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Dental Hygiene Degree Completion

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College of Health Professions

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Open the door to new opportunities!

Gain the skills required to advance in your profession, switch into a new career or pursue a graduate program. Learn about educational methodology, special care populations, population health management and more from our top-tier faculty. This program has been ranked multiple times as one of the top 15 most affordable online BSDH programs in the nation—and you can complete it in as little as three semesters.

RDH to BSDH Online | Post-Licensure

About the program

Our program builds on the skill of the registered dental hygienist’s previous educational program. The BSDH expands on the RDH’s knowledge base to provide a means for continued advancement in the profession, career options in alternate settings, and meeting the necessary requirements for pursuing a graduate degree.

 

Application Requirements & Process

Application Requirements

  • Current Dental Hygiene License
  • Associates degree in dental hygiene from a regionally accredited school
  • Cumulative GPA of 2.5

Apply to Wichita State

  • Complete the application process through the application portal.
  • Under the Academics section, select "yes" if you are interested in completing a fully online program. A drop-down menu will appear, select, the "Pre-Dental Hygiene Completion" option.

Provide Proof of RDH license

The next step will be to email a copy of your dental hygiene license to our academic advisor John Sandlin, john.sandlin@wichita.edu.  Once you have been accepted into the program our online academic advisor will help you create an individualized plan of study.

Program Coursework

The 32-credit-hour program is completely online, is accessible 24 hours a day, and can be completed in as little as 15 months or up to six years of part-time study. Twenty-eight (28) hours of retroactive credit can be applied to the degree. 

In WSU's online RDH to BSDH program, Licensed Dental Hygienists are able to:

  • Take all dental hygiene courses online anytime, anywhere, full or part-time.
  • Complete your degree in as little as 15 months, or at your own pace.
  • Earn up to 28 hours of credit for prior coursework.
  • Pay in-state tuition.
  • Earn a credential (BSDH) that will qualify you to be a full-time dental hygiene educator.
  • Build an educational foundation for advanced degrees (MSDH, MPH, etc.)

Program Coursework

Clinical & Classroom Teaching in DH Program Note

A Note About Degree Requirements for Clinical and Classroom Teaching in Dental Hygiene Programs

The Commission on Dental Accreditation has adopted new guidelines to require full-time and part-time faculty of a dental hygiene program to possess a baccalaureate or higher degree to teach in clinics and classrooms. Clinical faculty hired prior to July 1, 2022 will be grandfathered in and are not required to have the bachelor degree to teach in clinics. Wichita State University’s online RDH to BSDH program meets these requirements and is designed to prepare licensed dental hygienists to become dental hygiene educators.

The Dental Hygiene Dual-Enrollment Program

Instructor teaching class

Wichita State University (WSU) Department of Dental Hygiene offers a unique dual-enrollment program that provides students an opportunity to concurrently enroll in the Associate of Applied Science, Dental Hygiene degree at Johnson County Community College (JCCC) and the Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene degree completion program at WSU.

Dental Hygiene Dual-Enrollment Program

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