Midwestern University College of Dental Medicine Illinois, located in Downers Grove in the Chicago suburbs, offers a DMD program within MWU's multidisciplinary health sciences campus. Founded in 2009, the program benefits from co-location with MWU's osteopathic medical school, pharmacy, optometry, podiatry, and other health programs, providing integrated interprofessional dental education. The curriculum emphasizes evidence-based practice, patient-centered care, and the oral-systemic health connection.
What makes it different
Midwestern University Downers Grove is a dedicated health sciences university with programs in medicine (DO), pharmacy, optometry, podiatry, physical therapy, and dental medicine on one campus. This creates an unusually rich interprofessional education environment — dental students regularly interact with MWU medical and pharmacy students in shared modules and case discussions. The suburban Chicago location provides access to a large and diverse urban patient population.
Course & teaching
Integrated curriculum. 4-year DMD curriculum with integrated biomedical and clinical sciences. Interprofessional education modules shared with other MWU health programs. Clinical training at MWU's on-campus dental clinic, with patient care beginning in Year 2.
Research strengths
Midwestern University College of Dental Medicine Illinois (DMD) has notable research strength in Oral-systemic disease links, Implantology, Biomaterials, Community oral health, Digital dentistry.
Interview
Midwestern University College of Dental Medicine Illinois (DMD) interviews via Traditional one-on-one faculty interview. Midwestern University Illinois Dental interview day typically includes a single one-on-one faculty session of approximately 30–45 minutes, combined with a campus tour and an overview of MWU's health sciences campus. The interview probes motivation for dentistry, manual dexterity background, oral-systemic health awareness, ADA ethics scenarios, and interprofessional health perspectives — the shared MWU campus with medical, pharmacy, optometry, and podiatry students is a genuine program theme. Questions may also touch on the suburban Chicago healthcare market and community oral health.
Intake
Approximately 140 students per year.
At a glance
Founded in 2009, based in Downers Grove, IL. Programmes offered: General Dentistry, Orthodontics, Pediatric Dentistry, Periodontics, Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.