Prospective Students
Prospective Students
Dental Hygiene Career Ladder Program
The University of Oklahoma’s College of Dentistry offers an individualized Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene: RDH-to-BSDH Track. The career ladder program is designed for Registered Dental Hygienists who have earned an associate's degree and wish to obtain a Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene degree. The Department of Dental Hygiene, which has been educating outstanding dental hygienists since 1971, is located within the College of Dentistry at the OU Health Sciences Center in Oklahoma City.
Classes and requirements are designed for the working dental hygienist and those who may not live in the immediate geographic area. Didactic coursework may be taken in Oklahoma City at the College of Dentistry or via distance education at any of the three distance facilities located in Ardmore, Bartlesville, or Weatherford, Oklahoma. Clinical work may be completed at any of these sites.
The 60-hour career ladder program grants credit for advanced standing of up to 30 hours of dental hygiene courses through various validation methods, leaving 30 semester hours required for completion of the degree.
Questions regarding the program may be answered by emailing dental-hygiene@ouhsc.edu.
Back to topAbout the Program
The University of Oklahoma Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene degree requires a minimum of 128 credit hours. Each applicant’s prior dental hygiene educational credentials will be evaluated and a program will be designed specifically to meet the needs of the individual.
Didactic coursework may be taken in Oklahoma City at the College of Dentistry or via distance education at any of the three distance facilities located in Ardmore, Bartlesville, or Weatherford, Oklahoma. Clinical work may be completed at any of these sites.
Focus in degree work may include one or more of the areas identified by the American Dental Hygienist’s Association as interrelated roles of the professional dental hygienist.
- Clinical
Work in collaboration with dentists as co-therapists rendering preventive and therapeutic interventions, and evaluating treatments. - Management
As an office manager, the dental hygienist develops office protocol, monitors practice productivity and financial affairs, and coordinates human and material resources. - Acute and Extended Care Facilities
Provide clinical and educational services for patients and residents, provide staff training, serve as client advocates and change agents to ensure that health care needs of diverse populations are met. - Public Health / School Districts
Hygienists working in public health and school districts provide oral health assessments, referrals, and preventive services, and develop educational strategies to change the oral health behaviors of clients. - Education / Marketing
Serve on the faculties of dental and dental hygiene programs in colleges and universities, in private business and industry, marketing dental technology and products, and in centers that focus on the needs of the physically challenged and elderly. - Research
Contribute to advancing the knowledge base in dental health care by investigating both basic and applied research problems.
Information Packet
Information packets are no longer mailed from the Department of Dental Hygiene. Downloadable electronic versions of ALL DOCUMENTS included in the information packet are listed below. Some documents are in Portable Document Format (PDF) and some are links to web sites. PDF documents require Adobe Reader or some equivalent program to view them. If PDF documents will not open, you may click the Get Adobe Reader picture below to download Adobe Reader free of charge.
Frequently Asked Questions
This is a list of the most frequently asked questions by career ladder participants to the University of Oklahoma Dental Hygiene Program.
Why should I select the University of Oklahoma for my career ladder education in dental hygiene?
Students in the dental hygiene program at the Health Sciences Center have excellent opportunities to experience many specialized areas of dentistry through a variety of clinical rotations and research. The program has a strong clinical emphasis, but also excels in the areas of community health and research.
Exit interviews and surveys consistently rate the dental hygiene faculty as the greatest strength of the dental hygiene program. In addition to working with excellent dental hygiene faculty, students also have the opportunity to gain knowledge from many dental faculties who are nationally and internationally recognized as experts in their disciplines.
How long does the Career Ladder Program take to complete?
The Career Ladder dental hygiene baccalaureate degree program requires a minimum of thirty semester hours of work. Advanced standing of up to 30 hours of dental hygiene courses is available through various validation methods. It is possible for a full-time, dedicated student to complete the program in two academic semesters.
If I am located outside the Oklahoma City area, can the program be completed via distance education?
Yes, it is possible for career ladder students to complete required coursework through one of the University's three distance education facilities. The facilities are located in Bartlesville, Ardmore, and Weatherford, Oklahoma. Didactic coursework is delivered via two-way video conferencing technology and clinical work may be completed at the distance facility.
How does the application process work?
The deadline for submission of required documentation is June 1 for fall admission and October 1 for spring admission. Once all documents are received, the selection committee assesses the applicant's credentials. With satisfactory credentials, the applicant will be invited for interview and academic counseling.
What are the chances of acceptance for non-Oklahoma residents?
We are a state funded institution; therefore, Oklahoma residents are given preference. However, out-of-state residents who possess exceptional academic and other qualifications will be considered for admission to the Career Ladder Program.
Is it possible to work while enrolled in the Career Ladder Dental Hygiene Program?
Yes, one of the objectives of the Career Ladder program is to be as user friendly to working dental hygienists as possible and still meet the educational goals of the student. Therefore, the course schedule and time commitment of the student is an individual decision contracted between the program director and the individual student.
