NYUCD to offer accelerated AAS degree in dental hygiene from January 2015

New York University College of Dentistry (NYUCD) is pleased to announce that, effective January 2015, it will offer an accelerated, continuous, 17-month, Associate in Applied Science (AAS) degree in dental hygiene.

The Fast-Track AAS degree program, the first of its kind in New York State, is designed specifically to enable highly-motivated students to gain access to the same innovative, high quality education as that offered by the traditional two-to-three year course of study, but in a more concentrated period.

US News and World Report ranks dental hygiene in the top 10 on their list of Best Jobs of 2014. Dental hygienists make yearly starting salaries of more than $70,000, and the prediction is for 33.3 percent employment growth in this field within the next decade.

"The new Fast-Track program addresses the readiness of high school graduates -- and those who already hold college degrees but desire to change careers  -- to enter one of the most personally fulfilling and professionally rewarding health professions within the shortest possible time," said Dr. Cheryl Westphal Theile, assistant dean for allied health programs at NYUCD. "As key members of the healthcare team, dental hygienists work together with dentists to meet the oral health needs of patients and thereby improve patients' quality of life."

NYU offers the only dental hygiene programs housed within a dental college in New York State. This gives Fast-Track students the opportunity to learn in integrated clinical settings alongside NYU dental students, as well as with NYU faculty members from dental hygiene, dentistry, and dental specialty areas (orthodontics, periodontics, prosthodontics, implant dentistry, pediatric dentistry, and oral surgery) in state-of-the-art facilities that attract the largest, most diverse patient population in the nation. Community-based rotations further enable students to gain valuable clinical experience while helping to educate patients about the importance of oral health and promoting a lifetime of good health habits.

Graduates of the program are qualified to take the clinical board examinations and the dental hygiene national boards, which are requirements for state licensure. The NYU Fast-Track dental hygiene program is fully accredited by the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation for Dental Hygiene Education Programs.

Professional opportunities following graduation include clinical practice, public health careers, research, and health-care management. Financial aid is available.