
Entry-Level Track
Bachelor of Science Degree in Dental Hygiene
Announcement: On July 13, 2020, the Director issued an Order Waiving Wet Laboratory Admission Standard for Dental Hygiene Educational Programs. The order was scheduled to expire on December 31, 2020. The Director hereby extends the Order Waiving Wet Laboratory Admission Standard for Dental Hygiene Educational Programs to June 30, 2021. This order is effective immediately but may be amended as circumstances require. Dated: December 15, 2020. Here’s a link to the full waiver: https://www.dca.ca.gov/licensees/dca_waivers.shtml Program: Dental Hygiene Notice: Bloodborne Pathogen Exposure |
Entry-Level Track
Program Requirements
Required Prerequisite Coursework (Download the list here)
- Minimum cumulative college GPA of 2.5
- Recency of courses: There is a six-year recency requirement for the biological sciences courses*(anatomy and physiology, nutrition, microbiology and pharmacology) which must be passed with a 2.75 GPA or higher.
- Completion of CSU or IGETC pattern general education (includes many of the courses listed below)
COURSE NAME | COURSE EQUIVALENT | C-ID DESCRIPTOR |
---|---|---|
General anatomy & physiology with labs* |
BIOL 40A, 40B & 40C | C-ID BIO 155S or C-ID BIO 110B and 120B |
Human nutrition* |
BIOL 45 | C-ID NUTR 110 |
Microbiology with lab* |
BIOL 41 | None |
Pharmacology* |
PHT 58 (formerly BIOL 58) |
None |
Survey of inorganic, organic & biochemistry & labs |
CHEM 30A & 30B | C-ID CHEM 101 (CHEM 30A) & CHEM 102(CHEM 30B) |
Introduction to speech or communication |
COMM 1A or COMM 1AH or ANY COMM in CSU A1 or IGETC 1C | C-ID COMM 110 |
Introduction to Dental Hygiene |
DH 200L | None |
English composition & reading |
ENGL 1A or 1AH or 1S/1T |
C-ID ENGL 100 |
English composition, critical reading & thinking |
ENGL 1B or 1BH or 1C or 1CH or PHIL 1, or 7, or 30 |
C-ID ENGL 105, ENGL 110; PHIL 210 (PHIL 7) |
Health |
HLTH 21 (recommended) or HLTH 20 | C-ID PHS 100 or C-ID PHS 101 |
Statistics |
MATH 10 or PSYC 7 or SOC 7 | C-ID MATH 110 |
General psychology |
PSYC 1 (recommended) or ANY Psychology course | C-ID PSY 110 |
Introduction to sociology |
SOC 1 (recommended) or ANY Sociology course | C-ID SOCI 110 |
Multicultural/Ethnic studies course |
COMM 12 or COMM 10 (recommended) | C-ID COMM 150 (COMM 12) |
BS in Dental Hygiene – Entry-level Education Plan Example
- Preparation for the major = 90.5 quarter units (first two years)
- Majors courses & upper division GE = 106 quarter units
- Download >> Entry-Level Education Plan Example (Updated for 2019-2020)
Apply to the Dental Hygiene Program!See the Apply for the Program webpage. |
Catalog Description
The Dental Hygiene Program is a Bachelor in Science degree program, under the pilot program (SB 850), authorized by the State Chancellor's Office.
The program is highly academic, with an emphasis on evidence based practice and clinical skills to prepare students to assess the medical/dental status of patients, develop a dental hygiene care plan, implement appropriate dental hygiene care, and evaluate outcomes.
The Commission on Dental Accreditation accredits the Foothill College Dental Hygiene Program.
Graduates are eligible to take the National Dental Hygiene Board Examination and qualify for the State or Regional Registered Dental Hygiene licensure examination.
Apply for Entry-Level Track Dental Hygiene Program
Program BrochureFor reference or sharing, download our program brochure |

Questions?
We're Here to Help!
Truc Nguyen, Dental Administrative Assistant
dentalhygieneclinic@foothill.edu