Application for Accreditation of a Postgraduate Programme towards the
FGDP(UK)’s Pathway
Guidance for Programme Organisers

Section 1
General Guidance

Section 2
Notes on completing Part B

Section 3
Notes on completing Part C (where applicable)

Section 4
Conditions following accreditation of programmes

Section 5
Appeals
SECTION ONE
General Guidance
Application for accreditation of a programme towards the FGDP(UK)’s Career
Pathway will usually be considered on condition that:

The programme organiser submits the completed application (Parts A and
B) together with the supporting documentation as requested. Most of the
information requested will be available in syllabuses, handbooks or other
publications relating to the programme of study. Where you are supplying
supporting documents, there is no need to repeat the information on the
form, but please provide references to the relevant pages on the form
provided. Where information is not available, please state this on the
form.
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
The programme has been formally assessed, is at the educational level of
a Masters degree (Level M) and has been externally quality assured. The
content of the programme must also be relevant to primary dental care.

The appropriate fee for the accreditation and subsequent credit rating of a
programme/award is paid (please see below for further details). Cheques
should be made payable to the FGDP(UK).
Successful application for accreditation and subsequent credit rating will provide
individuals who have successfully completed the programme and gained the
award, to have the credits recognised on the FGDP(UK)’s Career Pathway
leading to the Fellowship of the Faculty (FFGDP(UK)), the final stage of the
Pathway.
Accreditation Fees and Benefits
The cost of accreditation is £1400 per programme. This cost will cover all levels
of the programme (for example postgraduate certificate, Diploma and MSc
levels).
Benefits of this type of accreditation include:



The opportunity to advertise the course as accredited towards the FGDP(UK)
Career Pathway.
Course added to an official list of courses accredited towards the Pathway.
This is available on the website and circulated with all Career Pathway
information packs.
The opportunity to use an FGDP(UK) logo in course advertising (subject to
conditions- see section 4).
The accreditation of a programme is granted for a period of 5 years from the
date of approval.
Clinical Case exemptions
In addition to the recognition of credits towards the Faculty’s FFGDP(UK),
accreditation may also extend to recognition of the clinical cases, as undertaken
as part of the final assessment of the programme, for exemption towards the
FFGDP(UK).
As part of the Fellowship Assessment process, applicants are required to provide
evidence in the form of four clinical cases that they have achieved an appropriate
level of attainment in the clinical competencies as laid down in the Fellowship by
Assessment in General Dental Practice Curriculum.
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Applicants who have prepared cases as part of a Faculty accredited programme,
where these cases have been formally assessed may be eligible for full or partial
exemption from this part of the Fellowship Assessment.
For further details, please refer to Part C of the Application for Accreditation of a
Postgraduate Programme towards the FGDP(UK)’s Pathway: Assessment of
Eligibility of Clinical Cases Exemption towards FFGDP(UK) and Section 3 of this
document - Notes on completing Part C.
Please note that postgraduate programmes will be considered separately
for accreditation towards the FGDP(UK) Career Pathway. In the outcome
that the associated clinical cases do not meet the FGDP(UK)’s criteria for
exemption towards the FFGDP(UK), the programme itself may still be
eligible for accreditation.
SECTION TWO
Notes on completing Part B
The information provided in Part B will enable the FGDP(UK) to ensure that the
programme is provided and assessed at the required level, with appropriate
external quality assurance.
1.
Credits awarded by the Institute
a.
The FGDP(UK)’s tariff for educational credits is 1 postgraduate credit for
each 10 hours of learning time. Learning time includes number of hours spent in
lectures/seminars, how many hours each piece of coursework/case presentation
takes to complete, and self-directed study.
b.
There are other systems of credit rating which vary from this tariff. All
course components submitted for the Career Pathway will be assessed on the
rating system explained here or as submitted by the Institute delivering the
course.
2.
Programme Specification, including aims and learning outcomes
a.
The Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) defines a
programme specification as a concise description of the intended outcomes of
learning from a postgraduate programme, and the means by which these
outcomes are achieved and demonstrated.
b.
While aims are a statement of general intention, or the broad purpose of
the programme, learning outcomes (otherwise known as learning objectives) are
a statement of what the participant should know/understand and/or be able to do
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(or do better) as a result of successfully completing the programme. They should
be clearly stated as part of the programme specification.
c.
QAA states that the programme specification should make explicit the
intended outcomes in terms of knowledge, understanding, skills and other
attributes. They should help students to understand the teaching and learning
methods that enable the outcomes to be achieved; the assessment methods that
enable achievement to be demonstrated; and the relationship of the programme
and its study elements to the qualifications framework and to any subsequent
professional qualification or career path.
3.
Transcript of learning
a.
The transcript of learning provides a comprehensive verifiable record of
the learning and achievement of the individual. Transcripts record the actual
units/modules that have been studied by the individual, and the achievement in
terms of marks/grades and any credit awarded. Many educational institutes
provide students with a transcript but there is considerable variation in the
information they contain.
b.
Further information on programme specifications and transcripts of
learning is available from the QAA website: http://www.qaa.ac.uk
4.
Forms of assessment
a.
Programmes can only be considered if they are formally assessed. The
Faculty will recognise a number of different assessment methods and you are
asked to specify the range of assessment methods used.
5.
Level of the programme
a.
Postgraduate programmes that are at the educational level of a Masters
degree (Level M) are acceptable. Attached at Annex A is a table of levels and
the descriptors for a postgraduate programme at Masters (M) Level.
6.
External Quality Assurance
a.
A programme may be externally quality assured by The Quality Assurance
Agency for Higher Education (QAA), or a professional, regulatory and statutory
body. You should provide evidence of external quality assurance, such as a
QAA subject review form or published quality assurance reports if available. You
may also include detailed feedback on the programme from other organisations,
staff or participants where relevant.
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SECTION THREE
Notes on completing Part C
The information provided in Part C will enable the FGDP(UK) to ensure that the
clinical cases as assessed as part of the programme conform to the Faculty’s
criteria.
Clinical Case Exemption Criteria
7.
Treatment of the patient
a.
The treatment should be carried out as part of the accredited programme
as approved by the FGDP(UK) for the Career Pathway and for which clinical
credits are awarded.
b.
Treatment of the patient must be the sole responsibility of the applicant,
who must also have full autonomy in patient care and decision making with the
patient. Mentoring is allowed but cases where the applicant has worked to a
diagnosis and prescription of another dentist are not eligible for exemption.
8.
Regulations relating to the FFGDP(UK) Assessment
a.
The case(s) must comply with the Faculty’s definition of a case and
explicitly cover the components set out in the Fellowship Regulations Appendix
2.
b.
Cases must be the work of the applicant (subject to any necessary
referrals for treatment outside the experience of the applicant).
c.
Cases must be of sufficient complexity to illustrate the applicant’s mastery
of all the relevant skills required in treating patients to the highest standard.
d.
Cases must be formally assessed as part of the summative assessment
of the applicant’s performance on the course. Cases produced during the
programme but not part of the formal programme assessment are not eligible for
exemption but may be presented for Fellowship Assessment if they match the
requirements for clinical cases.
e.
The formal assessment should cover all aspects of the case as detailed in
the Fellowship Regulations, Appendix 2.
9.
Information requested from the applicant
a.
Approval for clinical case exemption is granted to the programme not
individual applicants, though it is the responsibility of the applicant to notify the
FGDP(UK) if they wish to be granted exemption for their clinical cases.
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b.
The applicant will also be expected to provide further evidence that they
comply with the following criteria:
I. Cases are the work of the applicant (subject to any necessary referrals for
treatment outside the experience of the applicant).
II. Written evidence must be provided that the individual cases have been
assessed as part of the relevant programme and passed this assessment.
III. Cases must have been completed within the last 7 years.
The case(s) should be available for submission and review if required by the
FGDP(UK).
SECTION 4
Conditions following accreditation of programmes
The Programme Organiser:

May promote/advertise the programme with no greater implication than
the ‘Programme is approved by the Faculty of General Dental Practice
(UK) for accreditation towards its Career Pathway’.

Should note that accreditation approved is for the named programme only.
We appreciate that the programme may be developed and updated over
time, and minor changes to the syllabus should not affect the
accreditation. However, if the programme does change significantly in
respect of the syllabus, course delivery and assessment, you should
contact the FGDP(UK) for further advice.

The accreditation of a programme is granted for a period of 5 years from
the date of approval.

An electronic copy of the FGDP(UK) logo for accredited programmes will
be provided on confirmation of accreditation. The course provider should
take care not to use the FGDP(UK) logo in any way that implies that the
FGDP(UK) has involvement in the delivery of the course or acts as an
awarding body for the final award. Breach of this may result in permission
to use the logo being withdrawn.
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SECTION 5
Appeals
In the event of an application being rejected, the course organiser or individual
may appeal to the Chairman of the Education Committee. The decision of the
FGDP(UK) is final.
Faculty of General Dental Practice (UK)
The Royal College of Surgeons of England
35 – 43 Lincoln’s Inn Fields, London WC2A 3PE
Tel: 0207 869 6754 Fax: 0207 869 6765
Email: fgdp@rcseng.ac.uk
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