Dental Hygiene Admission
Process for Students
2012
Dental Hygiene Admissions Process updated August 2011,
by DH Admissions Chair Amy Sullivan, RDH, PhD
Admissions Committee:
Beckie Barry, Department Chair
bbarry@umc.edu
Amy Sullivan, Admissions Chair
asullivan@umc.edu
Sandra Horne
Elizabeth Carr
Angie Garner
Annie McCline
Faye Johnson
Teresa Duncan
Dental Hygiene Admissions Process
Interview Committee:
• Hygienists, RDH
• Other
– Amy Sullivan, Admissions Chair
– Beckie Barry, Department Chair
–
–
–
–
–
Sandra Horne
Elizabeth Carr
Teresa Duncan
Angie Garner
Annie McCline
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
–
Kim Williams
Debbie Franklin
Sharon Andrews
Melissa Bryant
Cheryl Smith
Kit Stilley
Beth Moore
Rebecca Pierce
Phillip Williams
– Faye Johnson
Dental Hygiene Admissions Process
Application Requirements:
Preference is given in admission to our program to qualified applicants who are legal residents
of MS. MS law requires all healthcare workers/students have a criminal background check
(includes fingerprinting). Any applicants whose native language is not English are required to
take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). The department maintains
compliance with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Bloodborne
Pathogens Standards, Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and UMMC infection control
policies, since our students have to potential to be exposed to blood, blood products, tissues,
and body fluids.
1. Application into our program must be submitted online by February 15th
of the year applying.
2. Sixteen of the prerequisite science hours must be completed at the time
of application.
3. Twenty-four of the other required hours must also be completed at the
time of application
–
–
It is strongly recommended that applicants have a majority of their academic
requirements before the February 15 deadline (will affect scoring on required courses
component).
online science courses are not preferred
Dental Hygiene Admissions Process
Applicant Requirements:
• Complete a minimum of 57 semester hours of academic
credit from an accredited institution of higher learning.
Transcripts must be submitted to registrar's office
– See required courses (next page)
• Have completed a minimum of 8 hours of observation by
2 licensed dental hygienists in 2 separate clinical
environments.
• Have a minimum of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale
• Complete an interview with admissions committee
• Complete a “hands-on” dexterity test with committee
• Submit a copy of ACT score
Dental Hygiene Admissions Process
Required Courses:
REQUIRED COURSES
Number of Courses
English Composition
2
Humanities
2
Anatomy & Physiology w/Lab*
2
Chemistry w/Lab**
2
Microbiology w/Lab
1
General Biology or Zoology w/Lab
1
College Algebra
1
Fine Arts
1
Speech
1
General Psychology
1
Intro to Sociology
1
Nutrition
1
Abnormal, Child, Adolescent, Education, or
1
Developmental Psychology
Hours
6
6
8
8
4
4
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
__
57
For Questions concerning substitution of classes, please contact Christi Hardy in the Registrar’s office: 601-815-9310
* One course in anatomy plus one course in physiology or anatomy and physiology combined for two courses.
** Chemistry I and II
OR Chemistry I and a second course in Organic/Biochemistry
•Dental Hygiene Admissions Process
Evaluation Criteria:
*Overall Required GPA
*ACT
*Interview
*Completion of Required Courses
(status of completed courses, withdrawals, repeats, advanced
degrees, and dental experience are considered here)
*Hands-on
(tests dexterity, hand-eye coordination, precision
and steadiness, visual-motor coordination, ability to follow directions)
Dental Hygiene Admissions Process
The Interview:
• Students who meet the minimal requirements
and have a complete application form will be
interviewed. Interviews are typically held the first
Friday in March.
• Interviewers are asked to recuse themselves
from interviewing any family members and/or
applicants with whom they are familiar.
Dental Hygiene Admissions Process
Interview Schedule:
• Applicants are scheduled approximately:
– 15-20 minutes for interview (2 from interview committee)
– 30 minutes for “hands-on” testing
Dental Hygiene Admissions Process
Applicant Selection:
• Scores for each applicant are placed into a
computer ranking formula. A relative total score
in which each sub-component of the score is
valued based on the item’s upper limit, the
percentage allocated, and the applicant’s score
for that item is utilized to rank applicants. The
committee admits the top students
(approximately 25) based on the rankings.
• An additional five students are selected as
alternates into the program based upon these
same rankings.
Dental Hygiene Admissions Process
Applicant Notification &
Registration:
• All students are notified of their status as
accepted contingent upon course completions,
alternate, or rejected by the Office of Student
Records and the Registrar.
Dental Hygiene Admissions Process
Reasons to Attend UMC
for Dental Hygiene:
• Bachelor of Science degree awarded
(the only DH program in the state of MS that offers a BS)
• State-of-the-art facilities
(including rotation sites)
• Hands-on clinical training
• Student support
• High quality education
Dental Hygiene Admissions Process
Dental Hygiene Curriculum:
JUNIOR YEAR:
SENIOR YEAR:
Fall Semester
Fall Semester
DH305
Dental Hygiene Instrumentation
3
DH405
Patient Care II
3
DH306
Medical Terminology
3
DH412
Pharmacology
3
DH309
Dental Anatomy
2
DH416
Oral Pathology
2
DH313
Radiology I
2
DH418
Dental Hygiene Principles and Practice III
2
DH315
Oral Histology and Embryology
2
DH431
Periodontics II
2
DH321
Head and Neck Anatomy
2
DH435
Community Dental Health I
1
DH332
Scientific Foundations
3
DH438
Oral Health Research I
1
17
Total Semester Hours
Total Semester Hours
14
Spring Semester
Spring Semester
DH312
Primary Preventive Oral Health
3
DH429
Practice Management
3
DH316
Pathophysiology
3
DH432
Dental Hygiene Principles and Practice IV
2
DH317
Medical Emergencies Related to the Dentist Office
2
DH433
Patient Care III
4
DH318
Dental Hygiene Principles and Practice I
3
DH437
Community Dental Health II
2
DH328
Radiology II
2
DH439
Oral Health Research II
1
DH331
Periodontics I
2
Total Semester Hours
Total Semester Hours
15
Summer Semester
DH301
Introduction to Research
2
DH326
Dental Hygiene Principles and Practice II
2
DH327
Patient Care I
2
DH337
Anxiety and Pain Management
1
DH336
Biomaterials in Dentistry
2
Total Semester Hours
9
Dental Hygiene Admissions Process
12
Dental Hygiene Curriculum:
• Please understand, this is a “lock-step” program.
What this means is that all accepted applicants
will take the courses provided for them in a
specified, sequential order (between 12-19
hours per semester). If a student does not
successfully complete what is required per
semester (fails 1 course, doesn’t maintain a 2.5 GPA,
fails to maintain professional standards, or fails to meet
any requirement), the student may be dismissed
from the program.
Dental Hygiene Admissions Process
Summary for Applicant:
• Please see website:
http://shrp.umc.edu/DH/index.html
• February 15- application deadline
– Begin FASFA/ financial aid application anytime after
January; completed FASFA application due March 1
• March
(typically 1st Friday in March)-
interviews and scoring
• April- students are notified that they are
accepted, alternate, or rejected
• August- registration and fall classes
Dental Hygiene Admissions Process