Dental Hygiene Admission Process for Students updated January 2015, by DH Admissions Chair Amy Sullivan, RDH, PhD
Admissions Committee: Beckie Barry, Department Chair bbarry@umc.edu Amy Sullivan, Admissions Chair asullivan@umc.edu Cynthia Senior, Admissions Chair 2016 csenior@umc.edu Sandra Horne Elizabeth Carr Angie Garner Annie McCline Teresa Duncan
Interview Committee: Hygienists, RDH Amy Sullivan, Admissions Chair Beckie Barry, Department Chair Cynthia Senior Sandra Horne Elizabeth Carr Teresa Duncan Angie Garner Annie McCline Eureaka Robinson Marcee Freeman Kim Williams Cheryl Smith Sharon Andrews Beth Moore Kit Stilley Barbara Brent
Application Requirements: Preference is given in admission to our program to qualified applicants who are legal residents of MS. MS law requires all healthcare workers/students have a criminal background check (includes fingerprinting). Any applicants whose native language is not English are required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). The department maintains compliance with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Bloodborne Pathogens Standards, Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and UMMC infection control policies, since our students have to potential to be exposed to blood, blood products, tissues, and body fluids. 1. Application into our program must be submitted online by February 15th of the year applying. 2. Twelve of the prerequisite science hours must be completed at the time of application. It is strongly recommended that applicants have a majority of their academic requirements before the February 15 deadline (will affect scoring on required courses component). online science courses are not preferred
Applicant Requirements: Complete a minimum of 57 semester hours of academic credit from an accredited institution of higher learning. Transcripts must be submitted to registrar's office See required courses (next page) Have completed a minimum of 8 hours of observation by 2 licensed dental hygienists in 2 separate clinical environments. Have a minimum of 2.5 on a 4.0 scale Complete an interview with admissions committee Complete a hands-on dexterity test with committee Submit a copy of ACT score
Required Courses: REQUIRED COURSES Number of Courses Hours English Composition 2 6 Humanities 2 6 Anatomy & Physiology w/lab* 2 8 Chemistry w/lab** 2 8 Microbiology w/lab*** 1 4 General Biology or Zoology w/lab*** 1 4 College Algebra 1 3 Fine Arts 1 3 Speech 1 3 General Psychology 1 3 Intro to Sociology 1 3 Nutrition 1 3 Abnormal, Child, Adolescent, Education, or 1 3 Developmental Psychology 57 For Questions concerning substitution of classes, please contact Christi Hardy in the Registrar s office: 601-815-9310 * One course in anatomy plus one course in physiology or anatomy and physiology combined for two courses. ** Chemistry I and II OR Chemistry I and a second course in Organic/Biochemistry *** All Science courses are for science majors make sure the course description states the course is for science majors
Typical Evaluation Criteria: *GPA (overall, required, science (varies)) *ACT *Interview *Portfolio Review (status of completed courses, withdrawals, repeats, advanced degrees, and dental experience are considered here) *Hands-on (tests dexterity, hand-eye coordination, precision and steadiness, visual-motor coordination, ability to follow directions) Each November the dental hygiene admissions committee meets to determine evaluation criteria, therefore criteria will vary slightly form year to year.
The Interview: Students who meet the minimal requirements and have a complete application form will be interviewed. Interviews are typically held the first Friday in March. Interviewers are asked to recuse themselves from interviewing any family members and/or applicants with whom they are familiar.
Interview Schedule: Applicants are scheduled approximately: 15-20 minutes for interview (2-3 from interview committee) 30 minutes for hands-on testing
Applicant Selection: Scores for each applicant are placed into a computer ranking formula. A relative total score in which each sub-component of the score is valued based on the item s upper limit, the percentage allocated, and the applicant s score for that item is utilized to rank applicants. The committee admits the top students (approximately 20) based on the rankings. An additional five students are selected as alternates into the program based upon these same rankings.
Applicant Notification & Registration: All students are notified of their status as accepted contingent upon course completions, alternate, or rejected by the Office of Student Records and the Registrar.
Reasons to Attend UMC for Dental Hygiene: Bachelor of Science degree awarded (the only DH program in the state of MS that offers a BS) State-of-the-art facilities (including rotation sites) Hands-on clinical training Student support High quality education
Dental Hygiene Curriculum: Junior Year Fall Semester DH303 Professional Writing 2 DH305 Dental Hygiene Instrumentation 3 DH309 Dental Anatomy and Occlusion 2 DH313 Radiology I 2 DH315 Oral Histology and Embryology 2 DH321 Head and Neck Anatomy 2 DH332 Scientific Foundations 3 Total semester hours 16 Spring Semester DH312 Primary Preventive Dentistry 3 DH316 Pathophysiology 3 DH317 Medical Emergencies Related to the 2 Dental Office DH318 Dental Hygiene Principles and Practice I 4 DH328 Radiology II 2 DH331 Periodontics I 2 Total semester hours 16 Senior Year Summer Semester DH326 Dental Hygiene Principles and Practice II 2 DH327 Patient Care I 2 DH336 Biomaterials in Dentistry 2 DH337 Anxiety and Pain Management 1 DH400 Introduction to Research 2 Total semester hours 9 Fall Semester DH405 Patient Care II 3 DH412 Pharmacology 3 DH416 Oral Pathology 2 DH418 Dental Hygiene Principles and Practice III 2 DH431 Periodontics II 2 DH435 Community Dental Health I 1 DH438 Oral Health Research I 1 Total semester hours 14 Spring Semester DH429 Practice Management 3 DH432 Dental Hygiene Principles and Practice IV 2 DH433 Patient Care III 4 DH437 Community Dental Health II 2 DH439 Oral Health Research II 1 Total semester hours 12 Total Required Hours 67 *The Dental Hygiene Curriculum is in the process of being revised. Applicants should be aware that the curriculum may be different by the time of admissions.
Dental Hygiene Curriculum: Please understand, this is a lock-step program. What this means is that all accepted applicants will take the courses provided for them in a specified, sequential order (between 12-19 hours per semester). If a student does not successfully complete what is required per semester (fails 1 course, doesn t maintain a 2.0 GPA, fails to maintain professional standards, or fails to meet any requirement), the student may be dismissed from the program.
Summary for Applicant: Please see website http://www.umc.edu/education/schools/health_related_professions /Dental_Hygiene/Dental_Hygiene_Home.aspx February 15- application deadline Begin FASFA/ financial aid application anytime after January; completed FASFA application due March 1 March (typically 1 st Friday in March)-interviews and scoring April- students are notified that they are accepted, alternate, or rejected August- registration and fall classes