Bachelors Degree in Dental Hygiene

Academic Requirements

• If a student receives a grade of less than C in a science course, nutrition, or statistics, the student must repeat the course to raise the grade to a C or better. These prerequisite courses must be passed with a C or better before before beginning junior level dental hygiene courses.

• If a student earns less than a C in any required dental hygiene course, the student will be ineligible to continue in the program regardless of the overall GPA and DHGPA. Dental hygiene courses may not be repeated.

• A student who has been admitted to the junior year of the dental hygiene program must progress through the program in consecutive semesters. If a student does not register for the current semester of dental hygiene course work once enrolled in the program, the student will be ineligible to continue in the program and must reapply to enter a new class.  An appeal process is available through a committee made up of dental hygiene faculty and the Vice President for Student Life.

• The dental hygiene student should understand that due to heavy laboratory and clinic schedules, four to five full days of classes per week are required. One credit hour equals one lecture, two to three laboratory, or three to five clinic hours per week.

Immunization and CPR Requirements

The TWU Immunization Record must be completed and on file with the TWU Immunization Office by the first day of classes, fall semester, junior year. The immunization records must be in compliance with the TWU Immunization Office throughout enrollment in the Dental Hygiene Program. Evidence of current CPR/AED certification must be competed and on file by the first day of classes, fall semester in the junior year, and again by the first day of classes, fall semester in the senior year. Results of a background check and drug screening must be submitted as needed by clinical rotation sites. 

Professional Entry-Level Dental Hygiene Curriculum
Junior Year
First Semester   DH 3403 Preclinical Dental Hygiene I DH 3413 Clinical DH Theory & Prac DH 3423 Orofacial Biology DH 3431 Applied Oral Radiology DH 3433 Oral Radiology DH 4161 Ethics for DH 14 hours	Second Semester  DH 3112 Perio I DH 3222 Risk Assessment & Prev Dentistry DH 3504 Clinical DH II DH 3513 DH Process of Care DH 3553 Community Oral Health 14 hours
Summer
DH 4142 Pharmacology for DH DH 4443 DH Care for Special Needs DH 4471 DH Clinical Cases 6 hours
Senior Year
First Semester   DH 4102 DH Research DH 4404 Clinical DH III DH 4412 Advanced Clinical DH DH 4423 Gen & Oral Pathology DH 4431 Comm Oral Health Practicum DH 4451 Dental Materials DH 4461 Applied Dental Materials 14 hours	Second Semester DH 4204 Clinical DH IV DH 4512 Senior Clinical Seminar DH 4521 Applied DH Diagnosis & Adv Rad DH 4312 DH Professional Practium DH 4541 Current Issues in DH DH 4552 Perio II & Adv Cases 12 hours

**It is required that prerequisite science courses be completed within five (5) years of application deadline.

**Global  requirements can be met with courses in these areas*.  6 hours are required for graduation.

**120 hours are required to complete a degree in Dental Hygiene: 60 DH hours, 18 additional hours required by the DH department, and 42 hours required to meet the core curriculum requirements of the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and Texas Woman's University. 

+Meets Core: The bachelor's degree provides opportunity to acquire a breadth and depth of learning in a particular subject. A core curriculum provides the foundation for learning and living and is designed:

• promote students' mastery of basic intellectual competencies-reading, writing, speaking, listening, and critical thinking;
• establish multiple perspectives on the individual and the world in which she or he lives;
• enable students to understand the responsibilities of living in a multicultural world;
• familiarize students with contributions by and about women in various disciplines and acquaint students with major texts, trends, and issues in women's studies;
• provide the combination of skills, liberal studies, and insights into contemporary issues needed by students who aspire to positions of leadership