The University of Michigan School of Dentistry in Ann Arbor is a public institution with more than 600 students, approximately 100 of whom are enrolled in the dental hygiene program. The school features small class sizes, typically limiting course enrollment to 30 students. To gain admission, students must complete one year of general education classes in English, speech, psychology, sociology and chemistry from the University of Michigan or another junior or traditional college.
Once admitted, students spend three years in the program, completing one clinical rotation at the school's dental facility per term. The program covers community dental health, radiography, periodontics, microbiology, nutrition, pharmacology, pain management, gerontology, dental implants and dental practice management. The university also offers a bachelor's degree for licensed hygienists who have only an associate degree in the field.
University of Michigan School of Dentistry
1011 North University Ave.
Ann Arbor, MI 48109
734-763-3392
dent.umich.edu
The Roman Catholic Jesuit Order and the Sisters of Mercy founded the University of Detroit Mercy in 1877 seven miles northwest of downtown Detroit. The university's School of Dentistry opened in 1932 and confers a Bachelor of Science in dental hygiene degree. Students first enroll as pre-dental hygiene students and spend two years completing classes in subjects including microbiology, anatomy, inorganic and organic chemistry, speech, writing, arts and humanities, sociology and psychology.
Applications for the professional program are usually submitted during sophomore year. In some cases students aren't accepted the first time and try again during subsequent years.
The professional phase of the program lasts two years and consists of full-time, year-round study. Clinical rotations in periodontics, restorative dentistry, orthodontic, endodontics and oral surgery are required. In addition to hands-on practice with patients, students gain experience working with a software simulations.
University of Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry
2700 Martin Luther King Junior Blvd.
Detroit, MI 48208
313-494-6693
udmercy.edu/dental
Founded in 1884, Ferris State University is a public two-year institution with more than 12,000 undergraduate students at its campus in Big Rapids, approximately 55 miles north of Grand Rapids. The dental hygiene program at the school culminates in an Associate of Applied Science degree and requires six semesters to complete.
Ferris State does not have any admissions requirements for the program beyond a high school diploma. Required courses include medical terminology, microbiology, anatomy, chemistry, communications, decision making, radiography, pathology, periodontics, pain management and community dentistry. Students must complete five clinical rotations at the college's on-site facility.
College of Allied Health Sciences
Ferris State University
200 Ferris Drive
Big Rapids, MI 49307
231-591-2224
ferris.edu