Coursework

Program Prerequisites

The following courses and AS Degree requirements must be completed prior to applying for admission to the program in order to be eligible to recieve an Associates Degree in Dental Hygiene upon completion of the program and for state licensure as a Dental Hygienist. 鈥淚n Progress鈥� work for the prerequisites will not be considered during the selection process. For prerequisite courses including upper-division courses completed at another institution contact a PCC counselor /academics/support/counseling/index.php to determine whether courses meet prerequisite requirement and/or equivalency. The required prerequisites are requirements of the Dental Hygiene Board of California consistent with requirements for admission of all DH Students effective April 2022. 

Prerequisites (GPA in Pre-requisite courses needs to be 3.0 or higher)

        Prerequisite Courses: Minimum grade of C in:

    1. Course  Title Unit
      ENGL C1000 (formerly ENGL 001A) or ENGL C1000H (formerly ENGL 001AH) READING AND COMPOSITION or HONORS READING AND COMPOSITION 4
      PSYC C1000 (formerly PSYC 001) or PSYC C1000H (formerly PSYC 001H) INTRODUCTORY PSYCHOLOGY or HONORS INTRODUCTORY PSYCHOLOGY 4
      COMM C1000/COMM C1000H (Formerly SPCH 001/ SPCH 001H) or SPCH 010 FUNDAMENTALS OF SPEECH or HONORS FUNDAMENTALS OF SPEECH or INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION 3
      SOC 001 or SOC 001H INTRODUCTORY SOCIOLOGY or HONORS INTRODUCTORY SOCIOLOGY 3
      INTERMEDIATE ALEGBRA or STAT C1000 (formerly STAT 050) or STAT C1000H (formerly STAT 050H) or MATH 003 INTERMEDIATE ALGEBRA or ELEMENTARY STATISTICS or HONORS ELEMENTARY STATISTICS or ALGEBRA FOR STEM 4
    2. Prerequisite Courses: Minimum grade of B in these science courses (It is recommended that they be taken within the last five years)
    3. Course Title Unit
      MICR 002 MICROBIOLOGY 4
      NUTR 011 HUMAN NUTRITION 3
      ANAT 025 HUMAN ANATOMY 4
      PYSO 001 HUMAN PHYSIOLOGY 4
      CHEM 002A CHEMISTRY - GENERAL, ORGANIC AND BIOCHEMISTRY I 4
      CHEM 002B CHEMISTRY - GENERAL, ORGANIC AND BIOCHEMISTRY II 4
    4. AP scores can be used for only English and Math prerequisites

We strongly advise the applicant/student to consult their academic counselor for guidance for the proper General Education coursework for an Associate of Science degree track. Either of the following General Education patterns will be applicable: /academics/degrees-and-certificates/aa-degrees/degree-requirements.php

鈥�  PCC Local General Education Pattern
鈥�  Cal-GETC General Education Pattern
鈥�  California State University-General Education-Breadth pattern (CSU GE-Breadth), if eligible catalog rights; OR the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC-CSU) pattern, if eligible catalog rights.
鈥�  Bachelor's degree from a U.S. institutionally accredited institution.

Students who have previously been awarded a bachelor's degree from a U.S. institutionally 
accredited institution shall be waived from the general education requirement and earn an associate degree upon completion of the DH Program. However, students must still complete the additional program prerequisites before consideration for admission.

Students who have previously been awarded an associate degree from a U.S. institutionally
accredited institution are not required to complete additional general education. However, only a certificate of achievement will be granted upon completion of the DH Program. Students must still complete the additional program prerequisites before consideration for admission. Note that some students may need to submit to more courses depending on their GE track to garner an AS degree before completion of the program.

Verify the GE pattern you are pursuing, failure to verify may result in improper fulfillment of 
general education courses, which may impede your admission to or completion of the program.

For students without a degree, please consult with a PCC academic counselor /academics/support/counseling/index.php to determine which 
classes are appropriate according to your catalog rights and which general education pattern youare completing.

  1. Students with foreign transcripts will need to complete the Foreign Transcript Evaluation process to determine which if any of the above referenced courses can be counted to meet the prerequiste requirements (Please refer to the Admissions Tab for additional details). 

Required Coursework

First (Junior) Year:

Fall Semester

First Year | 14 Units

  • ANAT 115 - Head Neck Anatomy Histology and Embryology  (3.0 units)
  • DH 101A - Fundamentals of Dental Hygiene (5.0 units)
  • DH 109 - Dental Health Education, Communication and Diversity  (2.0 units)
  • DH 117 -  Dental Morphology and Occlusion (2.0 units)
  • DH 122* -   Medical Evaluation of Dental Hygiene Patients(2 units)
Winter Semester

First Year | 4 Units

DH200A* - Directed Studies in Clinical Dental Hygiene (1 Unit) 
DH141*-  Oral Radiology (3 Units)

Spring Semester

 First Year - | 12.5 Units

  • DH 101B - Fundamentals of Dental Hygiene Theory and Practice (5.0 units)
  • DH 105 - Advanced Dental Hygiene Theory and Practice (3.0 units)
  • DH 116 - Dental Materials (2.5 units)
  • DH 108 - DH 108 - Pharmacology (2.0 units)
Summer Intercession

First Year Students | 3 units                              

  • DH 104A - Clinical Dental Hygiene Theory and Practice: Pain Control  (2.0 Units)
  • DH 200B- Advanced Techniques in Clinical Dental Hygiene (1 unit)

Second (Senior) Year

Fall Semester

 Second Year Students- 14.0 Units

  • DH 104B - Clinical Dental Hygiene Theory and Practice  (7.0 units)
  • DH 107 - Introduction to Oral Health Research (2.0 units)
  • DH 113A - Periodontics  (2.0 units)
  • DH 119A - Community Dental Health (2.0 units)
  • DH 121A - Clinical Practice in Alternative Settings I (1.0 units)
Winter Semester

 Second Year Students- 1 Unit

DH 201* - Dental Hygiene Skills Enhancement Lab (1 Unit)

Spring Semester

 Second Year Students- 11.0 Units

  • DH 104C -  Advanced Clinical Dental Hygiene Theory and Practice (7 units)
  • DH 111 - Current Issues in Dental Hygiene (2 units)
  • DH 113B - Advanced Periodontics ( 1 unit)
  • DH 121B - Clinical Practice in Alternative Settings II (1 unit)
Summer Intercession

Summer -1.0 unit

  • DH 200C - Clinical Board Preparation** 1unit

       ***Elective for Graduates

Recommended electives:

  • DH 200C Clinical Board Preparation (1 unit, elective for graduates)*** 
  • DH 119B Community Dental Health Lab (0.5 unit)
  • DH 120 Independent Study (1 unit)

Course Resources

Use the resources below to see full course descriptions and check on the availability of courses in a given semester.

This program is designed to be completed in months.

This program will cost if completed within normal time. There may be additional costs for living expenses. These costs were accurate at the time of posting, but may have changed.

Of the students who completed this program within normal time, the typical graduate leaves with of debt.

License requirements:

For more information about graduation rates, loan repayment rates, and post-enrollment earnings about this institution and other postsecondary institutions please click here: .

This program has not passed standards established by the U.S. Department of Education. The Department based these standards on the amounts students borrow for enrollment in this program and their reported earnings. If in the future the program does not pass the standards, students who are then enrolled may not be able to use federal student grants or loans to pay for the program, and may have to find other ways, such as private loans, to pay for the program.