Earn your associate degree in Dental Hygiene in two years. Interested in a four-year program? Normandale partners with Metropolitan State University to offer a Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene (BSDH).
Dental hygienists are licensed preventive oral health care professionals. They provide educational, clinical and therapeutic services.
Our program provides academic and clinical opportunities. We want students to gain the knowledge, skills and attitudes to be successful dental hygienists. The curriculum focuses on sciences as well as essential technical and clinical skills.
You can review the Dental Hygiene Information Packet here.
To prepare dental hygiene students for a career in comprehensive dental hygiene care while emphasizing professionalism, communication, ethics, social responsibility and lifelong learning.
The A.S. degree in Dental Hygiene is a two-year program. The coursework requires four semesters to complete and begins in the fall semester.
The Dental Hygiene (A.S.) is 88 Credits. Admission to this program is competitive. Find out more about the application process.
The Normandale and Metropolitan State University partnership provides a dual enrollment option for the Dental Hygiene program. This program lets you stay on the Normandale campus to pursue your bachelor's degree in dental hygiene.
One application grants simultaneous admittance to both the Normandale and Metropolitan State University (MSU) programs.
The Bachelor of Science Degree in Dental Hygiene (B.S.D.H.) is 120 Credits. See MSU courses and requirements. The bachelor's program is also open to those currently working as dental hygienists. Most classes are offered online so you can advance your education while working.
Pursuing a health care major comes with extra costs, risks and other non-academic requirements.
Students will be responsible for the following costs:
Students may be exposed to bloodborne pathogens due to the nature of the dental hygiene profession. See our Bloodborne Pathogen Policy.
You will be provided with written policies and instructions for infection control protocols to reduce the risk of disease transmission. Policies and procedures are available upon request. The program complies with all institutional, local, state and federal policies.
All new students must provide proof of the following requirements before the first year of study and maintain them throughout enrollment in the program:
The COVID vaccination is strongly recommended to protect yourself, your family, and the patients you will be providing care for in the clinic. Some of the off-site clinic facilities that the dental hygiene program partners with may require the vaccination. A facility that requires a COVID vaccination may or may not accept a religious or medical exemption. Although the vaccine is currently only recommended, in the future, the dental hygiene program may require a COVID vaccination if a facility, requiring a COVID vaccination with no exemptions, is needed for an off-site clinical rotation to meet program requirements to graduate. The program will continue to monitor guidelines from our partner clinics, the CDC, the Minnesota Board of Dentistry, and the Minnesota Department of Health.
Students who are admitted into the Dental Hygiene program will receive detailed information during the program orientation.
Students in the Dental Hygiene program must meet the Technical Standards—a list of abilities necessary for effective performance in the program. The standards are compatible with the scope of practice as defined by the Minnesota State Board of Dentistry.
Get answers to common questions about the program, how to apply and the costs.
Attend an info session to see if our Dental Hygiene program might be a good fit for you.
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