Discover what sets the UMKC School of Dentistry apart as a world-class educational facility. Expect rigorous academics, methodical training and a commitment to building leaders that improve lives through oral health.

Our comprehensive Doctor of Dental Surgery program provides students with an academic foundation, hands-on clinical experience and confidence to achieve your long-term goals. Work begins in the classroom where preclinical and biomedical courses give students strong conceptual background to draw on. Expect your clinical experiences to start early in the program. Our program takes a team approach to clinical patient care. Peers work together to solve complex patient problems. Faculty members supervise and guide the work.

The UMKC School of Dentistry combines the personal atmosphere of a small college with the benefits of a big university. Faculty and staff offer personal guidance and support throughout the learning process. Yet being part of a major university system in a metropolitan area allows UMKC to attract high-caliber professors, national research projects and maintain state-of-the-art facilities.

UMKC partners with a large network of nearby hospitals to enrich your experience. Our urban location means that many facilities are within a short walk or drive from campus. Our affiliations include Children’s Mercy Hospital, Truman Medical Center, the University of Kansas Medical Center and two local veterans hospitals. Other connections include several medical facilities serving low-income residents, developmentally and mentally disabled patients and many other underserved populations.

There are two pathways to the Doctor of Dental Surgery degree, which includes our "traditional" four-year program and our "Advanced Standing" program for internationally trained dentists.

Click here to view the curriculum in detail.

Dental Education Curriculum Mission

The mission of the Doctor of Dental Surgery program is to graduate a dentist who delivers patient care with a scientific basis and in a caring and compassionate manner. Through integration of the biomedical, behavioral, and clinical sciences, the graduate dentist will effectively lead the oral health care team to provide comprehensive oral health care for diverse populations in a rapidly changing society.

Graduates will use critical thinking and self-assessment so that behaviors and practices are derived from established standards of care. They will demonstrate professional ethics and values associated with lifelong learners, directing their professional growth during and beyond the educational program.  (rev. March 2018)

D.D.S. Program & B.S.D.H. Entry-Level Program Time Limits (March 2019)

Continuous enrollment is required for D.D.S. and B.S.D.H. entry-level students every semester (fall/spring/summer) from the time of matriculation until degree conferral except for cases with an approved Leave of Absence (as defined in the UMKC SOD Student Handbook).

The normal timeframe for completion of required coursework for the D.D.S. degree is four (4) academic years and two (2) academic years for the B.S.D.H. entry-level degree. In the event of academic and or personal difficulties, a student may require additional time. In such situations, the Academic Standards Committee may establish a schedule for that student which departs from the norm. Regardless of the rationale for extended time limits, the D.D.S. program must be completed within six (6) years and the B.S.D.H. entry-level program must be completed within three (3) years of initial matriculation.

Failure to complete the work with the periods specified may include but not limited to reevaluation of the student’s entire program and/or notice of dismissal from the School of Dentistry.

Tuition/Fee Policy for Elective Coursework Outside the School of Dentistry

The dental “flat-rate” tuition and fees only applies to required courses within the DDS program.  Dental students who elect to enroll in courses other than those required as part of the DDS curriculum will pay tuition and fees for those courses.

A dental student’s primary academic responsibility is successfully meeting the curricular expectations of the DDS program. Any coursework taken outside the curriculum requires that a student is in good standing and must be pre-approved by the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. 

Elective enrollment in coursework outside the School of Dentistry is not suggested during fall & spring semesters in years 1 & 2.  

Dental students considering course work outside the dental curriculum should also consider the financial aid implications of the additional course work.  Students should work closely with the Student Financial Aid Office.  The student would only be eligible for DDS financial aid, although Grad Plus loans may be available to select students.