Dental Office Administration

The diploma takes 26 weeks full-time at our Calgary campus, including a 4-week supervised practicum in a dental office. Classes are delivered in person.

You train on the dental practice software offices actually use, including RecallMax. That means you can book appointments, enter patient records, upload x-rays, and process insurance billing from your first day on the job.

Tuition is $13,499. Alberta Student Aid grants and loans are available, and an admissions advisor can walk you through payment options and any sponsorship you may qualify for.

Dental office administrators work in dental and orthodontic offices, dental laboratories, hospitals, oral prosthetic centres, insurance companies, and medical group practices.

Yes. You complete a 4-week full-time practicum in a real dental office before you graduate, so you finish with hands-on experience on your resume.

New intakes open several times a year at our Calgary campus. The next start date is shown at the top of this page, and an admissions advisor can confirm seat availability.

ALIS puts starting pay around $19–$24/hr (about $43,000 a year full-time), typical pay at $27–$30/hr (about $54,000), and experienced pay at $32–$40/hr (about $70,000). Wages are Government of Alberta ALIS 2023 Alberta Wage & Salary Survey and Job Bank Canada figures. The hourly rate is the reliable anchor; annual amounts assume full-time work, so part-time or casual roles earn less.

93.75% of ABES graduates from this program are employed. On the wider Alberta picture: HOT as healthcare administration (ALIS) / Moderate for pure reception roles (Job Bank); about 4,735 employed as medical/dental administrative assistants. Steady, broad-based demand across the city’s dental practices.

Private general and specialty dental practices (orthodontics, oral surgery); Dental Service Organizations such as 123Dentist and dentalcorp; plus many independent Calgary clinics.

With experience alone: Treatment coordinator → office / practice manager → practice administrator (multi-clinic / DSO). No new credential legally required. Ceiling around $32–$40/hr (~$64,000–$80,000/yr) as an experienced practice manager. With further study: Registered Dental Assistant (clinical): separate CDAC-accredited program + NDAEB exam + CADA registration → ~$31.83/hr (~$52,431/yr). Business / practice-administration diploma → higher management pay. The biggest financial jump is moving UP into management, not sideways into clinical assisting.

Largely yes, and the training goes further. ALIS lists Dental Office Receptionist among the job titles covered by its Receptionist profile, and reception is part of the role. The diploma also covers scheduling, patient records in dental software, and insurance billing, which is what lets graduates move up into treatment coordinator and practice manager roles. It is an administrative role, distinct from a clinical Dental Assistant, which is a separate regulated occupation with its own accredited program.

Yes. The program runs in class or online, with day, evening and weekend options. The four-week practicum is completed in person in a Calgary dental office.