
CQUniversity’s Bachelor of Oral Health equips you with the skills and knowledge to perform preventive and operative dentistry for patients across the lifespan. You will learn from experienced practitioners and benefit from hands-on experience treating real patients in CQUni's oral health simulation labs, Rockhampton Health Clinic or at various external clinical placement sites. You will graduate with a wide scope of practice, capable of working with children and adults, and will be eligible to apply to the Dental Board of Australia for registration as an Oral Health Therapist. Registered graduates of this course are highly sought after in Queensland and in other states in the public and private sectors.
Completing the Bachelor of Oral Health at CQUniversity enables you to apply to the Dental Board of Australia for registration as an Oral Health Therapist.
Designed to equip you with a broad skill set, the course ensures you graduate work-ready. You will develop skills to effectively perform preventive and operative dentistry for patients and provide specialist dental practices. In addition, your education and training will provide you with underpinning industry knowledge so you can educate and promote oral health in small group and community settings.
The course has a strong focus on work-integrated learning in pre-clinical and clinical settings such as our purpose-fit oral health laboratory and dental clinic at CQUniversity Rockhampton. This allows you to gain valuable practical experience whilst also increasing your employability. Oral health can be a diverse and rewarding career. During your studies, you will benefit from learning alongside students in other health courses in facilities such as CQUniversity's Allied Health Clinic. To apply for general registration as a dental practitioner, please visit the Dental Board of Australia website.
Discover more about your industry-accredited oral health degree and how you'll benefit from practical experiences in real-world settings. Click 'Explore Study Experience' for more information.

CQU has so many facilities, like the oral health clinic and you can actually see real patients instead of just working on each other.
Loran Ware
STEPS, Bachelor of Oral Health
Upon completion of the Bachelor of Oral Health you will be eligible to apply for registration to work in general and specialist dental practices within Australia as an Oral Health Therapist. You will be able to perform preventive and operative dentistry for patients across the lifespan. You will also be equipped to educate and promote oral health in small group and community settings.
The course structure and available locations can change depending on when you want to study. You can choose the intake that best suits you in the drop-down menu below.
You must complete 20 units (144 credits):
The units you'll study are listed below. Click on a unit to learn more.
To help you plan your studies and see which unit comes first, if one unit should be completed before another and the term you will study each unit, check out our course planners.
The Bachelor of Oral Health course at CQUniversity is accredited by the Australian Dental Council (ADC) and approved without conditions by the Dental Board of Australia (DBofA) until 31 December 2030. The course is accredited by the Australian Dental Council in accordance with s48 of the National Law.
Work-based learning takes place in the oral health simulation laboratory (up to 3 hours per week) and oral health clinics on campus 6 x 3 hour sessions per term.
Work-based learning takes place in the oral health simulation laboratory and/or the oral health clinics on campus for up to 2 x 3 hour sessions per term.
Work-based learning takes place in the oral health simulation laboratory for 2 x 3 hour sessions, per week, per term and the oral health clinic on campus for up to 36 hours per term.
Work-based learning takes place in the oral health simulation laboratory on campus for 2 x 3 hour sessions per week per term.
Work-based learning takes place in the oral health clinics on campus 2 x 3-hour sessions per week per term.
Work-based learning takes place in the oral health simulation laboratory and oral health clinics on campus over 5 days per term.
Work-based learning takes place in the oral health simulation laboratory on campus for 2 x 3 hour sessions per week per term.
Work-based learning takes place in the oral health clinics on campus 4 x 3-hour sessions per week per term.
Work-based learning takes place in a variety of settings 4-5 days per week per term. This includes general dental practices, specialist dental practices, school dental clinics, oral health clinics on campus and residential care facilities. These clinical placements may be in Central Queensland, in other areas of Queensland and in other states and territories of Australia.
Work-based learning takes place in a variety of settings 4-5 days per week per the term. This includes general dental practices, specialist dental practices, school dental clinics, oral health clinics on campus and residential care facilities. These clinical placements may be in Central Queensland, in other areas of Queensland and in other states and territories of Australia.
You are required to undertake a minimum of 1000 hours of clinical placement. The Bachelor of Oral Health course involves extensive training in a clinical environment, initially using simulator technologies before progressing to full-time clinical placements in an oral health environment. Students should be prepared in their final year of study to spend four days per week in full-time clinical placements as part of the course requirements.
If you have completed prior study relevant to units within this course, you may be eligible for credit for your past studies.
This course does not permit you to defer your offer and commence at a later date. If you are unable to commence in the term you receive an offer, you will be required to submit a new admission application or change your preference with the Tertiary Admission Centre to commence at a later date.
For your application to be considered, you must meet the following entry requirements.
View the student and course profiles for this course and learn about CQU's Undergraduate Profile for Term 1, 2025 via our Institute Profile.
CQU offers a range of alternative entry pathways to help you get started. If you don’t meet the entry requirements, there are options available, depending on your background and previous experience.
While not needed to apply, you'll need to meet the following requirements throughout your studies.
The Indicative First-Year Fee is the approximate cost of enrolling in this course for one full-time academic year (eight units over two terms) for a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP) and should be used as a guide only. Your actual fees may vary depending on the units you select to study and your study load. Check the Cost per Unit spreadsheet available on our Understanding Course Fees webpage.
Fees are reviewed each year and are subject to change. Fee estimates for the following year are expected to be available in September each year.
This course has Commonwealth Supported Places (CSPs) available, and as a domestic student, you'll be offered a CSP, provided you meet CSP eligibility requirements. CSPs are subsidised by the Australian Government, meaning you are only required to pay the student contribution rather than full tuition fees.
You may be eligible for a HECS-HELP government loan if you are offered a CSP. HECS-HELP is an Australian Government loan scheme that assists you in paying your student contributions. Provided you meet the HECS-HELP eligibility criteria, you may use HECS-HELP to defer part or all of your student contribution fees.
Part of your course costs will include Student Services and Amenities Fees (SSAF). SSAF is charged in addition to your student contribution or tuition fees and is used to help enhance your study experience. There may also be other costs as part of your studies, such as textbooks, technology expenses, travel expenses, professional certifications, uniforms, or vaccinations.
We believe a quality education can be for everyone – regardless of background, location, or life circumstances. That's why we offer a variety of scholarships and bursaries that can give you a helping hand with a range of expenses and enhance your employability.
You'll need to choose where you would like to study in the 'choose where you live' selector. This course is only available on campus, so not all states or territories will be listed.
Prior to applying, take a look at important application dates and learn about our admission considerations, such as information for domestic students with overseas qualifications, indigenous support, and elite athlete, coach and performer support. You should also check out the adjustment schemes that might be available to you and how to access them. You can also explore our offer information to learn more about what happens after you've submitted an application and how to respond to an offer to study with CQU.
CQUniversity Australia is a trading name of Central Queensland University
ABN: 39 181 103 288
RTO Code: 40939
CRICOS: 00219C
TEQSA: PRV12073