Dental Hygiene
Types of Degrees Dental Hygiene Majors Are Getting
The following table lists how many dental hygiene/hygienist graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.
Education Level | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Associate Degree | 5,512 |
Bachelor’s Degree | 2,388 |
Basic Certificate | 327 |
Master’s Degree | 89 |
Undergraduate Certificate | 67 |
Graduate Certificate | 2 |
What Dental Hygiene Majors Need to Know
People with careers related to dental hygiene were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.
Knowledge Areas for Dental Hygiene Majors
Dental Hygiene majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:
- Medicine and Dentistry - Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
- English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
- Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
- Education and Training - Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.
- Biology - Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
Skills for Dental Hygiene Majors
The following list of skills has been highlighted as some of the most essential for careers related to dental hygiene:
- Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
- Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
- Instructing - Teaching others how to do something.
Abilities for Dental Hygiene Majors
Some of the most crucial abilities to master while a dental hygiene student include the following:
- Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
- Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
- Near Vision - The ability to see details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).
- Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
- Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
What Can You Do With a Dental Hygiene Major?
Below is a list of occupations associated with dental hygiene:
Job Title | Job Growth Rate | Median Salary |
---|---|---|
Dental Hygienists | 19.7% | $74,820 |
Health Specialties Professors | 25.9% | $97,370 |
Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Dental Hygiene?
Racial-Ethnic Diversity
At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of dental hygiene majors is as follows:
Race/Ethnicity | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Asian | 194 |
Black or African American | 106 |
Hispanic or Latino | 409 |
White | 1,487 |
International Students | 28 |
Other Races/Ethnicities | 164 |
Geographic Diversity
Students from other countries are interested in Dental Hygiene, too. About 1.2% of those with this major are international students.
Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Dental Hygiene
Some degrees associated with dental hygiene may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.
Find out what the typical degree level is for dental hygiene careers below.
Education Level | Percentage of Workers |
---|---|
Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production) | 1.0% |
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 53.9% |
Bachelor’s Degree | 18.2% |
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master. | 0.5% |
Master’s Degree | 12.6% |
Doctoral Degree | 8.7% |
Post-Doctoral Training | 6.7% |
Online Dental Hygiene Programs
The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.
Degree Level | Colleges Offering Programs | Colleges Offering Online Classes |
---|---|---|
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year) | 0 | 0 |
Certificate (1-2 years) | 8 | 0 |
Certificate (2-4 Years) | 7 | 0 |
Associate’s Degree | 291 | 4 |
Bachelor’s Degree | 1 | 1 |
Post-Baccalaureate | 0 | 0 |
Master’s Degree | 17 | 4 |
Post-Master’s | 2 | 0 |
Doctor’s Degree (Research) | 0 | 0 |
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice) | 0 | 0 |
Doctor’s Degree (Other) | 0 | 0 |
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Majors Related to Dental Hygiene
You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to dental hygiene.
Major | Number of Grads |
---|---|
Dental Assisting/Assistant | 16,340 |
Dental Laboratory Technology/Technician | 243 |
Other Dental Services & Allied Professions | 72 |
References
*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.
- College Factual
- College Scorecard
- National Center for Education Statistics
- O*NET Online
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
More about our data sources and methodologies.