Dental Hygiene General Info Session Workshops

These 1-hour workshops are designed to provide an overview of the Dental Hygiene Program, what is required, the application process, and more. 

Click on the date below to sign up to attend a workshop. Whether you are beginning your prerequisites or planning to apply for the next cohort, this workshop is for you!

September

Tuesday, 09/19 @ 5pm (via Zoom) - sign up here

October

Tuesday, 10/10 @ 9am (via Zoom) - sign up here

Tuesday, 10/24 @ 6pm (via Zoom) - sign up here

November

Wednesday, 11/15 @ 1pm (via Zoom) - sign up here

The Dental Hygiene Application Clinic Workshops are designed to assist students with the application process to apply for the upcoming Fall cohort.

The workshop will provide an overview of the application, advise what to do and the required documentation, and provide time for Q&A.

If you are planning to apply for the Fall 2024 cohort, the application is due on March 1, 2024. Workshops will be scheduled in Spring 2024.

Preparation

To prepare for the rigors of the Oxnard College Dental Hygiene Program, high school courses in algebra, biology and chemistry are recommended.  Taking these courses in high school also prepares the applicant for the prerequisite college classes. 

Eligibility

In order for a student to be eligible for program entrance, they must be considered a qualified candidate--meaning the applicant meets or exceeds all program requirements.  

Through review of the application, it is determined if an applicant is qualified.  Then all qualified applicant are included in a lottery selection process.  (It is highly recommended that applicants plan to complete general education requirements such as fine arts, humanities, and physical education prior to program entry in order to be eligible for an Associates of Science in Dental Hygiene degree upon completion of the program).

Admission to the program requires a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA, therefore, students who have completed courses outside the U.S. will need to have a foreign record evaluation (contact the counseling office for approved foreign records evaluation agencies).

Applicants should meet with a counselor for any questions regarding prerequisites/requirements in order to avoid unfortunate surprises that may result in disqualification at the time of application. 

Additional requirements: 

• A valid adult, child, and infant CPR card including two-person CPR; certification must be kept current throughout the two-year program
• A high school diploma, GED, or equivalent; all prerequisites must be completed before students can apply to the program.

Basic Life Support (BLS)

American Heart Association (AHA) or American Red Cross (ARC) course in Basic Life Support (BLS) which includes instruction in adult and pediatric CPR, including 2-rescuer scenarios; airway obstruction and relief of choking for adult, child, and infant; AED use; and a live, in-person skills practice session, a skills test, and a written examination.

Please note: Students may have only one science course in progress at time of application but the course must be completed with a passing grade by the end of the spring session of the applying year while maintaining the minimum required 3.0 overall and Science GPA's.

Dental Hygiene Program Recommendation

• BIS R122 Microsoft Office [3 units]
• Spanish Course if no basic verbal skills in Spanish [3-5 units]

Dental Hygiene Program Prerequisite Courses

• ANAT R101 General Human Anatomy [4 units]
• CHEM R110 Elementary Chemistry [5 units]  OR  CHEM R120 General Chemistry I [5 units]
• CHEM R112 Elementary Organic and Biological Chemistry [5 units]
• COMM R101 Introduction to Oral Communication [3 units]
• DH R001 Pre-Dental Hygiene [1 unit]
• ENGL R101 College Composition [4 units] or ENGL R101H College Composition [4 units]
• MATH R105 Introductory Statistics [4 units] or MATH R105H [Also accept MATH R106 Business Calculus or MATH R115 College Algebra or MATH R117 Precalculus and Trigonometry or MATH R120 Calculus and Analytic Geometry or PSY R103 Beginning Statistics for Behavioral Science or SOC R125 Statistics for the Behavioral & Social Sciences]
• MICR R100 Principles of Microbiology [3 units]
• MICR R100L Principles of Microbiology Lab [2 units]
• PHSO R101 Human Physiology [5 units]
• PSY R101 General Psychology [3 units] or PSY R101H 
• SOC R101 Introduction to Sociology [3 units] or SOC R101H 
• ENGL R102 Critical thinking through Composition & Literature [4 units]  or  ENGL R128 Composition and Critical Thinking through Non-Fiction [3 units]  or  PHIL R111 Critical thinking and Analytic Writing [3 units]*

*  Students who have completed a Critical Thinking course that meets CSU GE area A3 or IGETC area 1B prior to Fall 2023 will be be allowed to use that course to satisfy the Critical Thinking requirement. Students who have not completed the Critical Thinking course prior to Fall 2023 will be required to take one of the Critical Thinking courses listed in the Dental Hygiene program prerequisites and will be allowed to complete the course during Spring 2024 to be eligible for the Fall 2024 cohort.  

Select one of the following to satisfy the Cultural Diversity/Ethnic Studies requirement:**

• ANTH R107 or ETHS R107 Anthropology of Native Americans [3 units]
• CHST R101 Introduction to Chicana/o Studies [3 units]
• ETHS R119  or ANTH R119 or BRS R101 Introduction to Border Studies [3 units]
• ETHS R134 or ENGL R134 African-American Literature [3 units]

** Students who have not yet completed the Cultural Diversity/Ethnic Studies course will need to choose from the list of courses listed above. 

Total Prerequisite Units totals approximately 48-50 units.

Advanced Placement (AP) Exam Score Exemption may be accepted in lieu of OC College Program English Composition and Math prerequisites.

All science prerequisites must have labs. Prerequisite biomedical science courses can either be completed by traditional, in-person wet labs at the school or online using a physical lab kit that allows the student to conduct physical experiments in conjunction with an online synchronous meeting system with faculty oversight and teaching. This applies to the subjects of anatomy, physiology, chemistry, biochemistry, and microbiology. 

Students with catalog rights to any catalog prior to Fall 2022 who have already completed either MATH R005 or MATH R015, or their equivalents, may use these classes to meet the Dental Hygiene prerequisites if they have been completed prior to Fall 2023.  Students applying for the Fall 2025 cohort will be required to have a transfer-level math course, preferably Statistics. 

The application cycle for the Fall 2023 class is currently closed.

Students interested in entering the Oxnard College Dental Hygiene Program must apply in Spring for the class entering in Fall. Completed applications are accepted from January 1st to March 1st of the year entrance is desired. 

An application for the Fall 2024 class will be posted during the Fall 2023 semester. 

The Oxnard College Dental Hygiene Program utilizes a lottery-type selection process. Upon verification of program admission requirements, all qualified candidates will be included in a selection pool.

A random selection process will be initiated to select the dental hygiene candidates. Alternates will also be selected using the same method, and alternates will be used in the event of any resigning candidates. The alternates will be notified as soon as we are aware of the openings.

Applicant Selection is based on the following criteria:

1. Completion of all prerequisites by the end of the Fall Semester prior to program entry*
2. A 3.0 or better cumulative college GPA
3. A 3.0 or better GPA in all college science prerequisites
4. Five-year recency requirement for all science related courses
5. High School Diploma or equivalent
6. Current CPR card

*one science course may be in progress at the time of application (separate sections of correlating lecture and laboratory classes are considered one class)

Students must have a 3.0 or better cumulative college grade point average (GPA) and a 3.0 or better cumulative GPA in prerequisite science courses in order to apply to the program. All prerequisite science courses must be completed within the last 5 years.

Lottery Selection

Upon verification of program selection criteria, all qualified candidates will be included in a selection pool. A prioritized lottery selection process is utilized to select entering students and alternates.

Students who take 32 units of prerequisites, with 15 units in science prerequisites at Oxnard College, are in the first pool.

Candidates who take 32 units of prerequisites, with 15 units in science prerequisites at any of the VCCCD colleges or SBCC, are included in the second pool along with the first pool candidates.

The remaining applicants are in the final pool along with the 1st and 2nd pool candidates. 

Only 20 students are admitted each year. All names drawn after the initial 20 are placed on an alternate list. The alternate list is used to fill any available spaces in the program should any applicants decline a place in the program. However, there is no wait list. Students not selected must reapply each year.

Standard student expenses (textbooks, in-state tuition, college fees, etc.) are estimated to be about $11,000 in the first semester and $3,000 in the second semester for resident students.

For non-resident students it is estimated to be $17,000 in the first semester and $8,000 in the second semester. These additional costs are associated with instruments, equipment, uniforms, fees for licensing examinations, professional dues and course expenses.

The VCCCD has adopted the state-mandated enrollment fee. The basic enrollment fee for a resident student is $46 per unit, for a nonresident student the link provided below will direct you to the fees and prices of enrollment. 

Other fees, such as parking fees, student health fees, and student representation fees remain in force. All fees are subject to change without notice. For more information click here on the link provided below.

  http://www.oxnardcollege.edu/departments/administrative/business_svcs/fees.shtml