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2024-2025

Dental Hygiene, Bachelor of Science

VCU

Community college:
AA&S or AS in Science/Health Science (Virginia Community College System)
Virginia Community College System
Associate degree

AA&S in Science or AS in Health Sciences or AS in Science.

Completing the associate degree will waive VCU's general education requirements.

Program description

The Dental Hygiene program, established in 1969, offers courses leading to a Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene. The program requires two years of liberal arts study, with a minimum of 60 semester hours, followed by two years of study focusing on basic and dental sciences, dental hygiene science and theory, community health, and pre-clinic and clinical experiences. The Dental Hygiene program is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association. Upon successful completion of the program, graduates are eligible for national, regional, and state board licensing examinations.

Career opportunities

Employment of dental hygienists, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, is projected to grow 19 percent from 2014 to 2024, much faster than the average for all occupations. Ongoing research linking oral health to general health will continue to spur demand for preventive dental services, which are provided by dental hygienists. Follow these links to learn more about professional opportunities for dental hygienists: occupational outlook, ADHA career center, my Dental Jobs, and ADA career center.

Bachelor-level job titles
  • Dental Hygienist
Graduate and professional level job titles
  • Dental Hygienist
Contact information

 

VCU Transfer Center

Telephone: (804) 827-1349

Email: transferinfo@vcu.edu

Transfer Advising Request

VCCS Transfer Planning Checklist


Office of Admissions

Telephone: (804) 828-1222 or (800) 841-3638

Email: ugrad@vcu.edu
Apply Here.

Guaranteed transfer admission requirements
  • No guaranteed admission. 
  • Review admission requirements for Dental Hygiene here.
Degree requirements in Bulletin
Plan of study in Bulletin
Requirements
Highest level of math required
  • MATH 151
  • STAT 210
Science required
  • 5+ additional science courses
Foreign language requirements
  • No
Additional tuition/fees
  • Yes
GPA requirements (to progress/graduate in the major)
  • A minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5+ based on a four-point scale and a minimum GPA of 2.7+ in math/science courses to declare. A minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5+ to graduate.
VCU Major Maps

View VCU Major Map for Dental Hygiene

Transfer major map
Visit majormaps.vcu.edu for the online version with links.
Sponsored by the Office of the Provost
Major map compass icon
2024-2025

Dental Hygiene, Bachelor of Science

Virginia Community College System (AA&S or AS in Science/Health Science)

MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
Explore Year 1
  • Schedule an appointment with your community college advisor to map out your associate degree course plan.
  • Enroll in the SDV student success course.
  • Review Dental Hygiene admission requirements.
  • Complete your math and english requirements in your first year.
  • Be prepared for academic challenges and utilize tutoring resources to maintain good grades.
  • Explore community college financial aid resources and submit your FAFSA on time.
  • Identify a mentor in a diversity organization.
  • Attend diversity-focused events on your community college campus and in your community (e.g., international festival).
  • Make friends with people with diverse perspectives and join a cultural or identity-related student organization.
  • Create a weekly and monthly budget.
  • Prepare for a career after college by creating a brand for yourself.
  • Develop personal and career goals and create SMART steps for 2-3 "dream jobs."
  • Practice independent living skills such as money and time management, self-care, and personal responsibility.
Experience Year 2
  • Be prepared for academic challenges. Use tutoring resources to get ahead.
  • Meet with your community college advisor to finalize plans to complete your associate degree.
  • Submit a transfer advising request to the VCU Transfer Center.
  • Research scholarship opportunities and explore your eligibility for the Two-Year College Transfer Grant.
  • Consider a back-up major at VCU if you are not admitted to Dental Hygiene.
  • Apply to VCU.
  • Visit the VCU campus and attend a transfer admission session.
  • Research housing options for next year.
  • Attend a talk or other event sponsored by the VCU Dental Hygiene program, consider joining a VCU club, or meeting with VCU students to make professional and personal connections.
  • Learn about short-term, semester and year-long study abroad options.
  • Attend VCU cultural events, including the monthly Global Café, VCU Diversity Scholars in Research week, or VCU Dental Hygiene program-related events.
  • Check out the VCU Office of Multicultural Student Affairs (OMSA) and follow @vcuomsa.
  • Find out about VCU REAL and learn about VCU's REAL graduation requirement.
  • Attend Career & Internship Fairs throughout the year.
  • Acquire career related experience (e.g., job, internship, organization involvement).
  • If your GPA is 3.5 or higher, consider applying for the VCU Honors College.
  • Explore the types of aid available at VCU.
  • Using LinkedIn, connect to at least 10 people. Check out the VCU alumni page in My Network.
  • Conduct informational interviews or shadow someone in a field of career interest.
  • Use the cost calculator to estimate your tuition/fees as an upperclassman at VCU.
  • Consider who you would like to have serve as professional and academic references for future letters of recommendation.

Explore
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
  • Schedule an appointment with your community college advisor to map out your associate degree course plan.
  • Enroll in the SDV student success course.
  • Review Dental Hygiene admission requirements.
  • Complete your math and english requirements in your first year.
  • Be prepared for academic challenges and utilize tutoring resources to maintain good grades.
  • Explore community college financial aid resources and submit your FAFSA on time.
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
  • Identify a mentor in a diversity organization.
  • Attend diversity-focused events on your community college campus and in your community (e.g., international festival).
  • Make friends with people with diverse perspectives and join a cultural or identity-related student organization.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
  • Create a weekly and monthly budget.
  • Prepare for a career after college by creating a brand for yourself.
  • Develop personal and career goals and create SMART steps for 2-3 "dream jobs."
  • Practice independent living skills such as money and time management, self-care, and personal responsibility.

Experience
MAXIMIZE COURSE AND DEGREE PLANNING
  • Be prepared for academic challenges. Use tutoring resources to get ahead.
  • Meet with your community college advisor to finalize plans to complete your associate degree.
  • Submit a transfer advising request to the VCU Transfer Center.
  • Research scholarship opportunities and explore your eligibility for the Two-Year College Transfer Grant.
  • Consider a back-up major at VCU if you are not admitted to Dental Hygiene.
GET CONNECTED WITH YOUR COMMUNITY
  • Apply to VCU.
  • Visit the VCU campus and attend a transfer admission session.
  • Research housing options for next year.
  • Attend a talk or other event sponsored by the VCU Dental Hygiene program, consider joining a VCU club, or meeting with VCU students to make professional and personal connections.
DEVELOP CULTURAL AGILITY
  • Learn about short-term, semester and year-long study abroad options.
  • Attend VCU cultural events, including the monthly Global Café, VCU Diversity Scholars in Research week, or VCU Dental Hygiene program-related events.
  • Check out the VCU Office of Multicultural Student Affairs (OMSA) and follow @vcuomsa.
EXPLORE CAREERS AND DEVELOP ESSENTIAL SKILLS
  • Find out about VCU REAL and learn about VCU's REAL graduation requirement.
  • Attend Career & Internship Fairs throughout the year.
  • Acquire career related experience (e.g., job, internship, organization involvement).
  • If your GPA is 3.5 or higher, consider applying for the VCU Honors College.
PREPARING FOR LIFE AFTER COLLEGE
  • Explore the types of aid available at VCU.
  • Using LinkedIn, connect to at least 10 people. Check out the VCU alumni page in My Network.
  • Conduct informational interviews or shadow someone in a field of career interest.
  • Use the cost calculator to estimate your tuition/fees as an upperclassman at VCU.
  • Consider who you would like to have serve as professional and academic references for future letters of recommendation.
Recommended courses
Major map compass icon
2024-2025

Dental Hygiene, Bachelor of Science

Virginia Community College System (AA&S or AS in Science/Health Science)

Virginia Community College System courses
Course Title Equivalent course Credits Requirements
SDV 100 or 101 College Success Skills UNIV 101 1 Elective
ENG 111 College Composition I Note: students with credit for AP English Language and Composition will only receive credit for UNIV 111 at VCU and should take ENG 112 to fulfill the VCU composition requirement. UNIV 111-112 3 General education (Admission prerequisite)
ENG 112 College Composition II UNIV 200 3 General education (Admission prerequisite)
MTH 245 Statistics I STAT 210 3 Major (Admission prerequisite)
BIO 101 General Biology I BIOL/Z 151 4 Major (Admission prerequisite)
BIO 141 Human Anatomy and Physiology I (both BIO 141 and BIO 142 must be taken to receive credit for the VCU equivalents) BIOL 205 + Phis/Z 206 4 Major (Admission prerequisite)
BIO 142 Human Anatomy and Physiology II (both BIO 141 and BIO 142 must be taken to receive credit for the VCU equivalents) BIOL 205 + PHIS/Z 206 4 Major (Admission prerequisite)
BIO 150 Introductory Microbiology BIOL/Z 209 4 Major (Admission prerequisite)
CHM 111 General Chemistry I CHEM/Z 101 4 Major (Admission prerequisite)
PSY 200 Principles of Psychology PSYC 101 3 Major (Admission prerequisite)
SOC 200 General Sociology SOCY 101 3 Major (Admission prerequisite)
CST 100 or CST 110 Principles of Public Speaking or Introduction to Human Communication SPCH 221 or SPCH 121 3 Major (Admission prerequisite)
Humanities/Literature Select one of the following: CST 151, HUM 201, HUM 202, HUM 210, HUM 216, HUM 220, HUM 256, HUM 259, PHI 100, PHI 111, PHI 220, REL 100, REL 230, REL 237, REL 240, ENG 225, ENG 245, ENG 246, ENG 250, ENG 255, ENG 258, ENG 275 VCU equivalent 3 General education (Admission prerequisite)
Visual or Performing Art Select one of the following: ART 100, ART 101, ART 102, CST 130, MUS 121, MUS 221, MUS 222, MUS 226. VCU equivalent 3 General education (Admission prerequisite)
Complete requirements for associate degree VCU equivalents 15 Elective
Community college credits transferred to VCU 60
VCU courses
Course Title Credits Requirements
The Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene requires two years of liberal arts study, with a minimum of 60 semester hours, followed by two years of study focusing on basic and dental sciences, dental hygiene science and theory, community health and pre-clinical and clinical experiences. Upon successful completion of the program, graduates are eligible for national, regional and state board licensing examinations. Classes enter once each year in the fall semester.
DENH 301 Dental Hygiene Theory I 5 Major
DENH 302 Dental Hygiene Theory II 2 Major
DENH 312 Community Oral Health Promotion 2 Major
DENH 327 Clinical Dental Hygiene I 4 Major
DENH 342 Nutrition 3 Major
DENH 347 Clinical Dental Hygiene Summer Clinic 2 Major
DENH 401 Dental Hygiene Theory III 2 Major
DENH 402 Dental Hygiene Theory IV 2 Major
DENH 407 Evidence-Based Dental Hygiene Practice 2 Major
DENH 411 Introduction to Public Health 2 Major
DENH 412 Community Dental Health 2 Major
DENH 422 Current Issues, the Law and Ethics 2 Major
DENH 437 Clinical Dental Hygiene II 5 Major
DENH 447 Clinical Dental Hygiene III 5 Major
DENH 457 Clinical Service-learning 2 Major
DHBS 301 Head and Neck Anatomy for Dental Hygienists 3 Major
DHBS 302 Microscopic Anatomy 2 Major
DHBS 341 Pharmacology and Pain Control for Dental Hygiene 4 Major
DHBS 365 Infection and Immunity 2 Major
GENP 302 Dental Materials 2 Major
GENP 311 Oral Anatomy and Occlusion 3 Major
IPEC 501 Foundations of Interprofessional Practice 1 Major
ORPT 301 Dental Radiology 1 Major
ORPT 324 Oral Pathology 3 Major
ORSG 431 Management of the Medically Compromised Dental Patient and Medical Emergencies in the Dental Office 2 Major
PERI 326 Periodontics I 1 Major
PERI 329 Periodontics II 2 Major
REAL The REAL requirement may be satisfied by successfully completing a 300-level (or higher) course that has received a REAL attribute of Level 2, 3 or 4 or through an approved “REAL” co-curricular experience that has received a REAL attribute of Level 3 or 4. See VCU advisor for options. 0 Major
Credits completed at VCU 68
Minimum credits required for bachelor's degree 128