The Bachelor of Dental Surgery at James Cook University is a 5 year undergraduate degree that provides you with the knowledge and skills you need to become a competent practitioner of dentistry.  The program is primarily for high school leavers, however a limited number of places are available for students with university study.

This Australian Dental School offers 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 Bachelor of Dental surgery offered at James Cook University integrates the basic sciences with dental clinical sciences and preventive oral health strategies.

James Cook University has invested significantly in a new dental teaching complex with state-of-the-art dental treatment centre, and a world-class clinical simulation facility.

Practical experience treating patients is a key part to James Cook University’s Dental School. Students train alongside leading practitioners in Cairns and across northern Queensland in Australia to develop hands-on clinical.

Graduates of James Cook University’s Bachelor of Dental Surgery program will be fully qualified to sit examinations to register as a dentist with the Dental Board of Australia, as well as being able to sit for the Dental Examining Board of Canada (DEB) examination to practice as a dentist (in Canada).

Entry Requirements

Applications for 2022 intake are closed.  Please contact KOM for information on 2023 intake

2022 entry requirements 

Completed Ontario High School Diploma with minimum 86%  (top 6 U level courses) or University study carrying a competitive GPA of 80%

Must have Chemistry and Math (Calculus recommended); Biology and Physics desirable

Entry into James Cook University’s Bachelor of Dental Surgery course is highly sought after, attracting a wide range of excellent applications. A balance between school scores and your application form will make you a competitive candidate for this course.

Professional Recognition

James Cook University’s Bachelor of Dental Surgery will prepare graduates as generalist dentists in accordance with the dental profession’s scope of practice. Graduates will be eligible for professional registration with all dental boards in Australia and New Zealand, enabling them to enter dental practice.

Graduates of James cook university’s Bachelor of Dental Surgery program will be fully qualified to practice dentistry upon completion of the degree and Australian licensing examinations, as well as being eligible to sit for the Dental Examining Board of Canada (DEB) examination to practice as a Dentist (in Canada).

In 2010, the Australian Dental Council and the Commission on Dental accreditation of Canada signed a reciprocal agreement which allows accredited graduates of either body to practice dentistry in Australia or Canada. This means Canadian students returning home with dentistry degrees from accredited Australian Dental Schools can follow the same licensing process as Canadian domestic graduates. Canadian license will be fully granted upon successful completion of the National Exam administered through the Canadian National Dental Examining Board (NDEB).

James Cook University Dental School Undergraduate Entry latest news

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A frog researcher whose ground-breaking discoveries at James Cook University solved the mystery of a disease killing frogs around the world has won one of Australia’s most prestigious science prizes.

JCU adjunct Dr Lee Berger, based within the One Health Research Group (a multi-institutional collaborative research group), has been awarded one of the Prime Minister’s Prizes for Science: the $50,000 Frank Fenner Prize for Life Scientist of the Year.

Through her PhD research, …

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James Cook University has bolstered its standing as a world-class research university, with an authoritative global ranking listing the University in the top 300 of the world’s universities.

The 2018 Academic Ranking of World Universities (ARWU) has been released today by ShanghaiRanking Consultancy and ranks JCU in the top 201-300 group of universities.

JCU is one of only 15 Australian universities to be ranked in the top 300 of the world’s universities. …

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James Cook University has rocketed up a key global ranking of ‘young’ universities, with JCU now ranked 28th of the world’s universities aged 50 years or under.

The Times Higher Education Young University Rankings list the world’s best universities that have been operating for up to 50 years. The 2018 ranking compares 250 institutions from 55 countries.

For the past two years, JCU has been ranked 38th in this category, …

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Officially opened by the Minister for Resources and Northern Australia, Senator the Hon. Matthew Canavan, this is the second building on campus devoted to the Australian Institute of Tropical Health and Medicine (AITHM).

James Cook University Vice Chancellor Professor Sandra Harding said the building would enable AITHM’s 53 staff and 32 postgraduate students in Cairns to expand their work and training.

“We’re proud to have not just some of the world’s leading researchers working here, …

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James Cook University’s landmark The Science Place building has become the first educational building in Australia to achieve a prestigious LEED® Gold rating for its environmentally sustainable design.

The innovative $85M building at JCU’s Douglas campus is also the first LEED Gold Certified building rated for its construction in Queensland*.

Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is the most widely used green building rating system in the world, …