Which California Schools Offer Dental Programs?

Do you need to know which schools in California offer dental programs? The schools featured below offer undergraduate certificate and degree programs, along with graduate degree programs.

What You Need to Know

California dental education programs include those for future dental hygienists and dentists. Offered by local universities, the following dental hygiene programs take at least two years to complete, or one year in the case of the master's degree program. Aspiring dentists must complete four years of dental school. Alternatively, they might jointly earn Master of Business Administration degrees and Doctor of Dental Surgery credentials. Programs culminate with fieldwork, capstone projects and internships.

Certificate Programs in Dental Hygiene in California

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)

If you're an experienced dental technician, you can earn a certificate in maxillofacial prosthetics and advanced implantology for technicians or advanced esthetic dentistry for ceramist technicians. In the esthetic dentistry program, you can expect to work with patients and create esthetic restorations using various materials, including ceramic, metal-ceramic and polymer-fiber. You'll create veneers, inlays and metal-free crowns. In the maxillofacial prosthetics program, you'll learn how to create various implants and prosthetics. Both of these programs require 2 years of full-time study.

• Program Name: Certificate of Attendance
• Field of Study Options: Advanced Esthetic Dentistry for Ceramist Technicians or Maxillofacial Prosthetics and Advanced Implantology for Technicians
• Prerequisites: For the Advanced Esthetic Dentistry for Ceramist Technicians program: 2-year technical degree or 2 years of professional dental technology experience, ability to wax a tooth; for the Maxillofacial Prosthetics and Advanced Implantology for Technicians program: a dental technology degree or lab experience
• Requirements: 2-day practical exam and interview
• Program Length: 1 year full-time
• Tuition: $13,226 per quarter (2018-2019)
• School Type: 4-year, public; 44,537 students (31,577 undergraduate)

Associate Degree Programs in Dental Hygiene in California

Cabrillo College

Cabrillo College offers a dental hygiene program that takes 2 years to complete. There is often a waiting list for admission into the program as enrollment is limited to 22 students each June. In this associate degree program, you can expect to complete courses in patient assessment, anatomy of the head and neck, tooth morphology and periodontics. Other required courses include law and ethics related to dental hygiene, pain management and community oral health.

• Program Name: Associate of Science in Dental Hygiene
• Prerequisites: Courses in human anatomy, physiology, microbiology, inorganic chemistry for health occupations and English composition
• Tuition: $1,270 per year for California residents; $7,462 per year for out-of-state students (2018-2019)
• School Type: 2-year, public; 11,321 students (all undergraduate)

Master's Degree Programs in Dental Hygiene in California

University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

If you are a graduate of a basic dental hygiene program and have a bachelor's degree, you can earn a Master of Science (M.S.) in Dental Hygiene at UCSF. This 1-year program, which includes summer attendance, prepares you to work in research or education. The curriculum consists of 3 quarters of lecture courses, 1 quarter of fieldwork and a capstone project. In your classes, you'll look at case studies, clinical research and health policy. Your capstone project includes a written report and an oral presentation based on your fieldwork.

• Program Name: Master of Science
• Prerequisites: Bachelor's degree, graduation from basic dental hygiene program (if bachelor's degree is not in dental hygiene)
• Program Length: 1 year
• Tuition: $11,442 per year for California residents, $26,544 per year for out-of-state students (2018-2019)
• School Type: 4-year, public; 3,114 students (all graduate)

Doctor of Dental Surgery Programs in California

University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)

The UCLA School of Dentistry offers a Doctor of Dental Surgery (D.D.S.) program that requires 4 years of study. This program's curriculum is divided into 6 tracks, including periodontics, professionalism and oral disease. You can earn a Ph.D. in oral biology simultaneously with your D.D.S. if you're interested in a research career. In the oral biology program, some of the areas you may conduct research in include head and neck cancer, bioengineering and bone biology.

• Program Name: Doctor of Dental Surgery
• Prerequisites: Completion of at least 3 years of college coursework, including biology, inorganic chemistry, physics and organic chemistry; submission of Dental Admission Test scores
• Program Length: 4 years
• Tuition and Fees: $?12,946? per year for in-state and $?28,048? per year for out-of-state (2018-2019)
• School Type: 4-year, public; 44,537 students (31,577 undergraduate)

University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)

You can earn a D.D.S. through UCSF's 4-year program. In 2015-16, 89 students were admitted to the traditional D.D.S. program. Additionally, you can earn your Master of Business Administration (MBA) while completing your D.D.S. if you're interested in managing your own practice. You can apply to this joint program during your first year in dental school, and you'll complete your MBA classes during your last 3 years.

You can also attend the school's joint D.D.S and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) program. In this federally sponsored program, you can choose to focus your Ph.D. studies on oral and craniofacial sciences, epidemiology, bioinformatics or bioengineering. Overall, the program requires a minimum of 8 years of study. Upon graduation, you are prepared to work as an educator or researcher.

• Program Name: Doctor of Dental Surgery
• Prerequisites: Bachelor's degree, graduation from basic dental hygiene program
• Program Length: 1 year
• Tuition: $11,442 per year for California residents, $26,544 per year for out-of-state students (2018-2019)
• School Type: 4-year, public; 3,114 students (all graduate)

In summary, UCLA offers a certificate program in dental hygiene and a doctorate in dental surgery; Cabrillo College offers an associate degree in dental hygiene; and UCSF offers a master's in dental hygiene and a doctorate in dental surgery.