ÐÓ°ÉÊÓÆµ

Prerequisites

Prerequisites

Completing ALL prerequisites before applying is highly recommended. A limited number (1-3 courses) of prerequisites may be in-progress at the time of applying; however, it may affect the chance of acceptance into the program. All in-progress courses must be completed before starting the program in summer quarter.

  • A grade of "C" or higher is required for each prerequisite. 
  • Cumulative College GPA of 2.5 or higher
  • Biological Science courses* GPA of 2.75 or higher (Anatomy & Physiology, Nutrition, and Microbiology must be taken within six years of the current application cycle)
  • Completion of one of the following general education (GE) patterns. Important Note: Students who have completed the local general education requirements at another California community college may be able to use this to satisfy general education. Please meet with a counselor to determine if general education has been completed.
    • Cal-GETC (California General Education Transfer Curriculum)
    • CSU General Education Breadth Requirements
    • IGETC (Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum)
    • ÐÓ°ÉÊÓÆµ General Education
COURSE NAME COURSEWORK EQUIVALENT
Human Anatomy & Physiology with Labs* BIOL 40A & 40B & 40C
or equivalent
Introduction to Human Nutrition* BIOL 45 or equivalent
Microbiology with lab* BIOL 41 or equivalent
Survey of Inorganic, Organic & Biochemistry with Labs CHEM 30A & CHEM 30B
or equivalent
Introduction to Speech or Communication COMM C1000 or 1000H or 1B or 2 or 3 or 4 or equivalent 
Introduction to Dental Hygiene
(must be taken at ÐÓ°ÉÊÓÆµ) 
DH 200L - no substitution
English Composition & Reading  ENGL C1000 or C1000H or ESLL 26 
or equivalent 
English Composition, Critical Reading & Thinking  ENGL C1003 or C1003H or C1001 or C1001H 
or PHIL 1 or 7 or equivalent
Health HLTH 21 or HLTH 20
or equivalent
Introduction to Statistics  STAT C1000 or PSYC 7 or SOC 7 
or equivalent 
Introduction to Psychology  PSYC C1000 or equivalent
Introduction to Sociology SOC 1 or equivalent
Intercultural Communication
(excluding CSU Area F)
COMM 12 or COMM 10
or equivalent

Updated 7.2026 

  • Majors courses & upper-division GE: 100.5 units
  • Total units for BS in Dental Hygiene: a minimum of 180 units is required for the student to be awarded the bachelor's degree, which includes lower division general education and prerequisite courses.
  • Check out an example of ÐÓ°ÉÊÓÆµ's .
Refer to the Dental Hygiene Approved Program Prerequisite Courses Chart to check if your courses meet program prerequisites. If your course is not listed, please consult with a ÐÓ°ÉÊÓÆµ counselor
 
To use the chart, open the view-only Excel file and select the appropriate tab (CCC, CSU, UC, Private & Out-of-State, or Advanced Placement).
 
 
Note: This chart is for reference only and is subject to change. It does not replace an official transcript evaluation. Please meet with a ÐÓ°ÉÊÓÆµ counselor to confirm transfer credit and degree planning.

It is strongly recommended that prospective applicants meet with an academic counselor to:

  • Review and evaluate college transcripts
  • Determine if any course petitions for equivalency are necessary
  • Verify General Education (GE) completion for the Bachelor of Science degree 
  • Important: petitions for course equivalency must be submitted by the end of the Fall quarter to be considered before the application deadline.

To make a 30-minute counseling appointment, you must have a valid ÐÓ°ÉÊÓÆµ CWID (student ID).

  • Bring transcripts (official or unofficial)
  • Course outlines, syllabi, or other relevant documentation (if petitioning courses)
  • Meet a Counselor.

Students who have fulfilled local GE requirements at another California community college may also be eligible to use those to meet ÐÓ°ÉÊÓÆµ's GE requirements. Meet with a counselor to confirm whether your GE is complete and applicable.

All transcripts must be sent electronically to ÐÓ°ÉÊÓÆµ Admissions and Records at fhtranscripts@fhda.edu before the application deadline. If your college does not offer electronic transcripts, official sealed transcripts should be sent to Admissions and Records office. Transcripts should include all work shown as completed on the application.

Submit a Transcript Evaluation Request: Evaluations will be completed even if you haven’t earned units at ÐÓ°ÉÊÓÆµ. You will be contacted directly once your evaluation is complete.

Note: ALL college transcripts from US colleges and universities are required, even if the courses don’t seem relevant. An application that is not complete and/or does not have all transcripts included will not be considered.

Previous Applicants – All previous applicants must reapply via MyPortal and resubmit all updated transcripts electronically to the ÐÓ°ÉÊÓÆµ Admissions and Records Department.

International Transcripts – Dental Hygiene program will not accept international transcripts for program prerequisites. Students looking to use coursework from their international transcript for general education credit will need to have it evaluated by one of the following agencies before following the course substitution process:

  • Educational Credential Evaluators  
  • World Education Services, Inc  
  • For an additional list of agencies, please click here: .

If a student is not using their international transcripts for general education, there is no need to submit transcripts to Admissions & Records.

Once students have their international transcript evaluated by one of the above agencies, they will still need to follow proper protocol for the course substitution process.

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Contact Us

Truc Nguyen

Dental Administrative Assistant
dentalhygieneclinic@foothill.edu

Brenda Barrientos, MS, RDH, RDHAP, CDHC

Dental Hygiene Program Director
Building 5300, Office 5312
Barrientoscalerobrenda@fhda.edu
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