88 Credits
This program provides academic and clinical educational opportunities for capable individuals to acquire the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary for the professional practice of dental hygiene. The curriculum focuses on sciences, as well as essential technical and clinical skills in preparation for providing preventive dental hygiene services to the public. Dental hygienists are preventive oral healthcare professionals, licensed in dental hygiene, which provide educational, clinical, and therapeutic services supporting a patient’s total health through the promotion of optimal oral health
The mission of the Dental Hygiene Program at Normandale Community College is to prepare dental hygiene students in the provision of comprehensive dental hygiene care, while emphasizing professionalism, communication, social responsibility, and lifelong learning. Program goals include the intent to:
- Prepare graduates who will be competent to provide quality comprehensive dental hygiene care
- Promote admission of a qualified and diverse student population
- Participate in interprofessional community health promotion
- Engage in professional activities and lifelong learning
- Maintain a program that reflects relevant, current and advancing dental hygiene practice
- Incorporate emerging technologies to enhance quality dental hygiene care
Normandale Community College offers the Associate of Science (AS) degree in Dental Hygiene as a two-year program located within the health sciences division. NOTE: Most students complete their required science and liberal arts courses prior to acceptance into the program. The dental hygiene coursework requires four semesters to complete and begins each fall semester. Graduates will be eligible to take the National Board Dental Hygiene Examination, Central Regional Dental Testing Examination, and the Minnesota State Board of Dentistry Jurisprudence Examination for licensure in the State of Minnesota.
Following graduation and licensure requirements of the State Board of Dentistry, the dental hygienist becomes a primary healthcare professional, oral health educator and clinician who may choose to work in a variety of settings.
Dual Admission and Enrollment Option - BS in Dental Hygiene
Through a partnership with Metropolitan State University, we offer the option of a dual admissions and enrollment program. This means that there is simultaneous admittance to the Normandale Associate Degree program and Metropolitan State University Bachelor of Science in Dental Hygiene (BSDH) program if an applicant chooses this option. For those who are anxious to obtain a BSDH, this can be accomplished within one to two semesters after completion of the Associate Degree Program. More information about this option is available by meeting with the Health Sciences Enrollment Manager, Kiara Taylor.
The program in dental hygiene is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation. 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 211 E. Chicago Ave., Chicago, Illinois 60611. The Commission’s web address is: http://www.ada.org/en/coda.
Core Courses – 50 Credits
Courses are web-supplemented and web-enhanced, requiring computer and Internet access
Complete one of the following two courses:
Complete one of the following two courses:
Additional Required Courses – 38 Credits
Progression through the program is dependent upon a grade of C or higher for each of the following courses:
Complete two courses from MnTC Goal areas 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10. Courses must satisfy at least two different MnTC Goal areas.
Students who are considering a bachelor’s degree completion program are strongly encouraged to complete their Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MnTC) electives by taking MATH 1080 (Goal 4) and one class from Goal 6 and/or 10. These courses will meet bachelor degree completion requirements at Metropolitan State University. For more information, visit www.metrostate.edu/cnhs.
Other Degree Requirements
- Earn a minimum cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 for college-level coursework (courses numbered 1000 and above) completed at Normandale.
- Earn a minimum of 15 college-level credits at Normandale.
Coursework in this degree program satisfies a portion of the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MnTC). Please see MnTC Degree Audit Report.
Admission Requirements and Application Process
- Applicants who are new to Normandale must complete the online college application, found at www.normandale.edu/apply. Acceptance to the college does not imply acceptance into the dental hygiene program. A separate Normandale Health Sciences Dental Hygiene Program application must be submitted to be considered for acceptance into the dental hygiene program. The completed application is to be submitted to the Health Sciences Enrollment Manager (located in A2507) by December 31 of each year. The Dental Hygiene application can be found on the Dental Hygiene Apply page.
- An overall college GPA of 2.75 or higher is required.
- If the student earned credits in the fall semester, official transcripts with these fall grades must be submitted to the Health Science Enrollment Manager by January 15 to complete the application.
- All applicants will be notified of their dental hygiene program application status via US mail on or before April 30 of each year.
- Applicants who are not accepted into the dental hygiene program and have met the application requirements will be placed on an alternate list.
- Applicants who were placed on the alternate list and were not accepted into the program will need to meet all requirements and reapply for admission into the program the following year.
Professional Licensure / Certification Disclosure
The AS in Dental Hygiene prepares students to take the written National Dental Hygiene board exam and the Central Regional Dental Services practice exam, which are the licensing exams to become a licensed Dental Hygienist in Minnesota. Students are eligible for licensure in Minnesota as well as other states. Here are the states accepting Central Regional Testing Services examination results, where Normandale Dental Hygiene graduates are eligible for initial licensure via taking these two examinations.
Effective July 1, 2020 the U.S. Department of Education implemented regulation 34 CFR 668.43 (a) (5) (v)) which requires our Associate Degree Program in Dental Hygiene to provide:
- A list of all states/jurisdictions where the institution’s curriculum meets state educational requirements for professional licensure or certification;
- A list of all states/jurisdictions where the institution’s curriculum does not meet state educational requirements for professional licensure or certification; and
- A list of all states/jurisdictions where the institution has not made a determination of whether the curriculum meets educational requirements.
At this time, Normandale has not made a determination that our dental hygiene curriculum meets or does not meet state educational requirements for licensure or certification. Please contact the dental board for the state in which you would like to be licensed. Here is a link to the American Association of Dental Boards' list of all state boards.
If you have questions, please contact
Kiara Taylor
Health Sciences Enrollment Manager
kiara.taylor@normandale.edu
952-358-8417
Dental Hygiene Application Requirements
The requirements below must be completed before the application deadline of December 31. A grade of C or higher is required for each course and all science courses must have labs. Any transfer courses must be evaluated as equivalent to the required course.
Recommended to complete before the deadline:
*To be a more competitive applicant, students are strongly encouraged to complete BIOL 2042 Human Physiology, BIOL 2043 Microbiology, and Minnesota Transfer Curriculum Goal 4 Elective MATH 1080 Introduction to Statistics prior to application deadline.
Must show registration for the course in spring after the deadline if not already completed:
| ENGC 1101 | College Writing | 4 cr |
| CHEM 1050 | Foundations of Organic and Biochemistry | 3 cr |
| BIOL 2041 | Human Anatomy | 4 cr |
| | Eligible for college-level mathematics* | |
*College-level math eligibility requirement can be met by:
- Completion of college-level mathematics course with a grade of C or higher.
- Eligibility to take a college-level mathematics course (MATH 1080 Introduction to Statistics MATH 1090 STATWAY Statistics 2, MATH 1095 STATWAY Statistics: Accelerated, MATH 1100 College Algebra or higher) at the time of the December 31 deadline through:
- An active placement through the Normandale course placement process; expired placements will not be accepted.
- Completion of an appropriate developmental math course (MATH 0630, 0990, or 0995) within 2 years of the December 31 admission deadline with a C, P or higher.
Information on course placement can be found at:
www.normandale.edu/admissions/course-placement-
Additional Program Information
Visit www.normandale.edu/dental-hygiene. For further questions, please contact the Health Science Enrollment Manager, Kiara Taylor at kiara.taylor@normandale.edu or call 952-358-8417.
General Information
In addition to general fees and books, admitted dental hygiene students purchase uniforms, instruments, clinic supplies, software and textbooks. Each student is required to purchase dental professional liability insurance which is included in course fees each fall. Students will be required to pay additional fees to take the National Board Exam, Central Regional Clinical Board Exam and State Jurisprudence examination during the spring semester of the second year of study.
Due to the nature of the dental hygiene profession, students will be participating in a learning environment that has the potential of exposure to blood borne pathogens. Students accepted into the program are provided with written policies and instruction on infection control protocol to reduce the risk of disease transmission. The program complies with all institutional, local, state and federal policies. Policies and procedures on the dental hygiene program’s infection control protocol are available to applicants upon request. All students must complete the following prior to entry in fall semester of the first year of study and must be maintained throughout enrollment in the program.
Physical examinationImmunizationsOptical examinationSuccessful Minnesota Department of Human Services background studyHIPAA trainingCardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) for the health care provider
Students entering the Dental Hygiene program are expected to meet the Technical Standards for Entry-Level Dental Hygiene Programs. These technical standards are required abilities for effective performance in the Minnesota State dental hygiene education program. The standards are compatible with the scope of practice as defined by the Minnesota Board of Dentistry.
Sequence of Courses:
First Year Fall Semester - 13 Credits
First Year Spring Semester - 18 Credits
Summer Sessions 1 and 2 - 8 Credits
Second Year Fall Semester - 18 Credits
Second Year Spring Semester - 14 Credits
Additional Information
For more information on Advanced Degrees, visit www.normandale.edu/dental-hygiene advanced-degrees.