BS Dental Hygiene at University of South Dakota

Programme overview

The B.S. in Dental Hygiene prepares students to promote and improve well-being through hands-on clinical experience in varied settings, at the Vermillion Main Campus. Up to 40 students are admitted each year.

Faculty: School of Health Sciences | Department: Department of Dental Hygiene | Study mode: full-time | Location: Vermillion, SD, United States

What you will study

Clinical dental hygiene training; prerequisites include DHYG 210 (Head and Neck Anatomy) and DHYG 318 (Medical/Dental Emergencies).

Career pathways

Dental offices and other facilities, dental sales, education, the military, research laboratories and public health. Licensure requires the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination and a clinical licensing exam.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Programme admission (competitive, up to 40 students per year, may include interviews): accepted to USD with active student status, typically after at least one year of USD enrollment; all prerequisites complete or in progress by the February 1 application deadline and completed by June 1; scored prerequisite GPA of at least 3.0 (grades of D or lower not considered; scored science prerequisites over 10 years old not accepted); ACT composite including the science section (or SAT equivalent); Dental Office Experience Form, department application and two references (a dental professional or employer, and a college instructor); U.S. citizen or green card holder who has lived or worked in the U.S. three of the previous five years. Accepted students pay a $350 non-refundable tuition deposit.

Tuition is charged per credit, so the total depends on the modules you register for each year. Current fees are listed in the official fee schedule.

Entry terms for international applicants: Spring 2027 classes start January 11, 2027 (new student arrival deadline January 10); Fall 2027 classes start August 23 (new student arrival deadline August 20).

International undergraduate applicants: application deadline December 15 for Spring 2027 and August 1 for Fall 2027. Apply through the USD Undergraduate Application or the Common App; the application fee is non-refundable and paid online by credit card.

Graduate applications go through the USD Graduate Application or GradCAS; Audiology, Speech Language Pathology, Law, Medical, Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Physician Assistant Studies and Social Work use specialty CAS applications. Application deadlines are set per programme in the Graduate Catalog and are due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. The graduate application fee cannot be waived or deferred and is non-refundable.

Law (JD): applications open September 1 for the next year's admission; applicants apply through LSAC CAS and must submit the LSAT, GRE or JD Next. June LSAT scores are accepted for the same year if the application is submitted by July 1. Out-of-state applicants scoring 150+ on the LSAT receive in-state tuition.

Apply through the official page: https://www.usd.edu/Admissions-and-Aid/Apply

Explore more study programmes

Health Sciences