Prerequisites for Dental Hygiene Certificate Program
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| English Composition I | 3 | |
| Fundamentals of Speech | 3 | |
| General Psychology | 3 | |
| Sociology | 3 | |
| Human Anatomy and Physiology I 1 | 4 | |
| Human Anatomy and Physiology II 1 | 4 | |
| Chemistry 1 | 4 | |
| Microbiology 1 | 4 | |
| Nutrition | 3 | |
| Computer Science (with lab) 2 | 3 | |
| Electives 3 | ||
| Total Hours | 34 | |
- 1
Laboratory time required
- 2
Workforce courses POFI and ITSC will not be accepted for Computer Science.
- 3
Recommended electives include foreign language, research design, and statistics. No PE or remedial courses accepted.
Dental Hygiene Post-Degree Certificate Program
Dental Hygiene applicants will be considered for admission upon satisfactory completion of the following requirements:
- Applications for the on-campus BSDH and Post-Degree Certificate programs will be available online starting April 1 and ending August 31 of the year prior to the year of entry.
- Properly completed application along with required fees and documentation
- Must have graduated from an accredited high school or equivalent
- A grade of at least C must be earned in each of the required courses while maintaining a minimum cumulative grade point average of at least 2.5 (see Guide for Transfer Student)
- Must have a minimum of 20 hours of shadowing experience
- Must have previously completed an associate or bachelor’s degree prior to enrolling in the program.
- Casper Test by Altus
- Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) examination if high school attended was not in the U.S.
- 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.
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 the NC-SARA website.
Residents of the State of Texas, applicants to the Bachelor of Science Degree program, and applicants with course-work in the last five years are given preference in the selection process. Personal interviews are required and scheduled based upon committee evaluation.
Students applying to the Dental Hygiene Program are required to take the Casper test as part of a holistic application process. The Casper test is an online, open-response situational judgement test. The test helps identify behavioral tendencies of applicants who will be working in a profession focused on serving people.
Relative competitiveness of the applicant pool is determined by the above requirements. Additional factors considered include:
- nature of academic program
- demonstrated strength in science prerequisites
- demonstrated leadership
- community service activities
- evidence of public/humanitarian service
- extracurricular activities
- communication skills
- employment history
- awards/honors
- healthcare experience
- bachelor’s degree or higher
- overcoming adversity
Curriculum
Credit Hours: For each semester credit hour awarded a didactic course, there is one classroom hour per week. For each semester credit hour awarded for a laboratory or clinic course, there are normally three to four laboratory hours per week.
Note: Course descriptions are intended to represent skills and knowledge that should accompany successful completion of the course and should not be construed as a guarantee or warranty by UTHealth Houston of the required level of achievement by every student.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| First Semester | Hours | |
| DHCT 2101 | Pre-Clinical Technique | 5 |
| DHCT 2103 | Oral Disease Prevention I | 3 |
| DHCT 2105 | Dental Radiology I | 2 |
| DHCT 2107 | Head and Neck Anatomy | 2 |
| DHCT 2108 | Oral Histology and Embryology | 2 |
| DHCT 2109 | Dental Anatomy | 3 |
| DHCT 3309 | Periodontology II | 2 |
| Hours | 19 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| DHCT 2201 | Clinical Practice I | 3 |
| DHCT 2202 | Clinical Seminar I | 3 |
| DHCT 2205 | Dental Radiology II | 1 |
| DHCT 2206 | General Oral Pathology | 3 |
| DHCT 2209 | Dental Emergencies | 2 |
| DHCT 2210 | Oral Disease Prevention II | 1 |
| DHCT 2211 | Periodontology | 3 |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Third Semester | ||
| DHCT 2300 | Clinical Seminar II | 1 |
| DHCT 2301 | Clinical Practice II | 3 |
| DHCT 2306 | Dental Materials | 3 |
| Hours | 7 | |
| Second Year | ||
| First Semester | ||
| DHCT 3301 | Clinical Practice III | 4 |
| DHCT 3302 | Clinical Seminar III | 2 |
| DHCT 3303 | Community Dental Health | 3 |
| DHCT 3308 | Pharmacology | 2 |
| DHCT 3310 | Applied Nutrition | 1 |
| DHCT 3311 | Special Needs Patients | 2 |
| Hours | 14 | |
| Second Semester | ||
| DHCT 3401 | Clinical Practice IV | 4 |
| DHCT 3402 | Clinical Seminar IV | 2 |
| DHCT 3403 | Community Dental Health Practice | 2 |
| DHCT 3406 | Applied Oral Pathology | 1 |
| DHCT 3407 | Current Applications in Dental Hygiene | 1 |
| DHCT 3408 | Practice Management | 2 |
| Hours | 12 | |
| Total Hours | 68 | |
Graduation Requirements
In order to be eligible for graduation, a student must complete the following requirements:
- The candidate must, in the opinion of the faculty, have satisfactorily completed the prescribed curriculum of the respective UTSD Dental Hygiene Program;
- The candidate must have grade point average of C (2.0);
- The candidate must have 128 sch to obtain a Bachelor of Science Degree in Dental Hygiene or 100 sch to obtain a Certificate;
- The candidate must have discharged all of the financial obligations to UTSD and/or UTHealth Houston; and
- The candidate must have a sustained record of satisfactory professional and ethical behavior.