Prerequisite Courses
The information below applies to the Fall 2025 admission cycle.
The following 51 credits are required for admission. All listed courses are required from a regionally accredited post-secondary academic institution, and must fulfill all College requirements regarding acceptance of transfer credit. If in doubt of the suitability of the following prerequisite courses, please contact the CHP Office of Admissions. Applicants must have completed College Algebra and three out of the five science prerequisite courses with a grade of C or better prior to the application deadline. All prerequisite courses must be completed by June 1.
| Area/Typical Course Title | Minimum Semester Credit |
|---|---|
| ENGLISH/COMMUNICATION | |
| English Composition | |
| Two-semester sequence of English Composition | 6 |
| Speech Communication | |
| Fundamentals of Speech or Speech Communication* | 3 |
| MATHEMATICS | |
| College Algebra (or higher level Mathematics) | 3 |
| SCIENCE | |
| Chemistry | |
| Principles of chemistry course with laboratory | 4 |
| Biology | |
| Principles of biology course with laboratory (A Zoology course with laboratory is also acceptable) | 4 |
| Microbiology | |
| Microbiology with laboratory | 4 |
| Anatomy & Physiology | |
| Two-semester sequence of Anatomy & Physiology (labs not required) | 6 |
| FINE ARTS/HUMANITIES | |
| Fine Arts | |
| Music, Art, Theater | 3 |
| Humanities | |
| Philosophy, Literature, History, Political Science or Humanities | 3 |
| SOCIAL SCIENCES | |
| History | |
| History of the United States or National Government | 3 |
| Psychology | |
| General Psychology | 3 |
| Sociology | |
| Introduction to Sociology | 3 |
| Electives | 6 |
| TOTAL | 51 |
*Due to rules set forth by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental Association, Speech Communication is a required prerequisite and cannot be substituted by an additional Fine Arts/Humanities course.
Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) credits are not acceptable to satisfy the Dental Hygiene math and science prerequisite courses. AP and IB credits are acceptable for non-math/science requirements if the transferring institution has given equivalent credit for the courses at their institution.
Chemistry, biology, and microbiology courses must include laboratory sections. Anatomy & Physiology courses do not require labs. Credit by examination will not be given for science courses. A course grade of “C” or higher must be achieved to satisfy program prerequisite and core curriculum requirements.
Proof of successful completion of course work taken in a semester immediately preceding entry into the professional curriculum must be presented before registration.
