Dental Hygiene (B.S.)

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61 Major Hours, 120 Degree Hours

Admission Requirements:

Application for admission to the USD Dental Hygiene professional program is required. Applications are scored based on GPA, ACT composite score, recommendations, and an interview; up to 32 students are selected annually. Application materials are due by February 15 prior to the fall semester of the year for which a student is applying.

Application materials may be found on the Department website at www.usd.edu/dh. They include an application form, Technical Standards form, 3 recommendations, ACT composite score, dental office observation/experience, and transcripts.

Pre-admission Requirements

Prerequisite courses must be completed prior to admission into the professional curriculum. These courses may be taken at other institutions; however, it is important to obtain approval from the Department Chairperson prior to taking these courses off campus in order to ensure their transferability. Students should apply for selection into the program by February 15 prior to the fall semester of the year they desire entry. Students must consult department advisors for assistance with their schedules. An asterisk (*) denotes courses that will be used in scoring application.

CHEM 106 - Chemistry Survey (C) [SGR #6] [online] *
CHEM 106L - Chemistry Survey Laboratory (C) [SGR #6] [online] *
CHEM 107 - Organic and Biochemistry Survey (C) [SGR #6] [online] *
CHEM 107L - Organic and Biochemistry Survey Laboratory (C) [SGR#6] [online] *
ENGL 101 - Composition I (C) [SGR #1 and SGR #7] [online] *
ENGL 210 - Introduction to Literature (C) [SGR #4, IGR #1] [online] *
MATH 102 - College Algebra (C) [SGR #5] [online] *
Or
MATH 103 - Quantitative Literacy (C) [SGR #5] [online] *
Or
MATH 104 - Finite Mathematics (C) [SGR #5] [online] *
MICR 230 - Basic Microbiology [online] *
MICR 232 - Basic Microbiology Lab [online] *
PHGY 220 - Human Anatomy and Integrated Physiology I [SGR #6] [online, blended/hybrid] *
PHGY 220L - Human Anatomy and Integrated Physiology Laboratory I [SGR #6] [online, blended/hybrid] *
PHGY 230 - Human Anatomy and Integrated Physiology II [SGR #6] [online, blended/hybrid] *
PHGY 230L - Human Anatomy and Integrated Physiology II Laboratory [SGR #6] *
PSYC 101 - General Psychology (C) [SGR #3] [online] *
SOC 100 - Introduction to Sociology (C) [SGR #3] [online] *
SPCM 101 - Fundamentals of Speech (C) [SGR #2, SGR #7] [online] *
Advanced Composition 3cr
Aesthetic Experience 3cr
Humanities-Fine Arts 3cr
Mathematics 3cr – any math course beyond MATH 102, any STAT course, BADM 220-Business Statistics, CSC 105-Intro to Computers, PSYC 371-Statistics in Psychological Research, SOC 309-Statistics Research Methods, TET 200-Basic Skills in Technology
Professional Interest Electives – 6 credits required; Suggested disciplines from which to choose classes: Addiction Studies, Business Administration, Communication Disorders, Educational Psychology, Foreign Language, Health, Health Sciences, Health Services Administration, Psychology, Sociology, Speech Communication(Required globalization course can be taken in this area thus fulfilling an additional 3 hours of Professional Interest Electives for a total of 9 hours if not already fulfilled in the pre-admissions core)

Departmental Requirements (61 hours)

The South Dakota Board of Regents Proficiency Examination

All students seeking undergraduate degrees must achieve satisfactory performance on The South Dakota Board of Regents Proficiency Examination, the Collegiate Assessment of Academic Proficiency (CAAP) or have shown previous proficiency through one of the following ways: ACT composite score of 24 or higher; SAT Verbal/Math score of 1090 or higher; ACT subscore equivalencies (English: 18, Math: 22, Reading: 22, Science: 23); or have already earned a Bachelor’s degree or Associate of Arts or Associate of Science degree from an accredited institution within the United States. Students pursuing a bachelor’s degree are required to take the exam as soon as they have passed 48 credit hours at or above the 100-level. This includes credits which are transferred in as well as those taken on campus. The examination is scheduled once each semester, during the first two weeks in November and the last two weeks of March. The CAAP Exam consists of four test components: writing skills, mathematics, reading, and science reasoning. The purpose of the examination is to ensure the standards and quality of the education that students receive and to provide the University with information for improving the general educational curriculum. The examination also provides students with information that allows them to compare their performance to that of other students across the United States. Passing this set of exams in necessary to graduate and complete a degree program.

For additional information see Testing Requirements .