Frequently asked questions about MCODS Manipal.


    Yes, foreign students can take admissions in MCODS, Manipal. 15% of the total admissions are allotted for foreign/ NRI category. The infrastructure provided is at par with the international standards and the teaching methodology is apt for training students to meet challenges in dental practice in a global perspective.

    Teaching methodology constitutes of didactic lectures, tutorials, seminars, projects, Objective Structural Practical Evaluation (OSPE) & Objective Structural Clinical Evaluation (OSCE).

    The institution encourages students to conduct research through external funding by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR). Besides this, the Manipal Academy of Higher Education also provides research incentives for students to attend conferences and present papers/ posters. 

    MCODS, Mangalore is one of the constituent institutions of the Manipal Academy of Higher Education founded by Late Dr TMA Pai, who was the pioneer of private education in India.

    MCODS, Mangalore is accredited with the ISO 9001:2008 certification. Besides this, it is also recognized by the Malaysian Dental Council & the Nepal Dental Council. It is also a certified training institute for MFDS (Royal college of surgery: Edinburgh/Glasgow. 

    Manipal College of Dental Sciences (MCODS) at Manipal Academy of Higher Education is one of the best colleges in the country. It has been ranked as No: 01 private dental institute in the country since 2008 in a survey conducted by Outlook-MRDA. The college has state of the art infrastructural facilities at far with international standards with a competence based curriculum. Manipal university campus also has Medical, engineering, nursing, allied health and other colleges and attracts students from across the globe, which ensures that you get better exposure and learning experience. In addition, the college is also certified for ISO 9001:2008 for quality management systems and ISO 14001:2004 for environmental management system.

    The BDS course is of five years duration consisting of a Pre-clinical and clinical training program of 4 years and one year of compulsory rotating internship. In the first two years of the BDS program, students are trained on biologic and material aspects of dentistry, with the help of audiovisual aids, models and patient simulators. Hands on clinical training are facilitated under the guidance and supervision of faculty, in the following years.

    The course contents are delivered using didactic lectures, demonstrations, practical exercises, seminars, problem based learning, self-directed learning, chair side teaching and learning, etc.

    Student performance is assessed continually with three internal examinations in a year followed by an annual examination. In addition, continuous evaluation in the form of seminars, projects, problem based learning etc. is also done.

    In addition to the sufficient number of dental chairs, modern clinical and laboratory facilities and patient amenities to cater to the clinical training needs of students, MCODS is attached to Kasturba Hospital, Manipal, a tertiary referral medical hospital, as required by the Dental council of India. The college gets patients from in and around its campus as well as from neighbouring states such as Kerala and Tamil Nadu. In addition, the satellite centres of the college at various locations ensure that students are exposed to comprehensive dental care.

    Manipal university campus has excellent facilities for extracurricular activities. It has a state of the art indoor sports complex along with outdoor cricket and football stadiums. MCODS, Manipal organizes both inter-class and inter-college sports activities and students are encouraged to participate in inter-university sports events.

    Cultural competitions are a spotlight of MCODS activities, which enable students to present their talents and help in overall personality development.

    Manipal Academy of Higher Education offers a unique opportunity for students to participate in various innovations related competitions, sharpening their intellectual and business acumen. MCODS, Manipal has consistently projected itself in these competitions, held at the university and national level, with our students bagging prizes for their innovative projects year after year.

    With a BDS degree, one can do private practice or join a corporate hospital. Academically, one can pursue a Master’s program in any of the dental specialties, Public Health and Hospital management related courses.

    Besides BDS, MCODS offers post graduate programs (MDS) in all dental specialties. In addition, it also offers post graduate diploma in dental materials, certificate programs in esthetic dentistry, laser dentistry and implant dentistry.

    BDS degree is sufficient for one to pursue a private general dental practice. However, specialization in any one of the dental specialties ensures that you are a specialist in a particular branch of dentistry, which will enable you to manage complicated and sometimes, unusual, clinical situations.Only specialized dentists can be consultants. In addition, it provides a platform to pursue your academic interests further, especially, in terms of teaching and research.

    MCODS, Manipal offers MDS programs in Oral medicine and radiology, Conservative dentistry and endodontics, periodontology, oral and maxillofacial surgery, prosthodontics and crown and bridge, pedodontics and preventive dentistry, orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics, public health dentistry and oral pathology and microbiology.

    You can choose any specialty. Your choice of specialty will depend on your interest and more importantly your rank in the entrance test.

    MCODS, Manipal is ranked among the best colleges in the country. The college offers post-graduation in all the specialties and this facilitates interdisciplinary approach for management of a variety of clinical conditions. The university campus also houses other specialty colleges such as medical, engineering and allied health sciences, through which you can pursue multidisciplinary research. We have one of the largest health science libraries in Asia with digital access facilities and a well-equipped innovation centre in the university campus. The students are provided training in Research methodology and statistics as well as basic life support courses, which will help them, pursue research or enhance their clinical skills in their chosen fields.

    Unlike the undergraduate program, learning in a postgraduate program is facilitated through seminars, journal clubs, case presentations and discussions, tutorials etc. All the work that is carried out during the program is assessed and duly recorded in log books.

    During the post graduate program, students are required to undertake research project(s) and submit a report on the same in the form of a dissertation for external evaluation under the guidance of departmental faculty.

    Conducting research and submission as a dissertation project is necessary for Fulfilment of the course requirements. You can pursue your research interest in your specialty under the guidance of faculty.

    After MDS, you can pursue specialty practice independently or join a corporate hospital. Alternatively, you can join an academic institute as teaching faculty or as a researcher.

    Yes, you can opt for Certificate courses in Implantology, Laser Dentistry and esthetic dentistry. These courses are conducted in several modules of one week duration spaced at few months interval. Alternatively, you may also pursue a ‘two year’ post graduate diploma in dental materials.