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  3. Dental Hygiene Program Steps to Apply
 

Dental Hygiene Program Steps to Apply

  1. Apply to the College
    Complete the TMCC Application for Admission and view important dates and deadlines. If you have questions, please contact the Admissions and Records Office.
  2. Submit Official Transcripts
    Submit official transcripts from all of your previous college work to TMCC's Admissions and Records Office. Transcripts must be received by the application deadline for the Dental Hygiene Program. Important: After you've submitted your official transcripts, you must have them evaluated by TMCC's Admissions and Records Office using the Credit Evaluation for Transfer Students.
  3. Take the Pre-Admission Assessment
    The Pre-Admission Assessment Exam consists of: 1) the Dental Hygiene Health Education Systems Incorporated (HESI) exam; 2) Dental Hygiene Spatial Relation Test; and 3) Dental Hygiene Dexterity Test. Full information regarding categories, review texts, scoring and cost for the exam are available from TMCC's Testing Services.
  4. Meet the Program Requirements
    Prior to submitting your application, please review TMCC's Dental Hygiene Program minimum requirements and be sure you meet them. Feel free to contact us if you have any questions.
  5. Submit the Dental Hygiene Program Application
    Complete and submit the online Dental Hygiene Program Application by the posted deadline. Note that the application is only open for a limited time. All required and optional documents must be uploaded with your application:

Dental Hygiene Program Minimum Requirements

Photo of dental hygienist at work

  • Program Core Science Requirement
    • Completion of program prerequisite science courses (BIO 223, BIO 224, BIO 251, CHEM 220) with a minimum GPA of 2.75 and grade of C or higher.
    • Can only be taken twice within a five-year period to improve grade.
    • Withdrawals and audits count as attempts.
    • Any course substitutions for program prerequisite science courses must be approved by Academic Advisement or the Dental Hygiene program director prior to applying to the program.
  • Additional Program Core Requirements
    • Completion of additional program core requirements (COM 113 and SOC 101 and NUTR 223) with a minimum GPA of 2.75 and grade of C or higher.
    • Any course substitutions for program prerequisite courses must be approved by Academic Advisement or the Dental Hygiene program director prior to applying to the program.
  • Admission Points
  • Dental Office Observation
    • Total hours of observation must equal a minimum of 8 hours. Observation hours do not have to be completed on the same day or at the same office.
    • Work experience does not count for observation hours.
    • Complete the Dental Office Observation form.
  • Dental Work Experience
    • Dental work experience in not required to apply to the Dental Hygiene Program.
    • Admission points are given for full or part-time dental work experience.
    • There is no time frame in which dental work experience occurred.
    • Complete the Dental Work Experience form.

How Are Prospective Dental Hygiene Program Students Selected?

Fourteen applicants are selected for admission, and two applicants are selected as alternates.

Applicants are ranked in order, based on the total Admission Points earned in the following areas:

  • Cumulative GPA
  • Science GPA
  • Completion of general education, college and program core requirements
  • Admission assessment exam scores
  • Dental office employment
  • Previous degrees earned
  • Graduate of CODA-accredited Dental Assisting program or current CDA/RDA license
  • Nevada resident
  • Previous TMCC Dental Hygiene Program applicant

Please note that applicants who have completed all general education, college and program core requirements will have precedence over applicants who have any general education, college or program core requirements in progress.

Download the Admission Points Worksheet »

Accepted Students

Students accepted into the TMCC Dental Hygiene Program are notified in early May and are required to attend a mandatory orientation, generally held during the first or second week of June. Failure to attend orientation will forfeit the student's position in the program.

During orientation, accepted students are provided information regarding the required CPR for Healthcare Providers certification, compliance with immunization policy, and provided with a form for a general physical, allowing ample time to complete prior to the start of the Fall Semester. The CPR for Healthcare Providers course will be scheduled by the Dental Hygiene Program and offered in mid-August.

Previous Applicants

Applications are not carried over from one year to the next and admission points do not accumulate for each previous year of application.

If you wish to be considered as a candidate, you must submit a new application containing all materials, as directed. Previous applicants must identify the year(s) they applied to receive admission points. Previous applications are kept on file for five years for verification.