Dental Hygiene Programs in Mississippi
Mississippi has 5 CODA-accredited dental hygiene programs, at community colleges and one university across the state, in Booneville, Hattiesburg, Jackson, Meridian and Moorhead.
Each program is listed below with its city, address, website, and current accreditation status, pulled directly from the Commission on Dental Accreditation's own program directory.
Graduating from a CODA-accredited program satisfies the education requirement for licensure in every U.S. jurisdiction, though how a program prepares you for the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination and Mississippi's own licensing process is worth understanding before you apply.
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At a glance
In Mississippi
Programs
5
With a program
Cities
5
Approval without Reporting Requirements
Fully approved
4 of 5
Every CODA-Accredited Program in Mississippi
Source: CODA program directory, index dated 2026-09-09. Status terms (“Approval without Reporting Requirements,” “Approval with Reporting Requirements,” “Initial Accreditation,” “Discontinued,” etc.) are CODA’s own.
What CODA Accreditation Means for Your License
CODA accreditation is the credential jurisdictions look for when they evaluate a hygiene applicant's education. "Approval without reporting requirements" means CODA's own definition: the program "achieves or exceeds the basic requirements for accreditation." "Approval with reporting requirements" means specific deficiencies were identified and the program must correct them within a set timeframe — not a warning to avoid the program.
The visit years above are when CODA last and next reviewed each program, not its own academic calendar.
Graduating from a CODA-accredited program satisfies the education requirement for licensure in every U.S. jurisdiction, and the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination (NBDHE) fulfills or partially fulfills the written-exam requirement most jurisdictions set — acceptance is at that jurisdiction's own discretion, including Mississippi's.
See our step-by-step guide to becoming a dental hygienist for the full path from enrollment to license.
Choosing Among Mississippi's Programs
Mississippi's programs sit at community colleges around the state and at the University of Mississippi School of Dentistry in Jackson, and each sets its own admission requirements, prerequisite coursework, and application cycle.
Contact a program directly for its current curriculum, application deadlines, and clinical-site details — the CODA accreditation status shown for each program above reflects the program's last accreditation visit, not its admissions process.
If you're also weighing degree level or how long a program takes, see associate vs. bachelor's in dental hygiene and how long dental hygiene school takes.
After You Graduate: Licensure in Mississippi
A CODA-accredited program is the first step, not the last.
Mississippi's own board sets the exam, application and continuing-education requirements a graduate must meet to hold an active license, and those requirements can change.
See our Mississippi dental hygienist requirements and scope of practice page for what the state itself requires, and confirm anything you intend to rely on with the Mississippi Board of Dental Examiners before enrolling or applying.
After Graduation: Working in Mississippi
Once you've earned your CODA-accredited degree and passed the required exams, the next step is finding a position that fits your goals.
Mississippi hygienists work across private general and specialty practices, community health centers, and public health settings statewide, and where you trained doesn't limit where you can work in the state.
See our Mississippi dental hygienist salary guide for what the role pays across the state, and browse current dental hygienist jobs in Mississippi to see what's hiring now — filter by salary range or benefits, or sort by newest, to find openings that match what you're looking for.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many CODA-accredited dental hygiene programs are in Mississippi?
Mississippi has 5 CODA-accredited dental hygiene programs, located in Booneville, Hattiesburg, Jackson, Meridian and Moorhead.
Each is listed above with its current CODA accreditation status, address and website.
CODA's own directory is the definitive, up-to-date list — confirm a program's status directly with CODA before applying.
Does it matter which Mississippi program I attend?
Not for licensure eligibility — every program listed above holds CODA accreditation, and CODA accreditation is what jurisdictions require for the education portion of licensure nationwide, including Mississippi.
Beyond that baseline, programs differ in location, campus and admission requirements, so contact each one directly to compare them.
See associate vs. bachelor's in dental hygiene if you're also weighing degree level.
Do I have to attend a Mississippi program to work as a hygienist in Mississippi?
No. Mississippi licenses hygienists who graduated from any CODA-accredited program, not only ones located in Mississippi.
What matters for licensure eligibility is the program's CODA accreditation and passing the required exams — see our Mississippi requirements page for the state's own licensing rules.
What does an out-of-state applicant need to know about a Mississippi program?
CODA accreditation is a national standard, so a Mississippi program carries the same accreditation weight as a program anywhere else in the country.
Where you ultimately want to practice determines which state board you'll need to apply to for licensure, and that board's own requirements — not the program's location — govern your eligibility there.
What comes after I finish a CODA-accredited hygiene program?
Graduates typically sit for the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination and a regional or state clinical exam, then apply for licensure with the Mississippi Board of Dental Examiners.
Our step-by-step guide to becoming a dental hygienist walks through that full sequence.
Is every program on this list accredited?
Every program above is shown with the CODA accreditation status CODA had published for it as of 2026-09-09, the date this directory was last pulled from CODA's own program search. "Approval without Reporting Requirements" is CODA's standard fully-accredited standing; other status terms on this page — such as "Approval with Reporting Requirements," "Initial Accreditation," or "Discontinued" — mean something different, and a status can change after that date.
Confirm a program's current status directly with CODA before applying.
More Mississippi & Dental Hygienist Resources
Sourced from the CODA program directory (index dated 2026-09-09). Verified September 2026. Program details change. Confirm accreditation status, admission requirements and costs with the program and with CODA before applying.