Dental Hygiene AS to BS Online Completion Program
The BSDH online degree completion program offered by East Tennessee State University
is one of the oldest and most successful of its kind. The Tennessee Board of Regents and the Tennessee Higher Education Commission granted
final approval for the BSDH Online allowing acceptance of the first class in the fall
of 2001. As of 2021, the program has 240 graduates.
The completion degree is designed for students who have earned an Associate Degree in Dental Hygiene and want an expanded knowledge base in their chosen profession.
Students completing this program will gain additional expertise in current approaches to supportive periodontal therapy and soft tissue management, meeting the needs of geriatrics and other underserved populations, community and rural health program design implementation and evaluation, pain management, teaching strategies for health professionals, and skills needed to responsibly build an evidence-based practice.
Additionally, students become part of a community of lifelong learners enriching each
other's learning experiences. The program is research and writing based, giving students
the opportunity to build oral and written communication skills as well as technology
skills that will benefit them as practitioners, in advancing or changing career paths,
or furthering their education.
In order to graduate with a Bachelor's degree, students must complete all general
education core requirements in addition to the online dental hygiene courses. Courses
from other universities and colleges may be transferred to ETSU. Scheduling an appointment
with an advisor will help you determine what courses may transfer.
Award Winners
Five of our BS completion degree students have presented posters at national conferences having been chosen as student merit award winners by the American Association of Public Health Dentistry.
- Laura Teran - presented in Little Rock, AR in 2006 - presented a bilingual dental education program for a multi-cultural kindergarten
- Barbara George - presented in Little Rock, AR in 2006 - re-invigorated a smoking cessation program for young adults at a Job Corp
- Cathy Holtman - presented in Pittsburgh, PA in 2011 - presented an outreach dental education project for underserved young moms.
- Angela Haynes - presented in Huntsville, AL in 2013 - provided dental screenings, hygiene services, and patient education to developmentally disabled adults, and worked with a local dentist to provide all the participants the treatment they needed on an on-going basis.
- Jessie Hewlett - presented at Kansas City, MO in 2015 - provided dental screening and education and coordinated volunteers to provide treatment services for a group of women battling addiction and/or domestic violence.
We are proud to have our students' outstanding work in their communities recognized nationally.
Read What Our Graduates are Saying About Us
East Tennessee State University is a public institution governed by its Board of Trustees.
East Tennessee State University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges
and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) to award baccalaureate, master’s, education
specialist, and doctoral degrees.Degree-granting institutions also may offer credentials
such as certificates and diplomas at approved degree levels. Questions about the accreditation
of East Tennessee State University may be directed in writing to the Southern Association
of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at 1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, GA
30033-4097, by calling (404) 679-4500, or by using information available on SACSCOC's
website (www.sacscoc.org).