Dental Hygiene (B.S.)

Program: B.S. in Dental Hygiene
Department of Dental Education
College of Health and Human Services

Neff Hall 150 ~ 260-481-6837 ~ ipfw.edu/dental

The student learning outcomes for the degree are as follows:

• Demonstrate knowledge, skills, and values necessary for positions of responsibility in a variety of health care, educational, clinical, business, research, and community settings.
• Demonstrate knowledge and skills necessary to become responsible dental professionals and leaders in local, regional, national and international organizations and communities.
• Evaluate current dental literature and apply that knowledge to make sound, evidence-based decisions and continue life-long learning.
• Demonstrate highest levels of personal integrity and professional ethics in the delivery of dental hygiene services in diverse practice settings.
• Promote the dental hygiene profession through service learning activities, affiliations with professional organizations, and collaborative partnerships within the community.
• Demonstrate proficiency in critical thinking, reasoning, questioning, and decision-making skills.
• Develop oral, written, and multimedia skills necessary to communicate effectively with diverse populations in a variety of professional and educational settings.
   

Career Steps

The BSDH will be offered as a completion degree for dental hygienists who have completed their dental hygiene education at associate degree programs. As a result of a more broad-based education, graduates will be better prepared to assume leadership roles in both clinical and non-clinical settings. As the dental hygiene profession continues to develop opportunities for expanded roles in diverse practice settings, the need for graduates with educational backgrounds in cultural diversity, trans-cultural health care, critical thinking, evidence-based practice and community health policy development will continue to increase. The baccalaureate degree (B.S.) graduate is prepared at the professional level to function in a leadership role with other team members in varied and complex healthcare settings.

Program Requirements

Candidates for the BSDH degree must have completed the Associate Degree in Dental Hygiene program and maintained a 2.0 program GPA (see Dental Hygiene, AS for the required curriculum for the ASDH degree). In addition to the ASDH requirements, the BSDH students must then complete the remainder of the required general education classes and 9 additional credit hours of core curriculum courses. The student must select one of the core curriculum programs, either: 1) Dental Hygiene Education or 2) Leadership and Sales, and follow the appropriate 9 credit hour curriculum for that core. Please see the list of classes below for the BSDH curriculum and core course selections.