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Career outcomes
Overview
As a Doctor of Dental Surgery graduate, you will be equipped to become an oral health leader of the future. Unmatched placement opportunities, lecturers and state-of-the-art equipment at the University of Melbourne’s Carlton campus will enable you to pursue a career in an area of healthcare that is rewarding and vital.
This course will provide you with the minimal qualification and competencies required to register for practice as a registered dentist according to the Dental Practice Board.
Exciting career opportunities
Graduates of the Doctor of Dental Surgery take advantage of high employment rates at some of the leading dental schools, hospitals and practices, both locally and internationally.
Whether your ambition is focused on general practice or specialisation, this course will open many doors for exciting and evolving career opportunities. Most graduates from the degree are successful in securing employment during their final year of clinical placement.
Previous graduates have gone on to find practice openings in metropolitan and rural areas. Others have gone on to specialise after two years of general practice, including the upcoming areas of oral vaccines, implants and cosmetic dentistry. Those who have followed an academic or research path have gone on to illustrious careers, including former Head of School Eric Reynolds who received the Prime Minister’s Prize for Innovation in 2017.
An internationally recognised qualification
Graduates from the Doctor of Dental Surgery emerge as capable general practitioners and leaders of oral health teams.
Strong international links and mutual recognition of qualifications allow for graduates of the Doctor of Dentistry a pathway to practice in Canada.
Read about Jordan's experience:
Jordan Hawkins
I had heard the Melbourne Dental School had a good reputation and from day one when we sat down and they showed us pictures of teeth, I knew I was in the right place. I find almost everything dental related fascinating.
The School provided excellent facilities in the pre-clinic labs and access to the Royal Dental Hospital of Melbourne. Parts of the course that I found particularly exciting was when I was able to see my first patient, doing fillings in the pre-clinic laboratories and going to events with my classmates.
The lecturers were extremely passionate and dedicated to our learning. They made the dental school experience that much more enjoyable and I have benefitted greatly from their teachings, both clinically and professionally.
I thoroughly enjoyed the placement opportunities where I was able to work in a variety of clinics across Melbourne and in Shepparton. I receive an extensive amount of experience at these clinics and met a lot of interesting people.
I am now working as a General Dentist and perform everything from regular check-ups and cleans, to root canals, exactions and more.
Before I started dental school, the teeth were what inspired me to become a dentist. However, the more I practice dentistry, the more the people I meet and the relationships I form with them are what inspires me.
Graduate pathways
Once you've completed your undergraduate degree, you can go on to gain employment or begin a graduate degree and work towards a professional qualification such as law, engineering or medicine. Or you could join our graduate research community and contribute to our world-changing research.
Your graduate degree will be internationally recognised, and set you apart from those who study a traditional Australian single or double degree.
Explore the graduate pathways available once you complete your undergraduate degree here.