Contact Information
Madalyn Smolinski
Program Coordinator Phone 928-523-7147 madalyn.smolinski@nau.eduBrianna Heisey
Advisor Phone 928-523-2987 Brianna.heisey@nau.eduBachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene Degree Completion Program & Concurrent Enrollment Program
The DH Completion Program is designed for students who are currently on a Dental Hygiene School waiting list, enrolled in Dental Hygiene School or working professionals who have completed their studies as a registered dental hygienist from a regionally accredited institution who wish to receive their Bachelor’s Degree in Dental Hygiene.
The Concurrent Enrollment Program is for MCCCD Students looking to obtain their Bachelors while in the MCCCD Dental Hygiene Program.
100% Online
Degree Completion (BSDHDCP) Accordion Closed
Degree Completion:
The DH Completion Program is designed for students who are currently on a Dental Hygiene School waiting list, enrolled in Dental Hygiene School or working professionals who have completed their studies as a registered dental hygienist from a regionally accredited institution who wish to receive their Bachelor’s Degree in Dental Hygiene.
This program is 100% online, No campus visits, no clinical. There is no set time limit or schedule. Take classes when it is convenient for you. This program is centered around the student/working hygienist.You can start while your in the MCCCD Hygiene Program, wait until after you’ve graduated, or take a few years in-between!
In some cases students are required to take additional courses to meet specific university requirements. After your advisor, Jill Cooney, reviews your transcripts, she will let you know where you stand and if you need any additional courses. You can save money by taking course equivalents at local valley community colleges and transfer them in to NAU. The prerequisites do not need to be completed prior to starting the program. 90/30 Program Transfer in 90 credits to NAU, take 30 credits at NAU and receive your Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene from NAU. Don’t have 90 credits to transfer in? We will award you up to 26 free non-traditional credits for graduating from a CODA Accredited institution. The 30 credits will consist of 21 Core Dental Hygiene Courses & 9 Upper Division Liberal Studies Courses.
MCCCD Concurrent Enrollment Program Accordion Closed
Maricopa and NAU are proud of creating the first Concurrent Enrollment Program (CEP) in Dental Hygiene in the state of Arizona. NAU is the leader in Dental Hygiene bachelor degree completion and is the only public university in Arizona that offers a bachelor’s degree completion program.
The Maricopa/NAU CEP allows you to complete your Associate of Applied Science (AAS) in Dental Hygiene and your Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene (BSDH) concurrently. When you complete your AAS degree you will also complete your BSDH degree through NAU 100% online. You can transfer up to 90 credits from the community college to NAU making it an affordable pathway to a bachelor’s degree. You’ll pay the NAU tuition rates for only 30 credits.
The MCCCD CEP is a structured degree progression program (click link below). Students must take the courses at the scheduled time. There is no flexibility in this pathway. If a student is unable to complete the CEP, NAU will honor those courses for 7 years, and the student can return or switch over to the Degree Completion Program.
University Requirements Accordion Closed
To receive a bachelor’s degree at Northern Arizona University, you must complete at least 120 units of credit that minimally includes a major, the liberal studies requirements, and university requirements as listed below.
- All of Northern Arizona University’s liberal studies, diversity, junior-level writing, and capstone requirements.
- All requirements for your specific academic plan(s).
- At least 30 units of upper-division courses, which may include transfer work.
- At least 30 units of coursework taken through Northern Arizona University, of which at least 18 must be upper-division courses (300-level or above). This requirement is not met by credit-by-exam, retro-credits, transfer coursework, etc.
- A cumulative grade point average of at least 2.0 on all work attempted at Northern Arizona University.
The full policy can be viewed here.
Overview & Details Accordion Closed
In addition to University Requirements:
- Statistics (a prerequisite fulfilled by STA 270) (3 units)
- Required Dental Hygiene courses (21 units)
- Dental Hygiene Major Electives (3 units)
- Additional upper-division courses, some of which may be needed to fulfill NAU’s Liberal Studies or Diversity requirements. Up to 9 units of liberal studies requirements can have the same prefix as the major. See NAU Diversity Course List for more information.
- Other courses, if needed, to fulfill NAU’s requirements, if, after transcript evaluation, appropriate units/courses have not been completed (12 units)
Please note that you may be able to use some courses to meet more than one requirement. Contact your advisor for details.
Minimum Units for Completion | 120 |
Highest Mathematics Required | MAT 114 |
Additional Admission Requirements | Required |
University Honors College | Optional |
Progression Plan Link | Not Available |
Purpose Statement
The Northern Arizona University Dental Hygiene Department offers the only Bachelor’s Degree in Dental Hygiene in the State of Arizona. With a national reputation for educating dental hygiene professionals since its inception in 1973, the program offers a high-quality education. The Dental Hygiene Degree Completion Program (DHDCP) is specifically for dental hygienists who already have an associate’s degree, diploma, or certificate in dental hygiene from a regionally-accredited institution or students currently enrolled in a regionally accredited dental hygiene program. Degree-completion students are often interested in pursuing roles outside of the traditional clinical private practice. Such roles may include teaching, research, corporate employment, or public health clinical or administrative positions. Graduates are prepared to practice in diverse settings with special emphasis on rural communities and other underserved populations through a curriculum centered in public health. While in the program, students take courses that emphasize: Public Health, Dental Research, Communication and Behavior, Professional Development, Global Oral Health, Interprofessional Practice and Healthcare Policy and Management. Their capstone project requires the origination of a public health project that requires exhaustive assessment and planning. Projects are then implemented and outcomes are evaluated in a final written report. This public health emphasis specifically prepares graduates to write grant proposals and serve in public health administrative roles. The future of dentistry is moving towards the development of a dental therapist; a new Masters prepared dental midlevel provider. After attaining a Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene, graduates are optimally poised to enter advanced dental therapy programs, work in independent practice, and/or work in affiliated practice
Student Learning Outcomes
Outcomes align with Standards from the American Dental Association’s Commission on Dental Accreditation
- Patient Care: Provide oral health care and case management for diverse population
- Systematically collect and analyze data on general, oral and psychosocial health status of a variety of individuals including a comprehensive exam and interpretation of appropriate diagnostic information including radiographic, periodontal, and other data needed to assess the patient’s needs
- Use critical decision making based on assessment data to reach conclusions about oral health needs to determine the dental hygiene diagnosis and need for care coordination
- Collaborate with patient and other health professionals to formulate individualized comprehensive dental hygiene care plans
- Perform preventive and therapeutic dental hygiene interventions
- Determine the effectiveness of dental hygiene interventions and provide appropriate follow-up care and/or health maintenance
- Improving Health in Individuals and Communities
- Promote the values of oral and general health and wellness
- Respect the goals, values, beliefs and preferences of others
- Assess community oral health needs and resources
- Plan community-based oral health programs
- Implement community-based oral health programs
- Evaluate outcomes of health promotion and disease prevention activities
- Core Competencies:
- Demonstrate professional, ethical and legal behavior
- Use critical thinking and problem solving in the provision of evidence-based practice
- Provide dental hygiene care based on accepted scientific theories and the current standard of care that is humane, empathetic, and caring
- Perform self-assessment for life-long learning and professional growth
- Act as a change agent to improve community oral health and/or advance the profession through service activities and affiliations with professional organizations
- Communicate effectively with individuals and groups from diverse populations
ADDITIONAL ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
- Admission requirements over and above admission to NAU are required.
ASSOCIATE DEGREE TRANSFER BLOCK
- NAU accepts a maximum block transfer of 64 units from your associate degree program (or diploma or certificate program). You must fulfill NAU’s liberal studies and diversity requirements. Many transfer units may apply toward fulfilling those requirements. Since you are entering this plan as a Licensed Dental Hygienist, NAU is able to accept up to 26 units of your licensure requirements as non-traditional credit. In optimal circumstances, the sum of the maximum block transfer (64 units) plus the maximum non-traditional licensure credit (26 units) will total to 90 units, leaving a balance of 30 units to be completed at NAU. These will include 12 units of upper-division electives. We encourage you to discuss elective options with your advisor, so as to ensure the courses will help you advance toward your professional, personal, and degree-completion goals.
MAJOR REQUIREMENTS
- Take the following 30 units:
- DH 371, DH 416, DH 380, DH 450, DH 486 (15 units)
- DH 373W which meets the junior writing requirement (3 units)
- DH 474C which meets the capstone requirement (3 units)
You will complete the remaining 9 units dependent upon whether your Arizona General Education Curriculum (AGEC) has been completed upon admittance to the program.
Traditional Degree-Completion Track (9 units):
Select from:- DH 402, DH 436, DH 446, DH 456, DH 476, or additional electives as needed to fulfill NAU liberal studies requirements
or
Concurrent Enrollment- Degree Completion Track (9 units):
Select one from (3 units):
GENERAL ELECTIVES
- Additional coursework is required, if, after you have met the previously described requirements, you have not yet completed a total of 120 units of credit. You may take these remaining courses from any academic areas, using these courses to pursue your specific interests and goals. We encourage you to consult with your advisor to select the courses that will be most advantageous to you. (Please note that you may also use prerequisites or transfer credits as electives if they weren’t used to meet major, minor, or liberal studies requirements.)
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
- Be aware that some courses may have prerequisites that you must also take. For prerequisite information click on the course or see your advisor.
How? Accordion Closed
Both of our programs are 100% online and perfect for the working RDH, or student! There are no campus visits and you can work directly on your computer via Blackboard which is accessible and easy to use.
How Long? Accordion Closed
How long? It truly depends on you and how fast you want to achieve this goal, your working schedule, and home life, and which pathway you choose. I would say conservatively it will take you 2 years. Others have done it quicker (taken more classes) and others have taken 3 or more years.
CEP: You will graduate NAU at the same time as MCCCD
Degree Completion: I would say conservatively it will take you 2 years. Others have done it quicker (taken more classes) and others have taken 3 or more years. If you are a student, you can graduate NAU as soon as you receive your RDH license.
Who is Eligible? Accordion Closed
The Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene Degree Completion Program (BSDHCP) is specifically designed for students on a dental hygiene wait list, students in a dental hygiene program or already graduated dental hygienists with an associate’s degree, diploma, or certificate in dental hygiene from a regionally accredited institution.
Recently, we have decided to begin admitting students from regionally accredited institutions who are currently on the waitlist or enrolled in an associate’s degree, diploma, or certificate program in dental hygiene. Students currently in a program must work closely with the academic advisor for the Degree Completion Program to determine eligibility.
CEP: The Maricopa/NAU CEP allows you to complete your Associate of Applied Science (AAS) in Dental Hygiene and your Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene (BSDH) concurrently. When you complete your AAS degree you will also complete your BSDH degree through NAU 100% online. You can transfer up to 90 credits from the community college to NAU making it an affordable pathway to a bachelor’s degree. You’ll pay the NAU tuition rates for only 30 credits.
Transfer Credits & Non-traditional Credits Accordion Closed
One of the benefits in applying to our program is our non-traditional credits. If you transfer to NAU with less than 90 credits I can apply for non-traditional credits based on your state licensure. We can apply for up to 26 hours free of charge to you!
Depending on the AMOUNT of transfer credits from your college coursework plus the amount of credits you need to take at NAU (minimum 30 credits of upper division coursework or 10 three credit hour courses) you will need to achieve 120 credits.
Transfer Credits +
NAU credits +
Non-traditional credits (based on your state licensure) =
120 to achieve your BS in Dental Hygiene