Australian Dental Schools in Australia
James Cook University Dental School
Program Overview - Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS)
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University and Faculty: | James Cook University (JCU) Faculty of Medicine, Health and Molecular Sciences |
| Program: | Bachelor of Dental Surgery |
| University/Campus Location: | Cairns, Queensland, Australia |
| City Population: | 150,000 |
| Student Population: | Cairns campus: 4,000 |
| Campus Location: | Cairns, Queensland |
| Program Duration: | Five years |
| Semester Intake: | February each year |
| Next Intake: | February 2013 |
| Est. Annual Tuition: | $44,000 AUD (2013 fee) |
The James Cook University Dental School offers the Bachelor of Dental Surgery, a five-year undergraduate degree that provides students with the knowledge and skills they require to become a competent practitioner of dentistry. It is a broad-based program that includes all aspects of dental practice and focuses on issues of concern to northern Australia, particularly those relating to tropical, rural and Indigenous practice. The dental program aims to promote improved oral health care delivery, particularly to people living in rural, remote and tropical regions of Australia. The curriculum integrates the basic sciences with dental clinical sciences and preventative oral health strategies.
James Cook University Dental School students will have early exposure to clinical practice, with an increasing proportion of the course dedicated to clinical skills in the later years. The first three to four years of study are based on the Cairns Campus, and the final year is devoted to developing students' clinical skills during placements in public and private dental clinics across northern Queensland including Mackay, Proserpine, Atherton and Thursday Island.
Upon graduating, students will have the knowledge and skills to provide appropriate dental health care in a variety of settings, including rural, remote and Indigenous communities.
Unique Features of the Program
James Cook University Dental School had its first intake in 2009. The first cohort of 67 students was admitted to the Bachelor of Dental Surgery program from a pool of more than 600 applicants. The faculty is committed to the education of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in the health professions, and has seven Indigenous students in the first two cohorts.
The James Cook University Dental School is one of only three schools in Australia located outside a capital city, and is the only one outside the metropolitan areas of southeast Queensland. JCU Dentistry's establishment was funded by a grant of $52.5M from the federal government and includes a new building on the Smithfield Campus of JCU with state-of-the-art facilities, including an 80-seat dental simulation laboratory, prosthodontics and science laboratories, and student home group rooms.
The program is delivered at the Cairns campus of James Cook University, which is located 15 kilometres north of Cairns, in the suburb of Smithfield. Opened in 1987, this campus is situated in a beautiful, mountainous rainforest area of tropical North Queensland.
More than 4,000 students study at JCU Cairns, including approximately 380 international students. The campus location is spectacular, surrounded on three sides by rainforest-covered mountains. Located near the northern beaches in the suburb of Smithfield, the campus is 15 kilometres north of the city centre.
Professional Certification/Accreditation Information
The James Cook University Dental School Bachelor of Dental Surgery will prepare graduates as generalist dentists in accordance with the dental profession's scope of practice.
The Faculty of Medicine, Health and Molecular Sciences has applied for accreditation by the Australian Dental Council (ADC). Following a visit to the JCU Dental School by the Accreditation Team in 2008, the ADC took the unique step of granting accreditation for the first two years of the program. The five-year curriculum was developed by the staff of the school, with the assistance of many local dental practitioners who have a wealth of expertise to contribute, and who are keen to see the benefits that will come to the dental profession in the area when students begin graduating from the program.
Course Structure
Level 1Anatomy & Physiology for Dentists 1 & 2
Communication Skills for Therapy
Biological Chemistry for Dentistry
Introduction to Dental Science 1 & 2
Chemistry for the Dental Sciences
Health & Health Care in Australia
Level 2
Health Professional Research 1
Health Promotion for Health Professionals
Biological Sciences for Dentistry 1 & 2
Operative Dentistry 1 & 2
Lifespan Development for Health
Clinical Medicine for Therapy
Level 3
Dental Practice 1 & 2
Special Topics in Dentistry (Periodontics & Endodontics)
Preventive Dentistry at the Community & Individual Level
Special Topics in Dentistry (Restorative Dentistry)
Rural & Remote Primary & Public Health Care
Level 4
Dental Practice 3 & 4
Special Topics in Dentistry (Oral Surgery & Oral Medicine)
Integrated Dental Practice
Level 5
Dental Practice 5 & 6
Oral Health Options 1 & 2
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 information about the OzTREKK Scholarship!
Admissions Criteria/Entry Requirements for Canadians
Students can enter into the JCU Bachelor of Dental Surgery from1. High School
These qualifications are considered on an individual basis, subject to satisfying prerequisite requirements. Prerequisite subjects include Year 12 or equivalent English, Mathematics, and Chemistry. Biology is desirable. A high level of academic standard is required for entry.
2. Partially or fully completed undergraduate degree
A high level of academic standard is required for entry. Students need to have met the prerequisite subjects at least at the high school level to meet the prerequisite requirements.
Total Number of Places in the Program: approximately 80
Number of Places Available for International Students: up to 12
Application Deadline for the February 2013 intake: Sept. 30, 2012.
OzTREKK Admissions Officer: Christine Chu
