Pre-Dental Hygiene

Year 1: Pre-Dental Hygiene at The University of Winnipeg

• Each dental hygiene program has its own entrance requirements. You must consult with the school where you plan to complete your studies to ensure you choose an appropriate set of courses, and that you will meet the entrance requirements for your Dental Hygiene program of choice
• To meet the entrance requirements for the Dental Hygiene diploma program at the University of Manitoba, you will complete 30 credit hours or one year of study, including the “Pre-Professional Requirements” listed below.

Years 2-3: Professional Studies: Dental Hygiene

• During your pre-professional studies at The University of Winnipeg, you will apply for admission to dental hygiene at another university or college.
• Enrolment in dental hygiene programs is limited, and only qualified applicants are chosen.
• At least two more years of study are usually required to complete a diploma program in dental hygiene. Degree programs may take longer.

Most students who study Pre-Dental Hygiene at The University of Winnipeg will apply to the School of Dental Hygiene at the University of Manitoba, but you may choose to apply elsewhere. Listed below are University of Winnipeg courses that satisfy the University of Manitoba’s entrance requirements (minimum of 30 credit hours) for a diploma in Dental Hygiene:

• BIOL-1112(6) Human Anatomy and Physiology
• CHEM-1111(3) Introduction to the Chemical Properties of Matter
• CHEM-1112(3) Basic Principles of Chemical Reactivity
• ENGL-1xxx(3) - 3 credit hours in English at the 1000 level or higher (course must be from the English department)
• PSYC-1000(6) Introductory Psychology
• 6 credit hours of electives, with a recommendation to take at least 3 credit hours of Sociology as part of the electives. UWinnipeg offers SOC-1100(3) Introduction to Sociology I and SOC-1102(3) Introduction to Sociology II or the former SOC-1101(6) Introduction to Sociology.
• STAT-1501(3) Elementary Biological Statistics I

An overall 3.0 GPA on all university courses is required for students that have completed up to 60 credit hours before applying to the School of Dental Hygiene at the University of Manitoba. In the case of applicants with over 60 credit hours, a minimum Adjust Grade Point Average (AGPA) of 3.0 is required on the most recent 60 credit hours of study. Any required courses with less than a C grade must be repeated to meet the admission requirements (minimum accepted grade in English is C+).

Please see University of Manitoba School of Dental Hygiene website and Applicant Information Bulletin for complete details.  As admission requirements may change from year to year, students are encouraged to review the Bulletin yearly in anticipation of any changes that need to be incorporated into their plans.

There are four Canadian universities offering accredited degree programs in dental hygiene, and 36 universities and colleges offering accredited diploma programs. Find information on careers and degree and diploma programs at the Canadian Dental Hygienists Association website at www.cdha.ca

You must meet The University of Winnipeg’s general admission requirements. In addition, you must have Chemistry 40S and either Pre-Calculus Mathematics 40S or Applied Mathematics 40S in order to take some of the required courses for admission to dental hygiene. Biology 40S is recommended. Minimum of 50% in each high school course is required.

What if I don’t have these high school courses? You can still pursue your pre-professional studies, but you might not be able to enroll in certain courses until you obtain the pre-requisites. There are two ways you can do this here:  take “Foundation” courses at UWinnipeg that are equivalent to high school-level math and science (MATH-0041 & MATH-0042; CHEM-0100) or complete high school courses at The Collegiate.