Can a dental technician become a dentist without starting from the first year? Sometimes: the university assesses the vocational education and checks which subjects correspond to its dentistry programme. In our experience universities in Ukraine and Georgia admit such people. We describe the general rules for dentistry in the article Graduate entry dentistry abroad.
Key points
- In our experience a dental technician joins years 2 to 3 of dentistry, sometimes another medical programme, and only in Ukraine and Georgia. Nobody can guarantee this before the university decides.
- The dentistry programme at Ternopil National Medical University (TNMU) has 300 ECTS credits on the basis of complete secondary education and 240 on the basis of a junior specialist or junior bachelor diploma. Whether the university counts a dental technician’s diploma among such diplomas has to be agreed with it.
- On the pages of the EU universities in our offer we did not find rules on entry to a higher year for technicians from a vocational school.
- Start with your school diploma and the list of subjects with hours: send them to us and we will check where it makes sense.
What the university assesses in a dental technician’s diploma
The university does not assess the profession, only the documents. Dentistry in Ukraine is an undivided master’s programme of 300 ECTS credits and five years (we describe it in a separate article), and Directive 2005/36/EC requires at least five years of study from a dentist. The programme of a technician is shorter and different, so the university checks which subjects of the school diploma correspond to its programme. At the beginning of dental studies come the basic subjects: anatomy, histology, physiology, biochemistry and microbiology. Prepare:
- the diploma of the school you completed and the list of subjects with hours;
- descriptions of the subjects (syllabi), if the school issues them;
- translations of the documents: Tbilisi State Medical University writes on the page of required documents that all documents must be translated into Georgian and certified by a notary in two original copies.
What TNMU publishes
Of the universities in our offer only the dentistry programme in Ternopil describes entry on the basis of a junior specialist diploma explicitly.
| University | What it publishes |
|---|---|
| Ternopil National Medical University (TNMU, Ukraine) | The dentistry programme has 300 ECTS credits on the basis of complete secondary education and 240 on the basis of a junior specialist or junior bachelor diploma (Ukrainian: молодший спеціаліст, молодший бакалавр), that is 60 credits fewer. With such a diploma admission is by the results of entrance exams. |
Whether a dental technician’s diploma is a junior specialist diploma in the sense of the programme is decided by the university on the basis of the document. That is why we start with a scan of your diploma.
Ukraine and Georgia: our experience
In our experience dental technicians are admitted only by universities in two countries: Ukraine and Georgia. These are not guarantees: the university decides on admission and on the year.
- Ukraine. A dental technician joins years 2 to 3 of dentistry, sometimes another medical programme; the university decides after comparing the documents. TNMU describes the way through a junior specialist diploma (the table above).
- Georgia. The same: years 2 to 3 of dentistry, sometimes another medical programme, the university decides after comparing the documents. Remember the translations into Georgian certified by a notary.
Tip
Check on the diploma what the title and the level of education are called. In the TNMU programme diplomas of a junior specialist or a junior bachelor count, so the name on the diploma matters.
Step by step
- Send your documents Send us a scan of your school diploma, the list of subjects with hours and the descriptions of the subjects. The consultation and the assessment of documents are free.
- Choosing a university From the universities in Ukraine and Georgia we work with we choose those that can consider your diploma and tell you which year and which costs are realistic.
- Application We prepare the request for the recognition of subjects, the translations and the deadlines, and where needed also the entrance exam.
- The university’s decision The university recognises subjects and names the year of entry. It may also set additional subjects to catch up on.
- Departure We help with tuition, the visa where one is needed, accommodation and travel.
- Studies from a higher year Your adviser stays with you until graduation. This care is free for students because it is sponsored by the universities we have agreements with.
Pros and cons of a shortened route
Pros
- In the TNMU programme a junior specialist diploma shortens the studies from 300 to 240 ECTS credits, that is by 60 credits.
- Subjects that the university recognises count as completed, so you do not repeat that material.
Cons
- You have no guarantee of the year or of admission: the university may recognise fewer subjects than you expect.
- A technician has fewer universities to choose from: in our experience only Ukraine and Georgia, and whether a technician’s diploma is a junior specialist diploma has to be agreed with the university.
- Studies from a higher year still last several years, so you need to plan living costs and tuition for that time.
After graduation: the right to practise
Where you can work as a dentist depends on the country where you graduate and the country where you want to work. In Poland a dentist takes the Final Dental Examination (LDEK). You can find LDEK questions on Medmigrant, our learning platform. We describe the rules for the United Kingdom in the guide to working as a dentist in the UK.
Frequently asked questions
Can a dental technician become a dentist?
Yes, but through dental studies: the directive requires at least five years of study from a dentist. In our experience a technician joins years 2 to 3 of dentistry in Ukraine or Georgia, sometimes another medical programme. There is no guarantee: the university decides on admission and on the year.
Is a dental technician’s diploma a junior specialist diploma?
It depends on the diploma and has to be agreed with the university. The dentistry programme at TNMU has 240 ECTS credits on the basis of a junior specialist or junior bachelor diploma and admits on that basis according to the results of entrance exams. Send us a scan of the diploma and we will check how the university will assess it.
Can a dental technician study dentistry in Poland or another EU country?
In our experience dental technicians join dentistry only in Ukraine and Georgia. On the pages of the EU universities in our offer we did not find rules for technicians from a vocational school.
How many years of study will be left after joining a higher year?
Dentistry lasts five years, so after joining the third year you have three years ahead of you, but the university may add subjects to catch up on.
How much does your help with entering a higher year cost?
The consultation and the assessment of documents are free. We set the price of a transfer and of admission to a higher year individually because it depends on the case. Care during the studies is free for our students because it is sponsored by the universities we have agreements with.
Read also: graduate entry dentistry abroad, dentistry studies in Ukraine and from pharmacy technician to pharmacist. You can find all the universities in the list of universities.
Official sources
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