Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Yes. You must apply for admission to the college before you can apply to the Dental Hygiene Program.
Yes. You may take any courses on the Dental Hygiene plan of study except the Dental Hygiene Technical courses. In fact, we recommend that students try to complete as many of the general education and basic-related courses that they can. Although this is not a requirement, it makes the course load easier for the working student. The Dental Hygiene Program is an extremely demanding program academically, and students have reported that it is easier to manage when their other courses are out of the way.
Generally speaking, if you have attended another college, you must have your transcripts reviewed by the Records and Registration Office to determine if your credits transfer. Dependent on this review whether you have a degree from another institution will determine if you need any placement or admissions testing for acceptance into the college.
Generally speaking, courses taken at another accredited college and which have similar content and credit hours might be accepted as credit for required biological science courses. The Records and Registration Office can best assist you in reviewing your transcript to see which courses transfer.
Dental Hygiene classes can be held in the mornings, afternoons, and evenings, 5 days per week. Classes will not generally run past 8 p.m. Students may also have required attendance for classes or extra enrichment requirements on Saturdays. This is subject to change.
Clinical training is completed at The Ohio State University, College of Dentistry facilities. By formal agreement, we share their clinical facilities in the evenings.
The program in dental hygiene is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation and has been granted the accreditation status of “approval without reporting requirements”.
The Commission is a specialized accrediting body recognized by the United States Department of Education. The Commission on Dental Accreditation can be contacted at (312) 440-4653 or at 211 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60611. The Commissions website address is: http//www.ada.org/en/coda.
No. The program has been designed to span five consecutive semesters in order to provide the student with progressive skills acquisition. It cannot be completed in less than five semesters.
You may complete any of these courses at any regionally-accredited college in Ohio. Please check with the Records and Registration Office ahead of time to see if a course is equivalent and will transfer. You may also wish to consider taking some of these courses as Distance Learning courses from Columbus State.
To be eligible for admission to the Dental Hygiene Program a student must have a minimum of an overall 2.95 GPA and must maintain an overall 2.75 GPA once admitted (in ALL courses) during the program of study.
Yes. The Radiography License is a minimum credential required for the field of Dental Assisting. The Dental Hygiene Radiography courses go into much more depth than is required by the State because more content is tested on the Dental Hygiene credentialing examinations.
Yes. It is advantageous to observe dental hygienists fulfilling responsibilities in various settings.
No. There is no credit in the application process. However, students who have completed a dental assisting program for which Columbus State has a formal articulation agreement will receive 1% credit in the admissions process. Agreements are in place for Fort Hayes Career Center, Eastland Career Center, Fairfield Career Center, South-Western Career Academy, C-TEC, Delaware Area Career Center, Scioto County Career Center, Pioneer Career Center and Pickaway-Ross Career Center.
The Dental Hygiene Admissions Committee follows a set formula and makes final decisions of accepted students.
- 55% Science Courses
*The admission committee is aware not all of these courses may be completed by the applicant at the time of application.
- BIO 2300 - Human Anatomy
- BIO 2301 - Human Physiology (formerly BIO 2232)
- BIO 2302 - Human Pathophysiology (formerly BIO 2263)
- BIO 2215 - Microbiology
- CHEM 1113 - Elements of Organic & Biochemistry
- 20% Additional Courses
*The admission committee is aware not all of these courses may be completed by the applicant at the time of application.
- ENGL 1100 - Intro to Composition
- STAT 1350 - Elementary Statistics
- PSY 1100 - Intro to Psychology
- HNTR 1153 - Nutrition for a Healthy Lifestyle
- 24% HESI A2 Exam
- 1% Bachelor's Degree or Dental Assisting Certificate
The Information Sessions provide a forum for this. It is required that you attend an information session the year of application. Please note that latecomers will not be admitted to the session. They are held three per summer, autumn, and spring semesters. The Health and Human Services advisers are also available to answer questions. Their offices are located in Union Hall, Room 477.