Bachelor's Degree in Dental Hygiene
A baccalaureate degree opens doors to expanded career options for dental hygienists. UTHealth School of Dentistry is the only Houston-area school offering a Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene (BSDH) degree, and recently became the first school in Texas to offer dental hygiene students the option of earning credentials toward a master’s degree in public health (MPH), even as they complete studies for a bachelor’s degree in dental hygiene. More information about our new Dual-Degree Program (BSDH/MPH) is available on request.
BSDH – Entry LevelThe entry-level BSDH program is best suited for applicants who are interested in entering the dental hygiene profession. This is a full-time program that includes four semesters, plus a summer term. Classes are scheduled from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Students should not plan to work during their enrollment in the Dental Hygiene Program due to the demand of coursework and clinic. Click here for the list of courses.
Admission to the Dental Hygiene Program requires satisfactory completion of 62 hours of prerequisite courses from a regionally accredited school. A grade of at least C must be earned in each of the required courses while maintaining a cumulative grade-point average of at least 2.5.
NOTE: Students who already have degrees (associate's, bachelor’s or higher) have the option of seeking a Post-Degree Certificate in Dental Hygiene that requires only 34 hours of prerequisites.
Prerequisites for Entry-Level BSDH Program:
| Course Name | Semester Hours |
|---|---|
| English Composition I & II | 6 |
| Speech | 3 |
| College Math (or higher) | 3 |
| Human Anatomy and Physiology I | 4* |
| Human Anatomy and Physiology II | 4* |
| Chemistry | 4* |
| Microbiology | 4* |
| General Psychology | 3 |
| Sociology | 3 |
| U.S. History (may include 3 hours Texas History) | 6 |
| U.S. Government | 3 |
| Texas Government | 3 |
| Computer Science | 3** |
| Humanities | 3 |
| Visual & Performing Arts | 3 |
| Nutrition | 3 |
| Electives | 4*** |
| Total Semester Hours | 62 |
*Laboratory time required
**Workforce courses POFI and ITSC will not be accepted for Computer Science.
***Recommended electives include foreign language, research design, and statistics. No PE or remedial courses accepted.
Post-Degree Certificate in Dental Hygiene
For applicants interested in getting into the dental hygiene profession and who already have an associate, bachelor’s or higher degree, the School of Dentistry offers the option of earning a Certificate in Dental Hygiene. This is a full-time program that includes four semesters, plus a summer term. Classes are scheduled from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Students should not plan to work during their enrollment in the Dental Hygiene Program due to the demand of coursework and clinic. Click here for the list of courses.
NOTE: Students with degrees are only required to complete 34 hours of prerequisites before entering the program.
Prerequisites for Post-Degree Certificate Program
| Course Name | Semester Hours |
|---|---|
| English Composition I | 3 |
| Fundamentals of Speech | 3 |
| General Psychology | 3 |
| Sociology | 3 |
| Human Anatomy and Physiology I | 4* |
| Human Anatomy and Physiology II | 4* |
| Chemistry | 4* |
| Microbiology | 4* |
| Nutrition | 3 |
| Computer Science | 3** |
| Total Semester Hours | 34 |
*Laboratory time required
**Workforce courses POFI and ITSC will not be accepted for Computer Science.
***Recommended electives include foreign language, research design, and statistics. No PE or remedial courses accepted.
Application Deadlines
Applications for the on-campus BSDH and Post-Degree Certificate programs will be available online starting April 1 and ending Aug. 31. To be considered for the incoming class, applicants must apply one year prior to the August start date. All transcripts and supporting documents for admission to the Dental Hygiene Program must be sent to UTHealth Office of the Registrar by Aug. 31 of the year preceding expected enrollment. The Admissions Committee begins reviewing applications in October until all positions are filled. Applicants will be notified of their standing by May 31. All prerequisites must be completed by May 31 prior to the start of the fall semester..
Shadowing
All entry-level applicants are required to have a minimum of 20 hours of shadowing experience with a dental hygienist. Shadowing a dentist will not be accepted for any portion of the 20 hours. This experience will allow the applicant to observe the various facets of the dental hygiene profession. Shadowing Form
Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
This test is required if the applicant did not attend high school in the United States. The exception to this requirement is this: If the applicant holds an associate or higher degree from a U.S.-accredited institution, the TOEFL test is not required.
Acuity Insights All applicants must complete the Casper test with Acuity Insights Assessment. Casper is a 90-110 minute online assessment, open-response situational judgment test (SJT). Please be advised that there are only 2 test dates available for the admission cycle for Fall 2024. The testing fee is $60. All applicants must register to take the test at Acuity Insights, create an account, and complete Casper.
Tests will be administered on:
- August 10, 2023 7 pm CST (8 pm EST)
- September 7, 2023 7 pm CST (8 pm EST)
Skills & Essential Functions
To be successful, dental hygienists must demonstrate cognitive skills in critical and logical/analytical thinking as well as possess and demonstrate the psychomotor skills (fine motor dexterity and coordination) and observational skills (vision, hearing and tactile abilities) sufficient to master the clinical procedures essential in the treatment of dental disease. All individuals who apply for admission to UTHealth School of Dentistry at Houston, without exception, must be capable of performing essential functions; which are the basic abilities a student must possess to complete the curriculum. An applicant who cannot perform the following essential functions — either with or without reasonable accommodations — will not be considered for admission: List of Skills and Essential Functions
Application Requirements
Applications will be processed upon receipt of the following:
- All official college transcripts
- Shadowing form, with required observation hours (not required for RDH-to-BSDH applicants)
- Successful completion of Texas Success Initiative (TSI)
- Three letters of recommendation from 2 professors and 1 employer using the institutional form.
- Print and fill out your portion of the form and give it to the person writing the recommendation. The person completing the recommendation should send the completed recommendation form to the registrar. The official university form must be submitted.
- TOEFL test scores, if applicable
- Applicants outside of Texas MUST reside in a participating National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA) state to be accepted into our program. To see if your state participates, or to get more information, please visit NC-SARA.
NOTE: Dental Hygiene Program prerequisites must be completed or near completion at the time of application submission. All transcripts must be submitted after the completion of each semester. Some dental hygiene courses may or may not transfer to other institutions. Students should contact the transferring institution for details. The deadline for completion of prerequisite course work is May 31 of the year of anticipated enrollment.
Contact Us
Office of the Registrar
UTHealth
P.O. Box 20036
Houston TX 77225-0036
E-mail: Student-Admissions@uth.tmc.edu
Dental Hygiene Program
7500 Cambridge St, Suite 6470
Houston, TX 77054
Phone: 713-486-4084
Fax: 713-486-0410
Email: sod-dental-hygiene@uth.tmc.edu
Office of Student Affairs
School of Dentistry
713-486-4151
