The Best Colleges for Dental Hygiene

One of the booming medical and health professions is dental hygiene. With the high demand for proper dental care and job opportunities for dental hygienists, more students are now interested in pursuing this career. The median hourly wage for dental hygienists is $32, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and graduates with bachelor's or master's degrees will easily land positions.
  1. MCG

    • The Medical College of Georgia (MCG) has offered an accredited dental hygiene program since 1967. It requires two years of required courses at any accredited college or university, with the last two at the Medical College of Georgia. All students begin the MCG program in the fall semester of their junior year. Coursework includes classroom, laboratory and clinical education. Prior to admission, students must certify in Basic Life Support for Healthcare Providers and First Aid. Students must also demonstrate computer literacy and maintain a minimum overall GPA of 2.3. The college provides student aid through grants, scholarships, loans and a service commitment program and/or employment.

      Medical College of Georgia
      170 Kelly Building--Administration Medical College of Georgia
      Augusta, GA 30912
      706-721-2725
      mcg.edu

    UNMC

    • The University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC), the only public academic health science center in Nebraska, is nationally and internationally known for its medical degree offerings. One of the most-pursued degrees is dental hygiene. The Commission on Dental Accreditation fully approves their dental hygiene curriculum, which lasts four years. The first two years cover prerequisites, though students may complete them at any accredited college. After admission into the dental hygiene program, students spend the two succeeding academic years, and one summer, in the College of Dentistry at UNMC. The university accepts 20 students each year for the program, carefully assessing each applicant. In addition to the prerequisite, the admissions office also checks several required high school subjects and requires a minimum total grade point average of 2.5. All students receive financial aid information; however, the awarding of any grant, scholarship or loan depends upon meeting all qualification requirements.

      University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Dentistry
      40th and Holdrege Streets
      Lincoln, NE 68583-0740
      402-472-1433
      unmc.edu

    University of Pittsburgh

    • The University of Pittsburgh offers the only dental hygiene program affiliated with a major university, a dental school and major medical center. It is a comprehensive two-year, full-time (six consecutive terms) certificate course providing hands-on experience in specialty clinics within the School of Dental Medicine and clinical rotations at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Admission requires a high school diploma, a combined score of 1100 or greater on the SAT I, a high school GPA of 2.7 or above, completion of an essay, academic references and a few high school courses. Students completing the certificate course can also pursue a 120-credit Bachelor of Science degree that builds on the professional training and offers knowledge on liberal arts, providing dental hygienists opportunities in other fields, including business, education, sales and research. Students can arrange classes around their work schedules. The University of Pittsburgh grants scholarships and student loans.

      University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine
      3501 Terrace Street,
      Pittsburgh, PA 15261
      412-648-1027
      www.dental.pitt.edu

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