Sample CSC Course Schedule: A personalized schedule will be developed in consultation with your academic advisor to reflect the RHOP Pre-Dentistry program requirements, your interests, and any academic (non-science or math) courses you bring to your undergraduate program. The following schedule is one example of the type of schedule you could have at Chadron State College. 

Sample Schedule for RHOP Pre-Dental Hygiene Students

Your actual schedule will be created in consultation with your RHOP faculty advisor

RHOP Pre-Dental Hygiene Sample Schedule

Dental Hygiene is a CSC Rural Health Professions Pathway. 

CSC RHOP Program Benefits:  Each RHOP participant will receive the following:

• Full CSC tuition scholarship up to 120 credit hours (excluding summer sessions)
• Specified curriculum, with early enrollment privileges
• Specialized faculty mentoring and advising from experienced faculty
• Focused specialized professional development opportunities, including visits to the UNMC professional schools
• Admission to the partnering health care program at UNMC, upon satisfactory completion of all program requirements while at CSC

RHOP General Admissions Criteria:  General requirements to be considered for acceptance into the RHOP Pre-Dental Hygiene program include the following:

• Accepted into Chadron State College
• Demonstrated academic achievement indicative of the ability to succeed in the applicable UNMC Program
• Attend or be a graduate of an accredited Nebraska senior high school in a Rural Area*, or received an equivalent of a high school diploma in Nebraska, and be a legal resident of a rural area of Nebraska, and
• Demonstrated commitment to practicing in Rural Areas* of Nebraska.

(*Rural Areas do not include Omaha, Ralson, Boys Town, Elkhorn, Lincoln, Bellevue, Papillion, LaVista, Chalco, and Offutt Air Force Base, as defined by UNMC)

RHOP General Undergraduate Program Requirements:  Upon acceptance into the RHOP Pre-Dental Hygiene program, participants will: 

• Complete all Math and all Science courses required for the UNMC program at Chadron State College.
• Meet all Program requirements for satisfactory progress in RHOP, which is evaluated each semester.
  • Maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.3 or higher AND a cumulative science GPA of 3.0 or higher
  • Earn a “C” or better in each course
  • File Mid-semester Grade Reports with the Health Professions Office
  • Meet with their faculty advisor at least once per semester
  • Submit a professional journal chronicling their activities that support their development and motivation toward becoming a dental hygienist
  • Shadow dentists and dental hygienists, and record these within their journal
  • Visit UNMC during regularly scheduled RHOP trips
  • Participate in on-campus activities that enhance their abilities to interact with people
  • Return to their high school to promote the RHOP program at least once while at CSC
• Exhibit professional and personal behaviors that reflect positively on them, UNMC, and Chadron State College. (Note: some legal issues can preclude you from obtaining your professional license)
• Complete all UNMC Program requirements for matriculation
• Participate in required RHOP Annual Visits to the respective campuses

Participants will submit a complete application through the Dental Hygiene Centralized Application Service on the ADEA website in the fall semester of their second year at CSC.

Students will also participate in the Health Professions Club (HPC) which promotes an understanding of the health professions fields and creates close relationships between professional schools and health professions students. 

By becoming a dental hygienist, you choose a career that offers independence, security, and challenge, with an emphasis on prevention of disease and increased care for the demands of an aging population.

Dental Hygienists conduct initial screening for oral diseases and provide preventative oral health care.  The job outlook through 2033 is anticipated to increase by 9%, much faster than the average for other occupations (according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook).

Students selected into the CSC-UNMC RHOP program will follow a prescribed curriculum at Chadron State College for four semesters (2 years), prior to completing two additional years at UNMC to graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree from UNMC.