Foundation Degree Dental Technology

The Foundation Degree Dental Technology aims to produce competent technicians that are able to apply for registration as Dental Technicians with the General Dental Council (GDC) upon successful completion of the programme. Throughout their studies, students should develop the knowledge, practical, intellectual, and behavioural skills necessary for a career in Dental Technology, as well as the potential to progress onto higher learning and/or senior roles. Students completing the course could go on to pursue careers as registered Dental Technicians in a range of NHS and commercial laboratory based organisations, or choose to progress into further study.

The course has been designed with the input of employers and other stakeholders to meet the needs of the industry. The course is made up of nine modules that are designed to link the theoretical knowledge of anatomy, materials, legislation, and appliance design to the practical skills required to produce fit for purpose dental appliances.

The course is available on a part-time basis. The part-time course is studied over 3 academic years, and students are typically timetabled for one day per week. On top of this, students will undertake two 30 credit 'Employment Development' modules during their time on the programme, each requiring at least 150 hours of work placement. These work placements are an essential part of the learning in the foundation degree. The teaching and learning on other modules will be linked to the skills and behaviours that will be learned and developed in the work placements.

The timetabled sessions for this programme will be delivered in a blended way - some sessions will require in-person attendance at Yeovil College, and some will be delivered via live, synchronous, online delivery (e.g. via Microsoft Teams). Applicants should be aware that the split of face-to-face and online delivery is determined by the content of each module and its split of practical and theoretical skills. This means that students' timetables will dictate which weeks they need to be on-site and which weeks will be delivered online - students would not be able to choose their own attendance pattern. Over the entirety of the programme, approximately half of timetabled sessions will be delivered on-campus, and half will be via live online sessions.

There are two mandatory work experience/placement modules, one at Level 4 and one at Level 5. The work experience must be carried out in a Dental laboratory whilst actively undertaking the role of a Trainee Dental Technician, whether on a paid or voluntary basis. A minimum of 150 hours of placement per module must be recorded, covering all specialities of Dental Technology. It is the student's responsibility to secure the mandatory work placement. If you are unsure whether a work placement would satisfy the requirements of this course, please contact university.centre@yeovil.ac.uk and we can put you in touch with the relevant programme team.

Foundation Degree (FD) Dental Technology, awarded by the Open University, and regulated by the Office for Students.

On successful completion of the course, students will be able to register as a qualified Dental Technician with the General Dental Council (GDC).

Applicants should note that applying for registration is a process governed by the GDC - at present there is a fee to register and insurance requirements that must be met as part of the application for registration. This gives employment opportunities in commercial and NHS dental laboratories. Students who successfully complete the programme may also choose to apply to progress onto a related Level 6 programme such as a BSc (Hons) in Dental Technology or wider health related programme.

You will study a range of units that will develop your specialist knowledge and skills. Modules currently offered include:

• Applied Head and Neck Anatomy and Physiology - this also includes oral disease and the application of this knowledge to maintain oral structures when designing appliances.
• Applied Dental Materials Science - including health and safety, and both traditional and contemporary materials and their influence on design and manufacture.
• Dental Appliance Design and Manufacturing - encompassing both traditional and digital design and manufacture.
• Employment Development 1 - the first work placement module, encompassing contemporary manufacturing processes, employment skills and behaviours, and reflective practice.
• Professional Practice - including the dental team, communication, professional standards and ethics, regulation, and the industry structure.
• Dental Appliance Design and Manufacture Removable Prosthodontics - including full and partial dentures and orthodontic devices, both traditional and digital.
• Dental Appliance Design and Manufacture Fixed Prosthodontics - including crown and bridge work, both traditional and digital.
• Employment Development 2 - the second work placement module, encompassing contemporary manufacturing processes, employment enhancing skills and behaviours and reflective practice.

Please be aware that modules studied may change periodically to reflect developments in the discipline, in response to student or stakeholder feedback, or as a result of regulatory body requirements. However, no significant changes to modules would be implemented without student consultation and feedback. Enrolled students can always find the most up-to-date information about their modules and who is teaching them in their course handbook.

The course is taught by registered Dental Technicians and professionally qualified tutors with a wide range of relevant experience who are dedicated to ensuring student success through effective curriculum delivery and high-quality pastoral support. The team includes staff with relevant academic qualifications and sector expertise.

Learning will be achieved through a combination of class-based sessions, practical work, group activity, and independent study.

A typical week for a part-time student has around 6 hours of contact time in taught sessions (face to face or online, as stipulated by the timetable), plus additional 1-1 support available by student request.

As with all higher education programmes, students are required to take ownership of their learning and development, and should therefore expect to spend time on personal study, skill development and completing assessment tasks independently outside of lectures. Each module will have a number of assessments both academic and practical that will need to be completed by set deadlines. There will also be a work based portfolio that must be completed and submitted. In the final module a holistic assessment will be carried out, which consists of three parts.

As a rough guide, between timetabled sessions and independent work a student should expect to spend around 10 hours studying for each credit they undertake. A full-time student would typically undertake 120 credits per academic year, whereas a part-time student would undertake a proportionately reduced amount of credits each academic year to achieve the full 240 credits over the three years on the Foundation Degree.

Tuition Fees: Full information on tuition fees, including tuition fee lists, can be found on our our Financial Support page. Please be aware that fee levels vary depending upon the year in which a student commences their studies. For more detailed information, see the YCUC (Yeovil College University Centre) HE (Higher Education) Fees Policy, available in the Policies and Reports area of our website.

Additional Costs: Students will be required to fund their own travel and workplace expenses for the two 'Employment Development' modules. Beyond this, there are no required additional costs for the programme. Due to the nature of the practical tasks carried out, students may wish to purchase their own hand tools, although some will be available when at college. Whilst some students may choose to buy their own copies of certain key texts this is not essential as relevant resources are available through the College's Learning Resources Centre. Throughout the course there are opportunities to undertake trips and visits to industry exposition events and trade shows. Whilst these are not mandatory, they will enrich the learning experience. Students would be expected to fund their own travel to and from such events.

An assessment schedule, outlining all assessments and deadlines, will be issued to you at the start of each academic year. You will be assessed using a range of methods both for formative (practice) and summative (graded) assessments which will reflect the requirements of the subject, including essays, reflective pieces, exams, presentations, observations, case studies, assignments, witness testimonies, discussion, and practical assessments. Feedback will be provided to you in writing, along with information reflecting your performance and recommendations for improvement.

Entry Requirements: Typical entry requirements are 48 UCAS (Universities and Colleges Admissions Service) tariff points. These could come from a relevant BTEC Level 3 qualification, a relevant T Level, an A Level profile that demonstrates impressive performance in at least one science or health-related discipline, or other Level 3 qualifications such as an International Baccalaureate or an Access to HE Diploma. Alternatively, successful completion of the Level 3 Laboratory Technician Apprenticeship would also meet the entry requirements for this course. Grade 4 (C) or above in GCSE English and GCSE Maths (or equivalent) is highly desirable. Evidence of a previous science qualification at GCSE grade 4 or above (or equivalent) is highly desirable.

Mature Applicants: We welcome applications from mature students (aged 21 and over as of 1st September in the academic year of admission) and do not necessarily require the same academic qualifications as school leaving applicants. Mature students requesting contextual admission are required to provide details of their relevant prior work or study experience, and to also undertake a pre-entry admissions assessment to ensure there is suitable grounds to suggest they are academically ready to begin the programme and there is a reasonable expectation that they will succeed in their studies. Please email university.centre@yeovil.ac.uk to find out more.

International Applicants: International applicants will be required to evidence English language skills - this could be an IELTS score of 6.0, with a minimum score of 5.5 in each component, a grade 4 in GCSE English (or equivalent), or having recently completed a Level 3 qualification taught and assessed in the English language. For more information, please get in touch via university.centre@yeovil.ac.uk or call 01935 845454.

Interviews: As part of the admissions process, applicants who meet the entry criteria for the course will be invited to attend an admissions interview with a member of staff from the course they are applying to. More information about the interview process can be found on the How to apply page.

Part-time: To apply for this course on a part-time basis, you will need to submit an application form directly to the University Centre. You can find out more about this process and download a copy of the application form by visiting our How to apply page, or you can request a copy of the application form directly from the Yeovil College University Centre team via 01935 845454 or university.centre@yeovil.ac.uk.

If you have any questions, or want to know more about this course, please get in touch! You can contact us via email (university.centre@yeovil.ac.uk), phone (01935 845454), or you can fill out our Contact form.