Master of Science

The Master of Science in Dental Hygiene (MSDH) program prepares leaders in the profession for research, the healthcare industry and academia.

For course descriptions, please check out the MSDH Information Guide. Prospective applicants with questions can contact Tina Jalivay at 612-625-9121 or request more information via our online form.

Tuition and Fees

Effective fall 2022, tuition for the Master of Science in Dental Hygiene program is assessed at the rate of $1,044 per credit hour, plus applicable fees, each semester. All graduate students pay the resident tuition rate.

Online Dental Hygiene Dental Track

Want to share your knowledge and teach the next generation of hygienists? The Online Dental Hygiene Education Track might be just the program you're looking for. Courses in this track provide students with the knowledge and skills to teach didactic, clinic, and laboratory courses in dental hygiene programs, conduct research, and assume administrative positions.

The education track is delivered online through a combination of synchronous and asynchronous class sessions. This format provides access to dental hygiene professionals nationwide who wish to pursue graduate education. A two-week campus visit is required for the clinic student teaching practicum. The management track is delivered on campus in the School of Dentistry and Carlson School of Management.

Prerequisite: students in both the management track and dental hygiene education tracks who have not taken an undergraduate descriptive/inferential statistics course will be required to do so prior to entry or prior to taking the required statistics course.

The total number of credit hours required for completion of the Master of Science in Dental Hygiene Degree Program is 33 credit hours for the education track and/or 36-41 credit hours for the management track.

Management Track - Now offered online and on campus

The Master of Science in Dental Hygiene will provide management skills for dental hygienists who wish to enter the healthcare industry.

The dental hygiene management track is offered in collaboration with the world-renowned Carlson School of Management. In response to the demand by medical and dental industries for employees knowledgeable in healthcare management, the Carlson School of Management has established the Medical Industry Leadership Institute (MILI) to provide leadership for graduates who wish to enter the medical and dental industry.

Oral healthcare companies desire employees who understand the science behind the products they manufacture and who have used and promoted their products to the consumer. Dental hygienists, because of their science acumen, are assuming positions as researchers, sales representatives, and managers of marketing and professional relations departments. In addition, dental hygienists have assumed responsibilities as managers of large dental clinics, practice management consultants, and entrepreneurs.

A supervised learning experience (internship) in a leading healthcare industry organization is an integral part of this program track. The internship will allow students to apply classroom theory in real-world business situations.

Where our students have interned: Proctor & Gamble, Dentsply, Hu-Friedy, Philips Oral Healthcare, Ultradent, Minnesota Department of Health, and Sunstar/Butler.

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Recent Student Publications

Students in the Master's of Dental Hygiene Education program are expected to design and implement a thesis project that results in a publication-quality document. Here are links to several examples of such documents that did, indeed, result in publication by our students.