Dental Assisting Undergraduate Certificate
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Dental Assisting Undergraduate Certificate
Develop the skills necessary to provide oral health care, and become eligible to sit for the certified dental assistant national certification exam.
Explore the dental assisting undergraduate certificate program at the University of Alaska Anchorage
Connecting oral health with general health, dental assistants are well-rounded members
of a dental care team. By applying their knowledge and skills in technology, interpersonal
communication and patient care, dental assistants help dentists work more efficiently.
Dental assisting scholarships and financial aid
You may qualify for university, department and program scholarships such as the Dental
Education Scholarship, the Dental Education Endowment and American Dental Assistants
Association scholarships. Learn more from the UAA Office of Financial Aid.
Program accreditation
The Dental Assisting undergraduate certificate is fully accredited by the American
Dental Association’s Commission on Dental Accreditation. You’ll experience the same
quality instruction, hands-on training and high standard of UAA’s accredited associate
degree program in dental assisting.
Student advising
Work with faculty and staff advisors in the School of Allied Health to stay on track while earning your undergraduate certificate. From admission and
program requirements to transfer credits and placement testing through the UAA Testing Center, advisors will help you develop and follow through with academic plans to achieve
educational, career and life goals.
Advanced technology and equipment
Gain first-hand work experience in everything from appointment scheduling and patient
care to taking x-rays and four-handed dentistry. UAA’s dental assisting program houses
a fully functional dental clinic, a sterilization room, a materials lab classroom,
a multimedia room, a radiography viewing room and a darkroom.
Did you know..
Students in the certificate program can smoothly transition into the two-year dental assisting associate’s degree program. All certificate courses count towards associate’s degree program requirements.
What can you do with a dental assisting certificate from UAA?
Prepare to immediately join the workforce in dental assisting or continue your education in UAA’s dental assisting associate’s degree program.
With a dental assisting undergraduate certificate, UAA alumni can work in a wide variety of settings, such as:
- General dentistry or specialty practices
- Private or group practices
- Hospitals
- Dental school clinics
- Vocational schools or community colleges and universities
- Federal and government facilities
- Public health facilities
- Insurance companies
By the numbers..
Dental assisting undergraduate certificate program highlights
With a focus on hands-on training, UAA’s undergraduate certificate in dental assisting combines classroom learning with skills development to prepare you for a successful career in oral health care.
- Work with licensed dentists in two or more internship opportunities that provide clinical experience. As a dental assistant major, you’ll complete service in the UAA Dental Clinic, helping provide dental services to the Anchorage campus and local community. In local area dental offices, you’ll spend 300 hours turning theory and methodology into practice.
- Participate in two service learning projects. In the past, dental assisting majors have provided oral hygiene instruction to local area elementary schools and participated in UAA Dental Days to join volunteers in providing free dental services to the Anchorage campus and local communities in UAA’s Dental Clinic.
- Learn from expert faculty and staff who have published research and presented nationally on oral health care topics. Program instructors include board-certified dental assistants with specialties including dental radiography, infection control and dental materials.
Connect with businesses and organizations locally and statewide, including the Alaska State Dental Hygienists’ Association, Alaska Dental Action Coalition, Alaska Dental Society and the United Way of Anchorage.
Each spring, dental assisting students volunteer to provide free dental services for the Anchorage campus and local communities in the UAA Dental Clinic.
With a fully functional, seven-operatory dental clinic on campus, UAA offers dental assisting students hands-on training through clinical experience and practice.
Dental assisting undergraduate certificate program curriculum
UAA’s undergraduate certificate in dental assisting combines program requirements
with hands-on training to prepare you with interpersonal and technical jobs skills,
as well as general healthcare knowledge. You’ll explore areas such as infection control, chairside techniques and biomedical and dental sciences,
preparing you for a dental assistant career in general dentistry or specialty areas such as pediatric
dentistry, orthodontics and maxillofacial surgery.
How long is dental assistant school?
You can complete the 31-credit-hour requirement to earn an undergraduate certificate
in dental assisting within one year.
Top classes in the dental assisting certificate program
- Practice direct patient care with clinical labs in Chairside Techniques I and II.
- Develop technical skills in taking digital radiographs with Radiography Lab.
- Explore topics such as orthodontics and oral surgery in Dental Specialties.
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