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Conservative Dentistry MSc

London, Bloomsbury

This one-year (full time) or two-year (part time) campus-based Conservative Dentistry MSc is for dental professionals wanting to extend their knowledge and clinical skills in advanced and complex restorative dental treatment, including tooth wear, aesthetics and digital workflows. The programme has been running for over 20 years and enjoys a worldwide reputation.

UK students International students
Study mode
UK tuition fees (2026/27)
£41,800
£20,900
Overseas tuition fees (2026/27)
£70,300
£35,150
Duration
1 academic year
2 academic years
Programme starts
September 2026
Applications accepted
All applicants: 20 Oct 2025 – 30 Jan 2026

Applications closed

Find similar courses still open

Entry requirements

All applicants must hold an approved dental qualification and have a minimum of two years' clinical experience post-qualification.

The English language level for this course 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


For dentists looking to develop their expertise in restorative dental treatment, our Conservative Dentistry MSc will help you see your dental practice and patient management in a whole new way.

Covering fixed prosthodontics, operative, implant dentistry, aesthetics, and endodontics, you will develop up-to-date skills, knowledge and expertise to confidently manage your patients' treatment needs.

Studying in UCL's advanced teaching facilities, you will gain theoretical and practical experience in the restorative management of cases, ranging from the straightforward to the more complex, using either tooth or implant-supported fixed restorations. You will be exposed to advanced diagnosis and treatment planning procedures, and clinical practice, as well as undertaking laboratory work for patients.

You will gain experience in both analogue and digital workflows in our new, state-of-the-art institute and hospital facilities where our students use the latest technologies, software and hardware. Our digital suite offers opportunities to gain comprehensive experience in digital workflows for all prosthodontic treatment.

By the end of the programme, you will be confident in managing patients' treatments, able to critically think and appraise literature, be capable of problem solving, and carry an attitude for lifelong learning.

The programme is highly regarded, with an excellent reputation for producing graduates with enhanced clinical skills and solid theoretical knowledge.

Who this course is for

The programme is particularly suited to dentists who want to extend their knowledge and skills in fixed prosthodontics, operative, implant dentistry and digital workflows. Graduates have the necessary foundations to either provide more complex treatment in general dental practice, progress into speciality training or develop an academic career. Applications are welcome from UK, EU, and overseas students.

Read about what it takes to study for a Master's at UCL

What this course will give you

This programme offers you the following benefits and opportunities:

  • An intensive programme with a good balance of theoretical knowledge, practical experience and research.
  • Exposure to complex clinical cases that will enhance your treatment planning and clinical skills, and develop your knowledge in areas such as management of tooth wear, smile design and implant dentistry.
  • The chance to undertake an innovative and clinically relevant research project.
  • Support and teaching from highly regarded clinical academics, consultants, technical instructors, specialist clinicians and guest lecturers.
  • The opportunity to be part of a small and focused international cohort, as places are limited.
  • Learning through seminars, advanced diagnosis and treatment planning sessions, supervised clinical patient treatments and supervised laboratory work.
  • Lab work in state-of-the-art teaching facilities to give you practical insight into both analogue and digital workflows using the latest software and hardware.
Read about what you'll get out of a graduate programme

The foundation of your career

The programme is highly regarded with an excellent reputation for producing graduates with enhanced clinical skills and solid theoretical knowledge.

According to the Graduate Outcomes survey carried out by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), looking at the destinations of UK and EU graduates in the 2018-2022 cohorts, all our MSc Conservative Dentistry graduates who responded were either in work (95%) or further postgraduate study (5%), with most taking highly skilled roles.

Employability

The programme is for dental professionals wanting to extend their knowledge and develop their clinical skills in advanced and complex restorative treatment.

According to the HESA Graduate Outcomes survey (2018-2022), the career trajectories of recent graduates include private practice, continuation onto specialty training (in prosthodontics), specialty doctor (in hospital-based positions) and specialist registrar training. A small percentage also move into academic research or teaching.

You will gain advanced knowledge in the theory that underpins restorative dentistry, while also developing your clinical experience in patient treatment sessions.

Networking

There are many opportunities to network through our cross-disciplinary departments and research centres. We offer regular events where you can meet and hear from expert speakers and we encourage students to broaden their skills and expand their networks by attending and participating at conferences.

Teaching and learning

The programme is delivered through a mix of lectures and seminars, small group teaching, treatment planning sessions, and one-to-one teaching in clinical and laboratory settings. Treatment of patients takes place under supervision in the Royal National ENT and Eastman Dental Hospital which opened in 2019.

Academic teaching is delivered in a blended format, with some elements delivered face-to-face and some online. This is complemented with content on our virtual learning environment, Moodle. Workshops and laboratory work take place in new state-of-the-art pre-clinical and laboratory facilities and across UCL campus.

Research is undertaken in collaboration with UCL and external partners but especially UCL Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering.

The programme uses both summative and formative assessments, with feedback provided at every opportunity.

We use various modes of assessment to reflect the diversity of student teaching and learning. Assessment is through written papers (essays), oral viva exams, oral and patient examination, supervised clinical work, coursework and the dissertation.

Assessments are a mixture of face-to-face and online.

During weekdays, approximately 30% of the time is spent in lectures / tutorials (c. 12 hours per week), 40% on clinical-related activity (direct supervised patient treatment, lab work, treatment planning and attending consultant-led clinics) (c. 16 hours per week), and 30% on administrative, research and self-directed learning (c. 12 hours per week).

The first 12 weeks of the programme are followed in full-time mode, including for part-time students, as these set the stage for the rest of the year. Part-time students will be expected to attend on Tuesday, Wednesday (AM) and Friday (i.e. five sessions per week).

Modules

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

Conservative dentistry encompasses the areas of prosthodontics, operative, aesthetics, endodontics and implant dentistry. You will gain advanced knowledge in the theory that underpins restorative dentistry, while also developing your clinical experience in patient treatment sessions.

The clinical sessions are supported with laboratory sessions to deliver the required fixed prostheses, using both analogue and digital workflows. By the end of the programme, you will have the skills and confidence to manage the treatment needs of patients in a holistic and comprehensive way. 

The research dissertation promotes problem solving and critical thinking.

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

Part-time students complete four modules in year one, and one module and the dissertation in year two.

Compulsory modules








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. All modules are compulsory Upon successful completion of 180 credits, you will be awarded an MSc in Conservative Dentistry.

Accessibility

The department will endeavour to make reasonable adjustments for students with disabilities, including those with long-term health conditions, neurodivergence, learning differences and mental health conditions. This list is not exhaustive. If you're unsure of your eligibility for reasonable adjustments at UCL, please contact Student Support and Wellbeing Services.

Reasonable adjustments are implemented on a case-by-case basis. With the student's consent, reasonable adjustments are considered by UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services, and where required, in collaboration with the respective department.

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble. Further information about support available can be obtained from UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services.

For more information about the department and accessibility arrangements for your course, please contact the department.

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time Part-time
Tuition fees (2026/27) £41,800 £20,900
Tuition fees (2026/27) £70,300 £35,150

Postgraduate Taught students benefit from a cohort guarantee, meaning that their tuition fees will not increase during the course of the programme, but UCL reserves the right to increase tuition fees to reflect any sums (including levies, taxes, or similar financial charges) that UCL is required to pay any governmental authority in connection with tuition fees.

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Where the course 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

For full-time and part-time offer holders with a fee status classification of UK, a fee deposit will be charged at 2.5% of the first year fee.

For full-time and part-time offer holders with a fee status classification of Overseas, a fee deposit will be charged at 10% of the first year fee.

Further information can be found in the Tuition fee deposits section on this page: Tuition fees.

Additional costs may include the purchase of a dental photography camera set-up (DSLR with Macro lens and special ring flash set-up), magnification loupes, personal computer and some costs involved in attending conferences. Prices for these can vary but student discounts are usually provided.

Attendance and participation at both local and international conferences is strongly encouraged, though students will be required to pay the associated costs (i.e. registration, travel, accommodation if outside London). For most dental conferences, postgraduates are able to register at student rates.

This course 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. A charge for Post Office ID verification (£15.00) needed for an application to the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) is payable by the student. The cost of the DBS check itself is paid for by UCL.

If you have lived, worked, studied or travelled in any single country outside of the UK for six continuous months or more, in the last five years, you will be required to obtain a Certificate of Good Conduct/Police Check from the relevant country/countries. The cost of this check varies by country and is payable by the student. More information on how to obtain these can be found on gov.uk.

For more information about the DBS application process, please contact the UCL Graduate Admissions team.

For in-person teaching, UCL’s main teaching locations are in zones 1 (Bloomsbury) and zones 2/3 (UCL East). The cost of a monthly 18+ Oyster travel card for zones 1-2 is £119.90. This price was published by TfL in 2025. For more information on additional costs for prospective students and the cost of living in London, please view our estimated cost of essential expenditure at UCL's cost of living guide.

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.

See all the ways you can fund your studies

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 courses of £120 for online 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 this programme at graduate level
  • what particularly attracts you to this programme at the EDI
  • where you would like to go professionally with your degree and how this programme meets your needs.

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 courses (or one application for the Law LLM) in any application cycle.

Got questions? Get in touch

Eastman Dental Institute
Eastman Dental Institute

edi-prosthodontics@ucl.ac.uk

UCL is regulated by the Office for Students.