Dec 03, 2024  
2024-2025 Catalog with Addendum 
    
2024-2025 Catalog with Addendum

Dental Studies: Dental Hygiene, AAS

Location(s): Central Campus


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If you have a passion for dental health care and are looking to serve the oral health needs of your community, TJC can help you put those aspirations to work. Dental hygienists are licensed oral health professionals who focus on preventing and treating oral diseases that can affect the patient’s overall health. The AAS degree in dental hygiene can jumpstart your dental health career.

A state-of-the-art facility offers a setting where highly-trained faculty go above and beyond to provide the highest quality education. Students progress as they discover the science behind the practice and the skillful hands-on training that transfers directly into the dental hygiene profession.

This program is accredited by the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA). Upon completion of the program, students will be eligible to sit for the National Board Dental Hygiene Exam (NBDHE) and a regional competency exam. Successful completion of both of these exams are required for state licensure.

Enrollment in this program is limited, and those applying for admission should submit application directly to the dental hygiene office, using the online submission process. See the Selective Admissions  requirements in the Admission section of this Catalog.

Marketable skills for this award include: analytical/quantitative skills, critical thinking, detail-oriented, problem solving, team work, technical skills, time management and verbal communication skills.

 

Associate of Applied Science
TSI Reading & Writing Complete

Major Courses: 37 Credits


General Education Requirements: 31 Credits


Every Associate of Applied Science degree plan must contain at least 15 semester hours of general education courses. At least one course must be taken from each of the following areas: humanities/fine arts (language, philosophy & culture/creative arts), social/behavioral science (social and behavioral sciences/American history/government/political science), and natural science/mathematics (life and physical sciences/mathematics).

Total Semester Hours: 68


Major Courses: 37
General Education Requirements: 31

The TJC Associate Degree Dental Hygiene Program is accredited by the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation under the following status: “approval without reporting requirements The Commission is a specialized body recognized by the United States Department of Education. The Commission on Dental Accreditation can be contacted at (312) 440-4653 or 211 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611. The Commission’s web address is http://www.ada.org/en/coda.

Course Sequence:


Prerequisites


First Semester


Second Semester


Third Semester


Fourth Semester


Total Semester Hours: 68


Courses titled in bold type represent general education requirements

Non-dental hygiene courses may be taken prior to placement in the dental hygiene program.

Special admission and retention rules apply. Department-specific courses must be taken in sequence and may have a prerequisite course.

Prerequisites:

  • The prerequisite science courses must be completed with a “C” or better within five years prior to submitting application or enrollment in the program.
  • Admission to this program depends on a point system that is heavily based on grades earned in prerequisite science and general education courses.

All required major courses of the associate degree curriculum must be completed with a “C” or better. Having not received a “C” or better in any required DHYG course, the student may not progress until the deficiency has been removed.

Graduates who successfully pass the Dental Hygiene National Board examination and regional and/or state licensing exams are eligible to apply for licensure in states where they plan to practice.

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