Dental Hygiene BS Curriculum

Dental Hygiene Specialization Tracks & Courses

Advance your career with one of four specialized tracks, each designed to prepare you for leadership, education, public health, or informatics roles in dental hygiene.

Track 1: Allied Health Education

Prepare for a career as a dental hygiene educator in classroom or clinical settings. Courses combine theory, instructional design, and hands-on teaching experience.

DENHYG 1901 – Allied Health Education (3 credits, Fall)
Learn instructional design basics through classroom and clinical observation, followed by self-reflection.

DENHYG 1902 – Allied Health Education Practicum (3 credits, Spring)
Apply your skills in real-world teaching experiences, advancing your abilities in both classroom and clinical instruction.

Track 2: Health Management

Gain practical management skills to lead dental teams in clinical, educational, or corporate settings. Topics include leadership, conflict resolution, interviewing, project management, and employee assessment.

DENHYG 1921 – Health Management Seminar (3 credits, Fall)
Explore leadership roles in health care and develop management strategies through projects and coursework.

DENHYG 1922 – Health Management Practicum (3 credits, Spring)
Apply seminar knowledge in supervised, real-world management experiences.

Track 3: Community Engagement, Outreach & Leadership

Prepare for public health and community-based roles. Learn program development, implementation, and assessment while working with diverse populations.

DENHYG 1931 – Foundations in Community Oral Health Engagement (3 credits, Fall)
Develop a community oral health program using ADPIED principles, including needs assessment and deliverables.

DENHYG 1932 – Nutrition in Community Health (3 credits, Fall & Spring)
Examine nutrition’s role in health and wellness, including evaluation, messaging, and social determinants.

PEDENT 5801 – Community Outreach Experiences with Vulnerable Populations (3 credits, Spring)
Gain hands-on experience teaching oral health to underserved populations.

Track 4: Interprofessional Health Informatics

Learn to manage and analyze health data to improve communication, research, patient care, and education in interprofessional settings.

DENHYG 1941 – Introduction to Interprofessional Health Informatics (3 credits, Fall)
Overview of health IT, electronic records, telehealth, clinical decision support, and system management.

DENHYG 1942 – Health Informatics Practicum (3 credits, Spring)
Apply informatics knowledge in supervised projects or work experiences.