The dental hygiene baccalaureate degree program consists of one year of prescribed college courses followed by three years of instruction at the School of Dentistry. A combination of classroom and real world experience, VICs offer students in all four dental classes and all three dental hygiene classes an opportunity to work together to achieve high levels of clinical competence. Dental hygiene students begin their clinical experiences during the first semester. The School has two programs designed to attract disadvantaged college students to careers in the oral health profession - Pipeline and Profile for Success . Students take mini courses in biology, chemistry, and physics.
Labs supplement lectures.
Emphasis is not solely on science courses, however. Academic skills are bolstered with lectures on time management, note taking, test preparation, and other topics. Students gain experience that simulates activities in clinical practice. These include cavity preparation on artificial teeth, making impressions, exposing and processing radiographs, and waxing. The School's graduate programs lead to a Master of Science degree or a specialty certification in biomaterials, endodontics, operative dentistry, oral and maxillofacial surgery, orthodontics, pediatric dentistry, periodontics, prosthodontics, and restorative dentistry.