If you’re a licensed dental hygienist looking for career advancement opportunities, the Indiana University School of Dentistry’s Bachelor of Science in Public Health Dental Hygiene program is for you. This degree completion program will prepare you for leadership roles in education, public health, industry, professional associations, and health advocacy. The program is designed for part-time students who want to continue to work while pursuing the degree.
Learn what it’s like to be a student hereAdvance your career in dental hygiene
Contact us
Division of Allied Health1121 W. Michigan Street
Indianapolis, IN 46202
- Phone: 317-274-7801
- Email: dnthyg@iu.edu
Degree requirements
Curriculum
As a student in the B.S. in Public Health Dental Hygiene program, you must complete 120 credit hours to complete the degree, including a core curriculum consisting of five required courses (20 credit hours):
- Statistics at the 300 course level (3 credit hours)
- DHYG-H 402 Practicum in Dental Hygiene Education or DNYG-H 404 Practicum in Community Health (4 credit hours)
- DHYG-H 403 Advanced Community Dental Hygiene (4 credit hours)
- DHYG-H 405 Introduction to Health Care Research (3 credit hours)
- DHYG-H 406 Educational Methodology in Health Science Education (3 credit hours)
- DHYG-H 407 Utilization of Instructional Techniques in Health Science Education (3 credit hours)
If you completed any upper-level college courses prior to finishing your associate degree in dental hygiene, you may be able to count those toward your electives, as determined by the program director.
If you enter the program with fewer than 90 credit hours of coursework, you may need to take additional electives to reach the minimum number of credit hours required to earn the degree. Students must meet the state general education requirements to complete their bachelor’s degree.
View the B.S. in Public Health Dental Hygiene degree mapCompetencies
When you graduate from the B.S. in Public Health Dental Hygiene program, you will have the education and skills to:
- Perform dental hygiene services in a variety of settings, including private dental practices, public health clinics, school systems, institutions, and hospitals.
- Design, implement, and evaluate effective preventive dental health programs for individuals and for groups in such settings as schools, hospitals, institutions, and community programs.
- Serve as a resource person and work in cooperation with other health personnel in assessing health care needs and providing health care services to the public.
- Plan, implement, and evaluate effective teaching methodologies in an educational setting.
- Supervise the teaching of dental hygiene services in a clinical/public health setting.
- Prepare for admission to graduate programs.
- Continue your professional education and personal growth.
Admission requirements
The admission requirements for the B.S. in Public Health Dental Hygiene program include:
- Completion of at least 90 credit hours that were earned at an IU campus or that are transferable to IUPUI from another college or university.
- Graduation from an accredited dental hygiene program.
- Satisfactory completion of the National Board Dental Hygiene exam.
- Current licensure as a dental hygienist. (Indiana licensure is required for completion of the practicum at the end of the program.)
How to apply
To apply to the B.S. in Public Health Dental Hygiene program, complete our online application. All application materials should be submitted no later than six weeks prior to the semester in which you wish to be admitted.
If you have questions about the application process, contact the Division of Allied Programs at 317-274-7801 or dnthyg@iu.edu.
Apply nowCosts
Tuition and fee costs vary depending on residency (in state or out of state) and number of credit hours taken each semester. You can use IUPUI’s tuition and fee estimator as a starting point for figuring out what your costs will be.
However, keep in mind that there are additional program and clinical fees for public health dental hygiene students that may not be included in the estimate. You can search IUPUI’s master fee list to find out what fees you’ll have to pay as a public health dental hygiene student.
Learn more about costs and financial aid