University Of Mississippi Dental Hygiene Program

What to Look for in a College as a Dental Hygiene Major. The program is accredited by the American Dental Association. The ADA is the largest dental association in the country. The Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) operates under it and is the accrediting body for dental education programs of all types, including dental hygiene. The Bachelor of Science in dental hygiene is a two-phase program, which prepares graduates for a professional credentialing examination. The first phase consists of 60 semester hours in Allied Health.


Bachelor of Arts in Allied Health Studies

The Allied Health Studies degree allows you the flexibility to obtain pre-requisites for the vast number of allied health professions programs in the country, while also working toward a four year degree. Allied health professions include nursing, dental hygiene, health informatics and information management, histotechnology, medical lab sciences, and radiological sciences.

This interdisciplinary degree program allows students to cchoose the relevant courses for their professional school of choice. The Liberal Arts core curriculum allows students to be exposed to a broad learning in multiple disciplines that empowers them to deal with complexity, diversity, and change in the world.

Program Advising Sheet
Review the course requirements and degree check sheet for the BA in Allied Health Studies.

Dental students will pursue either a Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) or Doctor of Dental Medicine (DMD). Either terminal degree takes 4 years of dental school after you earn your bachelor’s degree. Preparation for dental school involves curricular and extracurricular experiences which demonstrate communication, leadership, community service, research, and familiarity with the dental profession.

Dental Hygiene Schools In Mississippi

The University of Mississippi School of Dentistry is housed at our sister campus, University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC) in Jackson, MS.

To enter dental school, you will need:

  • BA or BS degree in any major that you choose. Any major is appropriate. Choosing a major that you excel in and enjoy should lead to better grades and allow you to have a more pleasant undergraduate experience. Also, choose a major that can be your contingency plan if you don’t get into dental school or choose not to go!
  • Pre-requisite courses that are required for competitive DAT scores and admission to dental school.
  • Experience in a dental setting, such as shadowing a dentist. This should be one of your first experiences as a pre-dental student. Observing a dentist in action will help you gather the information you need to fully commit to the profession you have chosen and to learn about a variety of dental specialties.
  • A competitive Dental Admissions Test (DAT).
  • Letters of evaluation. Make sure you have contact information for supervisors and dentists you shadow or work with in case you need to ask for letters of evaluation. Try to keep a relationship with someone you will most likely ask for a letter of recommendation.
Mississippi
  • Evidence of leadership and community involvement. Because you are preparing for a humanitarian profession, it is important to have volunteer learning experiences which demonstrate a commitment to service to others. Remember that it’s best to have long-term meaningful involvement in a couple of organizations rather than shallow involvement in many organizations.

University Of Mississippi Dental Hygiene Programs

What is the success of our students?

Our pre-dental students are highly competitive applicants, who’ve gained entrance to top-ranked dental schools. Their acceptance rate to dental school tops the national average. Our overall UM student dental school acceptance rate is 62.4% (50% nationally). For the students who engage with the HPAO office 5 times or more, their acceptance rate is 90.4% for dental school!

University Of Mississippi Dental Hygiene Program Plan

Where have our students been accepted to dental school? All over the US. The attached list provides the acceptance school information for UM pre-dental students from 2014-2019.