental School is about comprehensive learning, and embracing all the aspects of becoming a successful dentist. Sub-units integrate academic disciplines such as endodontics and orthodontics with the requisite training needed to evolve dental health knowledge into the highly specialized skills of a dental health professional.

Student's seeking to pursue careers beyond simply practicing dentistry can learn about their options from the members of the several research initiatives housed in Sydney's Faculty of Dentistry including the "Cellular Molecular Pathology Research Unit," the "Jaw Function and Orofacial Pain Research Unit," and of course the world's oldest-named dental institute, Sydney's own, "Institute of Dental Research."

Why International Students like to Study at the University and this Specific Program

Students studying dentistry in the Doctor of Dental Medicine program can rest assured that they are receiving a world-class education, and upon graduation, will have gained competitive credentials that will allow them to pursue their career goals back home in Canada with the addition of having the great experiences only found while studying abroad.

The internationalism espoused by the University of Sydney brings students from all around the globe to study in the Doctor of Dental Medicine, and the Faculty of Dentistry maintains academic relationships with other international dentistry schools in many other countries including China, France, Japan and the United States.

A student at the University of Sydney has access to one of the finest campuses in all of academia and just outside the sandstone classrooms is Sydney itself, a global metropolis that offers culture and a much-needed break from the rigours of the Doctor of Dental Medicine!

Professional Certification/Accreditation Information

The University of Sydney's Doctor of Dental Medicine degree is accredited by the Australian Dental Council and the Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons.

Additionally, the National Dental Examining Board of Canada (NDEB) recognizes the reciprocal agreement between the Australian Dental Council and the Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada, which allows accredited graduates of either body to practice dentistry in Australia or Canada. For Canadian students studying at the University of Sydney, this means that they will return home and follow the same process as Canadian domestic graduates with licensure being granted after successfully sitting the National Dental Examination Board of Canada.

Scholarships

Every student who applies (and accepts) via OzTREKK and commences his/her studies at an OzTREKK Australian university will receive a $500 scholarship from OzTREKK.
Click here for more info about OzTREKK's Scholarships!

Admissions Criteria/Entry Requirements for Canadians

Admission for international applicants to the Sydney Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD) program is based on the following criteria:

Performance in an Undergraduate Degree

Students can apply to Sydney Dentistry if they have completed a bachelor's degree in any discipline, and achieve a grade point average (GPA) of 5.5 out of 7.0 (or equivalent) from a recognized university. The grade requirement is generally equivalent to a GPA of 2.7 out of 4.0.

The GPA will be calculated on the last three full-time years, or six semesters, of the most recent bachelor's degree, including an honours year if undertaken. Postgraduate research or coursework qualifications are excluded from the GPA calculation. There is no standardized GPA scale used by Canadian universities, and grading systems differ among post-secondary institutions here in Canada.

Students from a wide variety of undergraduate studies are welcome and encouraged to apply.

Program Prerequisite

Candidates are required to have completed a human biological science subject at a credit level, equivalent to the University of Sydney unit of study "Human Biology" (BIOL1003). This may be achieved as part of the undergraduate degree or may be studied on a non-degree basis through a winter or summer school program. A degree in medical science will be deemed equivalent.

Contact Christine at OzTREKK to discuss whether you meet the Sydney DMD program prerequisite.

Performance in an Admissions Test: MCAT, Canadian DAT, US DAT, or GAMSAT

Students must achieve a minimum performance in one of the following admissions tests:

• the Medical Colleges Admissions Test (MCAT);
• the Canadian Dental Aptitude Test (DAT;)
• the US Dental Admission Test (DAT); or
• the Graduate Australian Medical Schools Admissions Test (GAMSAT).

Most Canadian applicants choose to sit the Medical Colleges Admissions Test (MCAT) or the DAT. Any of the tests are acceptable, and there is no need to sit more than one of the above.

The minimum scores required to be considered for an interview:

• MCAT: 8/8/M/8 or a computerized numerical aggregate of 24 with a grade of M
• CDAT or DAT: minimum score of 15 in each section (carving score will not be used)
• GAMSAT: a minimum level of 50 in each of the three sections

Test scores will not be considered if the exam results are more than two years old.

Performance in an Online Interview

The Multiple Mini-Interview (MMI) aims to sample a candidate's competencies in order to gain a more accurate picture of strengths, weaknesses and suitability for the Sydney Dentistry Program. International applicants' interviews will be conducted via an online link using Skype.

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International applications will be processed only if all criteria are complete at the time of lodging an application (i.e., completed bachelor's degree and successfully achieving the required score in one of the above-mentioned admission entry tests).

Application deadline for the February 2013 intake: July 13, 2012

Total number of spaces: approximately 80

Total number of spaces for international students: 15-25

OzTREKK Admissions Officer: Christine Chu

University of Sydney Agent: OzTREKK educational services TP01544