The Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene program at Wichita State University is designed to educate students with the competencies necessary to prepare students to take the national, regional and state examinations for licensure in the state of their choice.

Key Program Features

  • Only entry-level dental hygiene bachelor’s program in Kansas. Graduates work in clinical practice with more career options in education, administration, public health and research.
  • Hands-on practice with dental patients. Students receive clinical experience through our on-campus Delta Dental of Kansas Foundation Dental Hygiene Clinic.
  • Network with potential employers. Students have the opportunity to receive educational training through several local clinical affiliates, such as the Veterans Administration Medical Center, Wichita-Sedgwick County Health Department, Hunter Health Clinic, HealthCore Clinic, and GraceMed Clinic.

Program FAQ's

Frequently Asked Questions About the Program
Question Answer
Program Entry Point Fall
Program Length 2 years
Study Plan Options Full-time, days
Clinical Observation To be admitted:

Four clinical observation hours of a Registered Dental Hygienist are required for the 2022 application cycle for students starting the program in Fall 2023.
Application Deadline First Friday in November
Class Size 36
Application Ratio 3:1
Minimum GPA to apply 2.75 cumulative in all college work and a grade C or above in prerequisites
Licensure Examinations National Boards, Clinical Boards and State Jurisprudence Exam
Degree required High school diploma or GED
CR/NCR Coursework

Students required by their college or university to accept a Pass/Fail or Credit/No Credit grade for the Spring 2020 semester will not be penalized by the Department of Dental Hygiene. The Department of Dental Hygiene does accept Pass/Fail and Credit/No Credit grades for course prerequisites, but prefers to see letter grades. (Spring 2020 only)

The department will consider a Fail or No Credit as less than a “C” and would not meet criteria for admission.

Students with the option of accepting a letter grade or a Pass/Fail or Credit/No Credit grade in the Spring 2020 semester may want to consider the impact on the overall science GPA and cumulative GPA if a course does not have a letter grade.

Pass/Fail or Credit/  could also affect entry into graduate or dental programs. A designation of CR on a transcript is not universal from school to school.  The differences in what a CR indicates at different schools may cause difficulty when students apply for graduate or dental school.