Oral Medicine MSc

London, Bloomsbury

This full-time, one-year master's programme includes the diagnosis and medical treatment of, and research into, conditions of the mouth, face, salivary glands, and jaw bones. You will study in an internationally renowned Oral Medicine academic unit and the associated UCLH Royal National ENT & Eastman Dental Hospitals, gaining experience of a wide range of oral medicine conditions.

UK students International students
Study mode
Full-time
UK tuition fees (2024/25)
£37,500
Overseas tuition fees (2024/25)
£61,800
Duration
1 academic year
Programme starts
September 2024
Applications accepted
All applicants: 16 Oct 2023 – 28 Jun 2024
Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Entry requirements

All applicants must hold an approved dental qualification and have a minimum of two years' clinical experience post-qualification. Previous clinical experience relevant to Oral Medicine is preferable.

The English language level for this programme is: Level 2

UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level.

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

Equivalent qualifications

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.

International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below. Please note that the equivalency will correspond to the broad UK degree classification stated on this page (e.g. upper second-class). Where a specific overall percentage is required in the UK qualification, the international equivalency will be higher than that stated below. Please contact Graduate Admissions should you require further advice.

About this degree


The spectrum of disease relevant to oral medicine is ever-changing, particularly as people are living longer. This inevitably leads to individuals being more at risk of immunologically mediated, infectious and lifestyle-related disease, including oral cancer and pre-cancer, as well as iatrogenic disorders from medications and other therapeutic modalities (e.g. Radiotherapy).

Oral Medicine is becoming increasingly relevant to ensure that patients from around the globe are appropriately managed to enhance their function and quality of life.

This one-year MSc provides dental professionals with the skills to help manage patients across possibly the widest spectrum of diseases relevant to oral medicine in Europe, if not the globe.

You will be taught by UCL's internationally recognised research-driven clinical academics. We emphasise putting theory into practice to equip you to diagnose and treat patients with common and sometimes rare or complex oral diseases.

Along the way, you will gain an understanding of aetiopathogenesis and clinical features. You will also investigate and learn to manage disorders relevant to oral medicine, including diseases of the oral mucosa and salivary glands, jawbones, and disorders of sensation of the mouth.

Who this course is for

The programme is for dental professionals looking to extend their knowledge and skills in oral medicine, to become competent practitioners in the field, both within and outside the UK.

What this course will give you

This programme offers you the following benefits and opportunities.

  • The opportunity to become closely involved in the clinical care of patients.
  • The chance to take part in the examination, diagnosis, assessment, investigations, prevention, and management of disease.
  • Exposure to the world-leading research activities of the UCL Eastman Dental Institute and the associated UCLH Royal National ENT & Eastman Dental Hospitals.
  • The chance to gain significant experience in translational research design and delivery.

The foundation of your career

You will learn from teaching and research staff, and gain experience across a wide range of oral medicine conditions. The programme can help you lay the groundwork towards an academic or hospital career in oral medicine in the UK or abroad.

By virtue of my MSc and PhD, I am, to date, the only registered dentist in Hong Kong to possess dedicated qualifications in Oral Medicine.

Dr Pok Lam Fung (Polly)

Dr Pok Lam Fung (Polly)

Oral Medicine, MSc

Employability

After completion of the programme, graduates have typically followed five potential pathways:

  • Academic/hospital positions in oral medicine in countries where no further academic or clinical training is required
  • PhD programmes (usually in the UK, but also in the EU and overseas)
  • NHS clinical training positions, either foundation or specialist training (in the UK)
  • NHS posts (such as a speciality doctor/dentist in the UK)
  • Positions in dental practices in the UK, EU and overseas.

Networking

There are regular networking opportunities, including events where you can hear from expert speakers. We encourage students to broaden their skills and expand their networks by attending and participating at conferences.

Accreditation

Successful completion of the MSc in Oral Medicine might be considered when making allowance for past training and experience in relation to the length of training posts (specialty training) in oral medicine in the UK.

Teaching and learning

The programme is delivered through a mix of:

  • Lectures (remote and face-to-face)
  • Clinical teaching on a one-to-one basis
  • Seminar teaching/small group tutorials
  • Journal club
  • Case discussion
  • Self-directed learning
  • Problem-based learning.

Students will be assessed by:

  • Written examination
  • Oral presentations
  • Vivas
  • Logbooks of patients observed during clinical teaching
  • A research project dissertation (written thesis).

During the first five months: 10 hours of teaching (lectures, tutorials, and seminars) and 12 hours of independent learning per week.

During the subsequent seven months: 30 hours of clinical teaching (in a hospital during clinics) and eight hours of independent learning per week.

Modules

You will complete five compulsory taught modules and a research dissertation.

Modules consist of a range of elements, including lectures, clinical tutorials and literature review seminars, self-guided learning, clinical teaching, and a research dissertation.

During the first five months, the emphasis is on lectures, tutorials, and seminars, as well as self-guided learning. Clinical teaching represents a limited part of the timetable during the initial months and increases progressively as the programme goes on.

You will usually start work on your dissertation around the six to eighth month of the programme and complete it by the end of month 12.

Modules are studied concurrently over the length of the programme and time allocated to each module is not defined by academic terms.

Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability are subject to change. Modules that are in use for the current academic year are linked for further information. Where no link is present, further information is not yet available.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits. Upon successful completion of 180 credits, you will be awarded an MSc in Oral Medicine.

Accessibility

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble accessable.co.uk. Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support and Wellbeing team.

Where you'll study

Welcome to UCL Eastman Dental Institute

We are a world-leading, academic centre for postgraduate dentistry and translational research. We offer high-quality postgraduate education, including Master's degrees, speciality training, certificates, diplomas, research degrees and CPD courses. Our clinically-intensive programmes are led by international specialists. As a world-class research centre, we are continually improving systemic and oral health by developing novel treatments, therapies, diagnostics and smart materials. Our new state-of-the-art facilities at Bloomsbury campus ensure that our students, researchers and academics have exceptional access to patients and opportunities for education and research. The UCLH Eastman Dental Hospital is part of the largest hospital in Europe specialising in complex oral health care and advanced ear, nose and throat treatments.

Online - Open day

Graduate Open Events: Advanced Aesthetic Dentistry PG Cert

This is an opportunity to learn what is taught and how it is taught in the lectures and hands-on training of UCL's flagship Aesthetic Dentistry Degree Programme. This clinical programme is tailored for dentists at any point in their career who would like to confidently treat aesthetic interdisciplinary cases, with the latest techniques and materials and with user-friendly predictable protocols for their daily practice. Speaker: Dr. Konstantina Dina Dedi DipDS, MS, FACP

Online - Open day

Graduate Open Events: Periodontology (distance-learning) MSc

The MSc Periodontology is a three-year blended-learning programme that offers busy dental practitioners the chance to learn the latest techniques in Periodontology. It combines flexible online learning with compressed residential components in London. We will present the programme structure, the virtual environment and examples of learning activities, including some of the practical elements delivered during the residential weeks. Speakers: Prof Jacopo Buti and Dr Inbar Eshkol-Yogev.

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time
Tuition fees (2024/25) £37,500
Tuition fees (2024/25) £61,800

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Fees for subsequent years may increase or otherwise vary. Where the programme is offered on a flexible/modular basis, fees are charged pro-rata to the appropriate full-time Master's fee taken in an academic session. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website: ucl.ac.uk/students/fees.

Additional costs

Fee deposits for this programme are as follows: UK full-time and part-time students £2,500; Overseas full-time and part-time students £5,000.

Students must arrange their own financial support for travel / living in London for the face-to-face teaching period, including clinical teaching in the partner University College London Hospital.

This programme requires a completed DBS check for some compulsory modules. You will receive more information from UCL on how to complete the check once you have firmly accepted an unconditional offer for the programme. The DBS application cost will be covered by UCL, but offer holders will also need to have their ID checked and verified at a Post Office, for which they will incur a charge of £15.00. The offer holder is also required to arrange and pay for any overseas police check that may be necessary; costs vary by country. For more information about the DBS application process, please contact the UCL Graduate Admissions team.

For more information on additional costs for prospective students please go to our estimated cost of essential expenditure at Accommodation and living costs.

Funding your studies

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.

Next steps

Students are advised to apply as early as possible due to competition for places. Those applying for scholarship funding (particularly overseas applicants) should take note of application deadlines.

There is an application processing fee for Eastman Dental Institute programmes of £120 for online applications and £145 for paper applications. Further information can be found at Application fees.

When we assess your application, we would like to learn:

  • How your academic and professional background meets the demands of this programme.
  • Why you want to study oral medicine at graduate level.
  • What particularly attracts you to this programme.
  • What is your source of funding and is this something you have applied for already.
  • What is your previous experience in this field.
  • What is your career plan after completion of this master’s degree and how you expect this qualification to help you.

Together with essential academic requirements, the personal statement is your opportunity to illustrate whether your reasons for applying to this programme match what the programme will deliver.

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate programmes (or one application for the Law LLM) in any application cycle.

Choose your programme

Please read the Application Guidance before proceeding with your application.

Year of entry: 2024-2025

UCL is regulated by the Office for Students.