Program accreditation standards - The Australian Dental Council

Overview

In Australia, all accredited programs are assessed against the ADC/Dental Council (New Zealand) accreditation standards for dental practitioner programs (the Standards).

ADC/Dental Council (New Zealand) accreditation standards for dental practitioner programs (PDF, 1.6MB)

The six standards for accreditation

Public safety

Public safety is assured.

Academic governance and quality assurance

Academic governance and quality assurance processes are effective.

Program of study

Program design, delivery and resourcing enable students to achieve the required professional competencies.

The student experience

Students are provided with equitable and timely access to information and support.

Assessment

Assessment is fair, valid and reliable to ensure graduates are competent to practise.

Cultural safety

The program ensures students are able to provide culturally safe care for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples.

Each domain is accompanied by a standard statement. Each standard statement is supported by a set of criteria.

The criteria are indicators not sub-standards. When a program is reviewed for accreditation, the ADC considers if the criteria are met. We take an on-balance view of whether overall the education provider has shown that a standard statement is met.

Standards and program accreditation

The ADC considers whether each standard statement is met, not met, or substantially met during a program accreditation review.

If a program meets all the Standards, the program will be accredited up to the maximum period of time outlined in the ADC accreditation guidelines for dental practitioner programs (the Guidelines).

If a Standard is substantially met, the ADC may apply a condition or conditions on the program. The provider must meet the condition within the allocated timeframe for accreditation to continue.

Accreditation of a program is likely to be refused or revoked if a program does not meet one or more Standards.

ADC accreditation guidelines for dental practitioner programs (PDF, 1.3MB)