Dental Hygiene

As a dental hygiene major, you'll learn the fundamental and technical skills needed to pursue your career in the health professions field.

Through classroom, clinic and community outreach settings, you will gain the experience that will not only lead you into various clinical professions but also provide you with the skills and knowledge for the interdisciplinary future of dental hygiene.

The Department of Dental Hygiene offers the following degrees:

An Associate of Science in Dental Hygiene
An Associate of Science to Bachelor of Science program route for students actively enrolled in the AS program seeking a BS degree
A Bachelor of Science program for students who have an AS in Dental Hygiene either from Weber State University or another accredited university

Admissions Process

Thoroughly review the following resources before scheduling an advising appointment.

Applicant Checklist

Our applicant checklist reviews each necessary step to be a successful candidate for the dental hygiene program. Always refer first to your program checklist when choosing general education courses.

Many of your program prerequisites also count as general education requirements. Review the checklist closely and come to your advising appointment prepared with questions.

Dental Hygiene Applicant Checklist

Dental Hygiene Advising Video

Apply

Ready to apply? Visit the Department of Dental Hygiene website to apply to our programs.

Helpful Information

Taking more than two science courses, including math, in a semester may be overwhelming. Balance your course load with other general education requirements.
Medical Terminology (HTHS 1101) is highly recommended before your first course in anatomy and physiology.
The Dental Hygiene program is highly competitive with an average science support course GPA of 3.6 for students entering the program (see science option one or two from the applicant checklist). Shoot for a B+ and above in these courses. A couple of B's may be okay, but A's are best.

Don’t forget math and English general education requirements, which can be found on our Math and English Requirements website as well as the WSU Placement website.

Health Sciences or Zoology Anatomy & Physiology

The following video spells out the differences between the Health Sciences Integrated Human Anatomy & Physiology (HTHS) class series, or the Zoology Human Anatomy & Physiology (ZOOL) class series.

Students need to complete either the HTHS or ZOOL series for entrance into most College of Health Professions programs.

Possible Academic Plan

The following outlines a possible academic schedule for a student’s first two semesters at Weber State while pursuing dental hygiene.

Work with a College of Health Professions advisor to determine the best schedule that works for you.

First Semester
- Math (find placement in CatTracks)
- English (find placement in CatTracks)
- HTHS 1101 Medical Terminology (2 credits)
- LIBS 1704 Information Navigator (1) or LIBS 2904 Information Resources in the Health Professions (1)
- And one of the following:
  - NUTR 1020 Science and Application of Human Nutrition (3)
  - PSY 1010 Introductory Psychology (3)
  - COMM 1020 Principles of Public Speaking (3) or COMM 2110 Interpersonal and Small Group Communication (3)
  - SOC 1010 Introduction to Sociology (3) or SOC 1020 Contemporary Social Issues (3)
Second Semester
- Math (next class on path to QL)
- English (next class on path to ENGL 2010)
- HTHS 1110 LS Integrated Anatomy & Physiology I (4) or ZOOL 2320 Human Anatomy (4)
- One of the following:
  - NUTR 1020 Science and Application of Human Nutrition (3)
  - PSY 1010 Introductory Psychology (3)
  - COMM 1020 Principles of Public Speaking (3) or COMM 2110 Interpersonal and Small Group Communication (3)
  - SOC 1010 Introduction to Sociology (3) or SOC 1020 Contemporary Social Issues (3)

If your math and English requirements are complete, replace those classes with other general education requirements found in your CatTracks.