Dental hygiene students working in clinic

Entry-Level Track

Bachelor of Science Degree in Dental Hygiene

QUICK VIEW — Dental Hygiene Bachelor of Science (Pilot Program SB 850)

Announcement:

Exercising the authority under Governor Gavin Newsom’s Executive Order N-39-20, the director of the Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) issued the following waiver on 7/13/2020 : DCA Waiver DCA-20-35 Waiving Wet Laboratory Admission Standard for Dental Hygiene Educational Programs. Therefore, we will accept the virtual labs for dental hygiene prerequisites.

Program: Dental Hygiene
Degree/Cert: Bachelor of Science/No
Length: 2 years
Start/End: July/June
FT/PT: FT
Number Accepted: 24
Application Timeline: October 1- February 1
Prerequisites: Yes, see program requirements below. Announcement - Bio 58 (Pharmacology) is now offered in Fall, Winter and Spring quarters.
Approx. Cost of the Dental Hygiene Program: College & Enrollment Fees: $9,669, Textbooks: $1,380, Instrument kit: $6,100
National Lic./Cert.: Yes
State Lic.Cert.: Yes
Est. Annual Salary: $50,000-$125,000

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* (1 year)	BIOL 40A, 40B & 40C	C-ID BIO 155S or C-ID BIO 110B and 120B
Human nutrition* (1 QTR/SEM)	BIOL 45	C-ID NUTR 110
Microbiology with lab* (1 QTR/SEM)	BIOL 41	None
Pharmacology* (1 QTR/SEM) – must be taken at Foothill College. No substitution.	PHT 58 (formerly BIOL 58)	None
Survey of inorganic, organic & biochemistry & labs (2 QTRs/SEMs)	CHEM 30A & 30B	C-ID CHEM 101 (CHEM 30A) & CHEM 102(CHEM 30B)
Introduction to speech or communication (1 QTR/SEM)	COMM 1A or COMM 1AH or ANY COMM in CSU A1 or IGETC 1C	C-ID COMM 110
Introduction to Dental Hygiene (1 QTR) – must be taken at Foothill College. No substitution.	DH 200L	None
English composition & reading (1 QTRs/STR)	ENGL 1A or 1AH or 1S/1T	C-ID ENGL 100
English composition, critical reading & thinking (1 QTRs/STR)	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 (1 QTR/STR)	HLTH 21 (recommended) or HLTH 20	C-ID PHS 100 or C-ID PHS 101
Statistics (1 QTR/STR)	MATH 10 or PSYC 7 or SOC 7	C-ID MATH 110
General psychology (1 QTR/STR)	PSYC 1 (recommended) or ANY Psychology course	C-ID PSY 110
Introduction to sociology (1 QTR/STR)	SOC 1 (recommended) or ANY Sociology course	C-ID SOCI 110
Multicultural/Ethnic studies course Elective (CSU Area C GE requirement)	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.