Dental Hygiene

Program Profile: Master of Science in Dental Hygiene

Program Description | Accreditation | Program Highlights
About the Profession | Faculty | Class Size
Length of Program | Locations | Prerequisites
Costs | Scholarships and Financial Aid | How to Apply

Program Description

Name of program: Master of Science in Dental Hygiene (MS)

Program Overview: The tradition of excellence and leadership in dental hygiene education at Idaho State University provides a strong foundation for a unique graduate education program designed to develop future educators, advanced practitioners, scholars, and leaders in the discipline. Because every graduate student is a unique individual, the online Master of Science in Dental Hygiene (MSDH) degree program is tailored to meet diverse goals, aspirations and talents of students regardless of geographical location. The individual life and professional experiences each student brings to the program, as well as international interaction with other graduate students, influences the path ultimately followed to develop specialized expertise in dental hygiene. As innovators in online education, the faculty’s commitment to excellence, professionalism, mentoring, curricular breadth and flexibility, a positive yet rigorous climate for learning, and overall student satisfaction has lead to the program’s success since its initiation in 2004. Graduates are prepared for progressive leadership roles in dental hygiene such as advanced practitioners in rural and community settings, dental hygiene educators and administrators, and researchers.

Accreditation

ISU is regionally accredited by the Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges.

Program Highlights

  • The online program includes students from 14 states and Canada.
  • The dental hygiene faculty at Idaho State University is committed to excellence in all academic endeavors and is well-known both nationally and internationally for their contributions to the profession of dental hygiene.
  • The first student graduated from the MSDH program in May of 2007 and was immediately hired as a full-time faculty member at Eastern Washington University.
  • One of the MSDH students is a clinical faculty member at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center in Houston and was awarded the Lorna J. Bruning Award for Clinical Teaching Excellence in 2007. The recipient of this award is chosen by the students and recognizes dental hygiene faculty who demonstrate the most knowledge, competency and enthusiasm for teaching dental hygiene, along with the encouragement of critical thinking.
  • One of our students was awarded the Jeff Bartlome Research Grant in 2006. -Students and graduate faculty have conducted presentations and poster presentations of their research at national meetings including the American Dental Hygienists’ Association and the American Dental Education Association.
  • Students conduct innovative projects in their local communities for underserved and special needs populations as well as in dental education programs across the United States.

About the Profession

The profession of dental hygiene is undergoing tremendous changes with many states increasing the scope of practice for the dental hygienist to improve access to underserved populations. The American Dental Hygienists’ Association Focus on Advancing the Profession suggests that dental hygiene must follow in the footsteps of other professions such as occupational therapy, pharmacy, nursing, and physical therapy in advancing the education level needed for entry into practice. This becomes critical as the profession prepares for the advanced level practitioner. Besides the advanced level practitioner, there are many opportunities in dental public health at the administrative level that require a graduate degree. In addition to these opportunities, there is a significant shortage of dental hygiene faculty nationwide. Many dental hygiene programs require a graduate level degree in order to teach in the classroom, and some institutions specifically require a Master of Science degree in Dental Hygiene (MSDH). Administrators for dental hygiene programs are also in demand as the number of programs continues to increase and existing administrators retire. Those with graduate degrees have additional opportunities in oral health research, marketing and sales, and government as well. Dental hygienists are needed to conduct research to advance the development of theory and knowledge in regard to oral health in order to move the profession of dental hygiene forward.

Potential Salary: Many factors impact the salary range for a graduate of the MSDH program since because there are many possible career paths. Geographic location and academic or community setting affect salary range. According to the 2006-07 National Faculty Salary Survey conducted by The College and University Professional Association for Human Resources (CUPA-HR), the median starting salary for a new assistant professor in health professions and related clinical sciences makes approximately $56,000 annually along with additional fringe benefits including medical and dental insurance, vacation pay, sick leave, etc. A majority of new full-time faculty members with a graduate degree start out at the rank of assistant professor. Salaries increase with experience and demonstration of merit with the median salary for a professor in health professions being $87,000 per year with fringe benefits. These salaries may vary greatly between higher educational institutions and geographic location. The salary for public health positions varies greatly from state to state and is dependent on the level of responsibility of the position. Salaries for positions as program specialists may start out at $45,000 to $50,000 per year with benefits and be in the range of $50,000 to $60,000 for a program director.

Faculty

Two faculty members are assigned to teach full-time in the graduate program. In addition, five dental hygiene faculty members have graduate faculty status and help direct theses, clinical experiences, and independent study. Graduate faculty members are responsible for helping students attain competency in all aspects of the master’s level dental hygiene curriculum.

Class Size

Fixed Seats: Yes

Number of students in entering class: 15

Total number of students enrolled in program: 24

Length of Program

Number of academic years needed to complete the program: 2

Locations

Locations offered: Pocatello and Boise

Program offered fully online? Yes

Program delivered through distance presentation? No

Prerequisites

Required Degree: BA or BS

Other Prerequisites:

  • Graduation from an accredited entry-level dental hygiene program.
  • Proof of state or international licensure to practice dental hygiene.
  • Completion of a statistics or biostatistics course prior to enrollment in DENT649 Dental Hygiene Research methods.
  • Completion of local anesthesia and nitrous oxide sedation coursework prior to enrollment in the MSDH clinical course(s).

Costs

Tuition: Annual tuition set by University for residents or non-residents.

Professional fees: $300/credit for clinical course(s) and $75/credit for other courses

Books: $750

Scholarships and Financial Aid

Scholarship Deadline: Contact the Scholarship Office for more information.

Financial Aid Deadline: Contact the Office of Financial Aid for more information.

Other Information: In addition to the same opportunities available to other students on campus, there are scholarships available to Health Professions students which can be found on the program website. In addition, the American Dental Hygienists’ Association (www.adha.org) and American Dental Education Association (www.adea.org) has scholarships and fellowships available on their websites.

How to Apply

Application Deadline: Fall: April 1st; Spring September 1st

Program Start Date: Fall and Spring semester

Other Information: Apply