University of the Pacific presents an opportunity for students to take full advantage of the experience their Dental Hygiene program offers. The program is open for application by freshmen, majors in dental hygiene or transfer students from other universities and colleges.
The university has formulated a special Bachelor of Science Degree in Dental Hygiene that is aimed at students who are highly qualified. The baccalaureate hygiene degree is relevant to clinical practice and can facilitate entry into various sectors such as research, public health, teaching, administration and private practice. It also allows entry into other hygiene practices as well as advanced degree programs.
The Dental Hygiene program is exceedingly competitive and admission is based exclusively on merit. Following the completion of the prerequisite course work detailed below at Pacific, a student can apply for a dental hygiene major as a freshman. Students are required to have a high school GPA of not less than 2.7. They also need to have undertaken chemistry, Biology and other preparatory classes for college. Of all the dental hygiene schools in California, the program at UOP is among the most competitive to get accepted into.
Students are eligible for direct advancement to the upper division major for the Dental Hygiene program if they have completed their prerequisite course work with a minimum GPA of 3.0. The Dental Hygiene majors who have a GPA that is below 3.0 may also be guaranteed an interview if they do apply to the upper division courses in dental hygiene. This is because the matriculation process is not automatic.
The Dental Hygiene program is due to relocate to University of the Pacific: San Francisco campus in January 2017. The campus is home to various dental programs which are offered at the Arthur A. Duguni School of Dentistry. Moving the dental hygiene program aims at increasing the connections to the campus’s dental clinic and programs that is based in San Francisco, enhancing opportunities between different professions in the oral health care sector, creating opportunities for dental hygiene students to study alongside other students in various programs such as residency, IDS and DDS programs as well as allowing access to the sizeable base of patients who check in at the clinics within the school.
The campus located in San Francisco happens to be a state of the art facility that is conveniently placed in the South of Market (SoMa) District. The facility is easily accessible via various public transportation systems including BART/Muni.
With the aforementioned competitiveness in admission to the Dental Hygiene program, students can apply as freshmen in a pre-dental hygiene major and be able to complete their prerequisite course work at Pacific. The pre-dental hygiene majors at Pacific who advance a GPA of at least 2.7 will be eligible for interviews to gain admission into the professional dental hygiene courses at the San Francisco campus. Students at Pacific with other majors may apply as long as they have a GPA of 2.7 alone and have undertaken the prerequisite courses.
It is also possible for students who have completed the prerequisite coursework at different educational institutions to apply for the Dental Hygiene program at University of the Pacific as transfer students. Following their applications and subsequent comprehensive review by the Office of Admissions, such students who happen to be qualified will be invited to the campus to participate in interviews.
The transfer process also involves financial aid seminars, orientation, informal meetings with current students, and tours of the campus in addition to a personal interview. The admission of transfer students will be based on the interviews and information on the applications.
Some of the careers which the University of Pacific Dental Hygiene program prepares students for include oral health care educator, health promoter, clinician, researcher or consumer advocate. The main focus of the Dental Hygiene program is teeth cleaning, oral health education provision, treatment counseling provision, oral pathologies and injuries identification and dental hygiene practice management.
There are various courses that are encompassed in the program and they include; microbiology, dental anatomy, pathology, equipment operation and maintenance, radiology, dental hygiene theory and techniques, dental materials, supervised clinical training, office management and professional as well. Additional information is detailed below including other colleges in California that offer dental hygienist programs.
University of the Pacific Dental Hygienist program is accredited by the American Dental Association, which since 2003 has been the commission for Dental Accreditation.
For the 2014-15 academic year, the total cost of attending University of the Pacific was $55,670. This price listing is the same for both resident and non-resident students. The University of the Pacific does not offer in-state discounts.
Tuition at the University of the Pacific cost $40,822 for the 2014-2015 academic year. This figure is 62 % higher than the national average for private four year college tuition which is $25,198.
University of the Pacific is currently the 160th most affordable 4 year college in California in terms of tuition costs. Of the most expensive four year colleges in the state, it comes in at 22nd. The tuition price is uniform across the board for all students.
In addition to the tuition, the university charges $520 therefore bringing the cost of in-state tuition to a total of $41,342.
Books and supplies account for an estimated $1800 annually.
The net price refers to the total costs incurred when paying through student loans. University of the Pacific reports an in-state student net price of $33,450 for the 2015-16 academic year. It is important to note that this price listing is inclusive of accommodation and meals.
University of the Pacific Dental Hygiene Program 415-929-6400 155 Fifth Street San Francisco, CA 94103
During the 2013-14 academic year, 90% of University of Pacific students had access to grant aid with an average amount of $19,000. The United States Federal Government provided 29% of the students with Pell grants and the average amount received for the same academic year was $4,407. Students who seek to apply for Pell grants to enroll at University of the Pacific can do so by filling out the Free Application for Federal Students Aid (FAFSA).
If scholarships and grant aids are accessible to students, the total cost of attending University of the Pacific may be less than $55,700 as published above. Several other factors may also come into play such as parent/guardian or student net incomes.