The University of Utah will accept the first students into its School of Dentistry in the fall of 2013, according to an article in the Salt Lake Tribune.
The cohort of 20 students will enter into the new, four-year doctoral program, pending approval of the state Board of Regents. The program was funded entirely by $37 million in private pledges. The price of tuition will be the same as the rest of the medical school, which is currently $28,735.
G. Lynn Powell, interim dean for dental education, expressed optimism that the program could rank among the country's top 10 within 10 years, the article noted. The program is set to employ 42 full-time and 45 part-time faculty members. The Commission on Dental Accreditation has already sent a site-visit team to the university as part of the ongoing accreditation process.
Currently, University of Utah students can attend one year of dental training before transferring to Creighton University in Nebraska to complete their training, the article explained.
