Dental Hygiene Requirements

Dental hygienists are licensed dental professionals who clean teeth and educate patients on oral hygiene and preventative care. The University of Memphis does not offer a bachelor’s degree in Dental Hygiene. We partner with the University of Tennessee Health Science Center to help University of Memphis students pursue a career in Dental Hygiene. Pre-Dental Hygiene students have the option of completing 2 years of prerequisite classes at the University of Memphis or a full baccalaureate (in any program) before applying to UTHSC’s program. Please email mcullen@memphis.edu for more information.

University of Tennessee Health Science Center

• The Dental Hygiene program offered by The University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) is a baccalaureate program. Students at The University of Memphis may enter the U of M as undecided or select one of our undergraduate majors.
  
  
• It is the applicant's responsibility to research each school and review recommended coursework in addition to verifying the prerequisites listed below. Application dates and deadlines may vary.
  
  
• Students are strongly encouraged to meet with the pre-professional advisor early in their academic career to discuss plans of study, student involvement, the application process to professional school, etc.
  
  
• Helpful Resources can be found at the American Dental Education Association
  
  

Courses	U of M Course	# of hours required by UTHSC
Anatomy & Physiology	BIOL 2010/2011 BIOL 2020/2021	8
General Biology	BIOL 1110/1111	4
Microbiology	BIOL 1230/1231	4
General Chemistry	CHEM 1110/1111 CHEM 1120/1121	8
English Composition	ENGL 1010 ENGL 1020	6
English Literature	ENGL 2201 or ENGL 2202	3
Communication	COMM 2381	3
Nutrition	NUTR 2202	3
College Algebra	Math 1710 or higher	3
Medical Terminology	CLAS 3021 or HMSE 2000	2 - 3
Sociology	Any course	3
Psychology	Any course	3
Electives	See Advisor for options	9 -10 hours needed to reach 60 total semester hours