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Bachelor of Dental Surgery with Integrated Foundation Year

Entry requirements


A level

B,B,B

BBB to include Biology and a second Science from Chemistry, Physics, Maths or Psychology. General Studies is not included with any offer

Access to HE Diploma

D:33,M:12,P:0

Pass an Access to HE Diploma in a predominantly science subject area, meeting the following criteria: 60 credits overall to include 45 level 3 credits, of which 15 level 3 credits must be in Biology or Human Biology. Must achieve Distinction in 33 level 3 credits, and Merit in the remaining 12 level 3 credits.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme

32

28-32 point overall to include: Higher Level 5 in Biology, Higher Level 5 in one further science from Chemistry, Physics, Maths or Psychology.

BTEC Diplomas/Extended Diplomas are considered

Scottish Advanced Higher

B,B,B

BBB to include Biology and a second Science from Chemistry, Physics, Maths or Psychology

UCAS Tariff

120-144

We've calculated how many Ucas points you'll need for this course.

About this course


Course option

6years

Full-time | 2024

Subject

Pre-clinical dentistry

The Bachelor of Dental Surgery with integrated Foundation Year course is designed for applicants who wish to study dentistry but who are not currently appropriately qualified for entry to year one of the BDS undergraduate programme. The course equips you with the scientific knowledge and study skills needed to become a confident, critically self-aware, independent learner ready for the challenges of Higher Education and University life.

This exciting dentistry programme is pioneering, patient-centred and delivered in a supportive and research-rich environment. You will develop the highest level of core dental skills and knowledge needed for a hugely rewarding career as a healthcare professional. We offer you state-of-the art facilities and are committed to making you a dental practitioner with clinical skills of the highest order and a strong sense of social awareness.

- This dentistry programme is mapped against the General Dental Council’s guidance ‘Preparing for Practice’

- Treat patients through partnership with local NHS providers.

- Engage directly with participants and service users in a unique and meaningful way.

- Benefit from the state of the art facilities provided by established Peninsula Dental Social Enterprise (PDSE), a Community Interest Company (CIC).

- Become familiar with a variety of clinical situations.

- Prepare for a future career path through solving clinical problems.

- Become competent at diagnosing disease and planning preventive care.

- Choose your own areas of interest to study further.

- Early clinical contact with a strong patient focus.

- Gain the core dental knowledge and communication skills you need to practise as a competent and caring dentist.

- Strong partnerships within the University.

- Students will work across the Dental Education Facilities in Plymouth, Truro and Exeter.

Modules

The Bachelor of Dental Surgery with integrated Foundation Year 0 (BDSF) programme is designed for applicants who wish to study Dentistry but who are not currently appropriately qualified for entry to year one of the BDS undergraduate programme. The BDSF programme equips you with the scientific knowledge and study skills needed to become a confident, critically self-aware, independent learner ready for the challenges of Higher Education and University life.

You will be taught at the city centre campus where you will have the opportunity to meet your peers and academics, and where, from your very first day, you are part of the Faculty of Health. You will study alongside Dental Therapy & Hygiene, Diagnostic Radiography, Biomedical Sciences, and Medical students, preparing you for a collaborative, inter-disciplinary approach to learning and practice. Modules aim to develop an understanding of the science relating to a range of topic areas relevant to the study of Dentistry, and you can take advantage of academic support and guidance provided by a personal tutor. Meeting the requirements at the end of the Foundation Pathway enables you to progress onto stage one of the Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) programme, where you will learn and practice clinical and academic skills as part of the dental team.

Years 1–5 will follow BDS Dental Surgery.

Tuition fees

Select where you currently live to see what you'll pay:

Channel Islands
£9,250
per year
England
£9,250
per year
International
£15,000
per year
Northern Ireland
£9,250
per year
Republic of Ireland
£9,250
per year
Scotland
£9,250
per year
Wales
£9,250
per year

The Uni


Course location:

University of Plymouth

Department:

Peninsula Dental School

Read full university profile

What students say


We've crunched the numbers to see if overall student satisfaction here is high, medium or low compared to students studying this subject(s) at other universities.

96%
Pre-clinical dentistry

How do students rate their degree experience?

The stats below relate to the general subject area/s at this university, not this specific course. We show this where there isn’t enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Dentistry

Teaching and learning

96%
Staff make the subject interesting
97%
Staff are good at explaining things
95%
Ideas and concepts are explored in-depth
100%
Opportunities to apply what I've learned

Assessment and feedback

Feedback on work has been timely
Feedback on work has been helpful
Staff are contactable when needed
Good advice available when making study choices

Resources and organisation

99%
Library resources
99%
IT resources
95%
Course specific equipment and facilities
92%
Course is well organised and has run smoothly

Student voice

Staff value students' opinions
Feel part of a community on my course

Who studies this subject and how do they get on?

98%
UK students
2%
International students
32%
Male students
68%
Female students

Most popular A-Levels studied (and grade achieved)

A*
B
B

After graduation


The stats in this section relate to the general subject area/s at this university – not this specific course. We show this where there isn't enough data about the course, or where this is the most detailed info available to us.

Dentistry

What are graduates doing after six months?

This is what graduates told us they were doing (and earning), shortly after completing their course. We've crunched the numbers to show you if these immediate prospects are high, medium or low, compared to those studying this subject/s at other universities.

£30,000
med
Average annual salary
98%
low
Employed or in further education
98%
low
Employed in a role where degree was essential or beneficial

Top job areas of graduates

98%
Health professionals
2%
Caring personal services

If you want a stable, well-paid career, then dentistry is an excellent choice. Starting salaries rival those for medicine, almost all graduates get jobs in dentistry on leaving their course and there are roles all around the country. It is a pretty select course, with only a little over a thousand graduates a year, but for that group, the rewards can be excellent.

What about your long term prospects?

Looking further ahead, below is a rough guide for what graduates went on to earn.

Dentistry

The graph shows median earnings of graduates who achieved a degree in this subject area one, three and five years after graduating from here.

£39k

£39k

£49k

£49k

£53k

£53k

Note: this data only looks at employees (and not those who are self-employed or also studying) and covers a broad sample of graduates and the various paths they've taken, which might not always be a direct result of their degree.

Explore these similar courses...

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UCAS Points: 136-168
Higher entry requirements
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UCAS Points: 144-165
Lower entry requirements
University of Liverpool | Liverpool
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UCAS Points: 112-165
Nearby University
University of Exeter | Exeter
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UCAS Points: 144-160

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This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Course location and department:

This is what the university has told Ucas about the course. Use it to get a quick idea about what makes it unique compared to similar courses, elsewhere.

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Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF):

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This information comes from the National Student Survey, an annual student survey of final-year students. You can use this to see how satisfied students studying this subject area at this university, are (not the individual course).

This is the percentage of final-year students at this university who were "definitely" or "mostly" satisfied with their course. We've analysed this figure against other universities so you can see whether this is high, medium or low.

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This information is from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), for undergraduate students only.

You can use this to get an idea of who you might share a lecture with and how they progressed in this subject, here. It's also worth comparing typical A-level subjects and grades students achieved with the current course entry requirements; similarities or differences here could indicate how flexible (or not) a university might be.

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Post-six month graduation stats:

This is from the Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education Survey, based on responses from graduates who studied the same subject area here.

It offers a snapshot of what grads went on to do six months later, what they were earning on average, and whether they felt their degree helped them obtain a 'graduate role'. We calculate a mean rating to indicate if this is high, medium or low compared to other universities.

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Graduate field commentary:

The Higher Education Careers Services Unit have provided some further context for all graduates in this subject area, including details that numbers alone might not show

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The Longitudinal Educational Outcomes dataset combines HRMC earnings data with student records from the Higher Education Statistics Agency.

While there are lots of factors at play when it comes to your future earnings, use this as a rough timeline of what graduates in this subject area were earning on average one, three and five years later. Can you see a steady increase in salary, or did grads need some experience under their belt before seeing a nice bump up in their pay packet?

Have a question about this info? Learn more here