Two Schools Add Baccalaureate Degrees
In order for its graduates to succeed in an ever-competitive job market, Clark College in Vancouver, Washington, and Indiana University School of Dentistry (IUSD) in Indianapolis are looking to add a Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene degree to their academic offerings.
In order for its graduates to succeed in an ever-competitive job market, Clark College in Vancouver, Washington, and Indiana University School of Dentistry (IUSD) in Indianapolis are looking to add a Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene degree to their academic offerings. Starting in fall 2015, Clark College will offer its first baccalaureate degree—a Bachelor of Applied Science in Dental Hygiene. Clark College administrators say the change will create new job opportunities for its graduates with minimal changes to its current program—which took many students nearly 4 years to complete, due to its rigorous requirements.
IUSD Dental Hygiene Program Director Lisa Maxwell, LDH, BS, MSM, tells Dimensions of Dental Hygiene that while the university has not yet confirmed the dental hygiene baccalaureate degree, it could happen by fall 2016. “Our main reason for converting the program from an associate degree to a bachelor degree is the job market,” Maxwell explains. “IUSD graduates are having some difficulty finding full-time employment in clinical dental hygiene settings. A Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene degree will expand the employment opportunities of our future graduates.”
Currently, the IUSD Department of Dental Hygiene offers both an Associate of Science (AS) in Dental Hygiene and a Bachelor of Science in Public Health Dental Hygiene—the latter being a part-time, degree-completion program for dental hygienists who have already completed an AS. The BSDH degree, if approved by the university, will replace the program’s current AS degree.
From Dimensions of Dental Hygiene. December 2014;12(12):12–13.
