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Pierce College Dental Hygiene students

Ready to Start?

Am I Eligible to Apply to the BASDH Entry-Level Program Now?

It depends! To apply to the BASDH Program, students must meet eligibility status of a junior-level college standing.

Make sure you meet with your advisor early in the process. Bring a copy of the Advising and Application Checklist to your first meeting with an advisor.

BASDH Entry-Level Application Eligibility Criteria

Pre-Dental Hygiene Courses

You must complete the 13 BASDH pre-dental hygiene college courses to apply.

  • All pre-dental hygiene courses must be completed by March 31 in the year you are applying.
  • You may test out of some pre-dental hygiene courses, such as ENGL& 101. Your test percentage will be converted to a GPA using the DHCAS GPA convertor.
  • Minimum pre-dental hygiene course GPA:
    • Minimum individual course GPA of 2.5/4.0
    • Minimum pre-dental hygiene course GPA average of 3.3/4.0
  • Course Expiration Age: The sciences, math, and English courses may not be more than seven (7) years old. For example, if you are applying for 2022, the oldest course completion date is Fall 2015.
  • Course Repeats:
    • Pre-dental hygiene courses may be repeated only once.
    • The last grade earned is used for application acceptance and ranking.

Admissions Test for Dental Hygiene

You must complete the Admissions Test for Dental Hygiene (ATDH) prior to the end of the year. Application testing dates are from March 30 through May 31, and  September 1through October 31 each year. If you attempt the ATDH test during this period, you have the option to retest in event that you wish to improve your test score.

Criminal Background Policy

  • All applicants must submit to a criminal background check at the time of application.
  • Applicants with felony convictions are not eligible to participate in the Bachelor of Applied Science in Dental Hygiene (BASDH) program courses at Pierce College.
  • Other eligibility requirements as per Washington State Law. Please refer to the WA State DOH Licensing website on Dental Hygiene Licensure

Pre-Dental Hygiene Courses

For your convenience, we have an Advising and Application Checklist to help make sure you have reviewed all important information before beginning your educational journey. We also have a downloadable BASDH Advising Planner to print and use to plan your educational journey with your advisor.

Students Attending Pierce College for their Pre-Dental Hygiene Courses

  1. If you are new to Pierce College, please apply to the college first. If you have any questions regarding application to Pierce College, please contact the Admissions Office at 253-964-6501.
  2. Review entire Dental Hygiene program website.
  3. View or print a copy of the Advising and Application Checklist. This list will assist you in managing your educational plan for eligibility to apply to the Dental Hygiene program.
  4. Review the BASDH Pre-Dental Hygiene Courses and Course Map.

BASDH Sample Pre-Dental Hygiene Course Schedule (Over Two Years)

If your Washington State college offers the Common Course with the exact same course number, the course automatically transfers to Pierce College to meet our application eligibility requirements. CCN was initiated for community colleges in 2005. Below is a sample Education Plan for a fulltime student.

Year 1

Fall 1 Winter 1 Spring 1 Summer 1 (optional)
*ENGL& 101
MATH& 146
CHEM& 121
COLLG 110
ENGL& 102
COMMUNICATIONS
CHEM& 131
SOCIOLOGY
NUTR& 101
BIOL& 260
TBD
TBD
TBD

Year 2

Fall 2 Winter 2 Spring 2 Summer 1 Term
BIOL& 241
PHILOSOPHY
Optional AA-DTA Humanities
BIOL& 242
PSYCHOLOGY
Optional AA-DTA Social Science
Optional AA-DTA GER
Optional AA-DTA GER
Optional AA-DTA GER
If accepted, begin BASDH Program Curriculum DH Summer I Term

Total Minimum Pre-Dental Hygiene Course Hours: 68 (71), including 600 lecture hours and 160 lab hours.

Total Minimum Pre-Dental Hygiene Course Hours with AA-DTA: 90, including 820 lecture hours and 160+ lab hours.

Students Attending Another College or University for Their Pre-Dental Hygiene Courses

  1. Review the entire Dental Hygiene program website.
  2. View or print a copy of the Advising and Application Checklist. This list will assist you in managing your educational plan for eligibility to apply to the Dental Hygiene program.
  3. The only pre-dental hygiene courses you need to gain approval for substitution are the Sciences, Math and English.
  4. Non-science courses in the listed discipline category of Communications, Psychology, Sociology and Philosophy that meet credit load criteria are automatically accepted.
    • You will need to select one course from each discipline category.
    • Minimum of five quarter credit hours or three semester credit hours for each course.

How to Request a Course Substitution for Sciences, Math and/or English

If the Sciences, Math and/or English courses no longer exist or your college does not have the courses listed above, you will request a Course Substitution using the Dental Hygiene Course Substitute Request Form. This is the only way to gain official approval for course transfer for application to the dental hygiene program.

Advising plans, emails, education plans, or other written or verbal documentation created by anyone either inside or outside the Pierce College system, including advising documents by the program director, are not accepted for course substitutions.