Dental Hygiene Steps Session

1. Dental Hygiene Degree
5 semester program.
Admission is based on weighted criteria.
Applications Due:
May 15 of each year to apply for the
following Fall semester (August) class on
the Grand Strand campus.
Late or incomplete applications will not
be reviewed for admission.

2. To Apply for the DHG program you must:
1. Apply to and be accepted at HGTC, which includes
paying the $30 application fee, submitting official
high school and college transcripts and submitting
the “Additional Admission/Placement
Requirements Affidavit.”(The Affidavit is
viewable on a later slide and may be printed from
the “Forms” box on the Libguides page.)
2. Complete the 4 prerequisite courses with a grade
of C or higher and within the departmental
required time limits.
3. Have a 2.75 GPA on all prerequisite/core courses
completed.

3. 4. Complete the online Dental Hygiene Department
“Information Session”
(http://libguides.hgtc.edu/healthscience) which
includes reviewing the Technical Standards for the
DHG program. Once the Dental Hygiene program
receives verification of completing the online
Information Session, documentation forms for the
required 15 hours of observations will be e-mailed to
the student.
5. Complete 15 hours of observation in a private dental
office.
6. Submit your completed application to the Admissions
office on any campus by the application deadline of
May 15.

4. Additional Admission
Placement Affidavit

5. Dental Hygiene Courses
Required GPA of 2.75 with only C’s or higher accepted
Prerequisite Courses
BIO 210 ***– Anatomy and Physiology I (5 yr. time limit)
CHM 105 or CHM 110 – General, Organic, and Biochemistry or College Chemistry
ENG 101* – English Composition
MAT 101 – Beginning Algebra
Core Courses
BIO 211 – Anatomy and Physiology II (5 yr. time limit)
BIO 225 – Microbiology (5 yr. time limit)
SPC 205 – Public Speaking
PSY 201 – General Psychology
SOC 101 – Introduction to Sociology
Humanities – choose one humanities(ART 101, 105, 108, ENG 201, 202, 205, 206, 208,
209,214,224,FRE 201,202,HIS 101,102,201,202, MUS 105, PHI 101, 110, 201,
REL 103, SPA 201, 202, THE 101)
*English Progression/dependent on test scores: ENG 032-ENG 100-ENG 101
**Math Progression/dependent on test scores: MAT 032-MAT 101
***BIO 210 has a prerequisite of BIO 101, BIO 112 or CHM 110 or the required test scores:
Compass: Reading – 85, Writing – 78, Algebra – 46
SAT: Verbal - 480, Math – 440
ACT: Reading -19, English – 19, Math-21

6. Information Session with the Department Chair
This is an online session which the Dental Hygiene faculty created
to tell you about classes, clinicals, fees, jobs, and many things you
need to know about working in the field of Dental Hygiene - a
great time to have your questions answered.
You may access the online Information Session by going to the top
right corner of the Dental Hygiene Tab of the Libguides page,
http://libguides.hgtc.edu/healthscience. You will also need to
review the Information Packet found in this location.
Information and instructions on completing the required 15 hours
of observations in a private dental office are included in this
Information Session.
Viewing the online Information Session and completing the 15
hours of observations are requirements that must be completed
before you will be eligible to submit an application for the Dental
Hygiene program.

7. WEIGHTED VALUES FOR SELECTION PROCESS (max points 34)
CRITERIA
POINT
SCALE
Previous Dental Experience (Letter from employer and/or EDDA certificate must be attached to application):
 1 year of full-time work in a dental office within the past 36 months
 1 year of part-time work in a dental office within the past 36 months
OR
Graduate of HGTC’s EDDA Program w/ a 2.5 or higher GPA + Certification Status
2 points
1 point
3 points
Academic Performance on Pre-Requisite Courses, 1st
Attempt (maximum 20 points)
BIO 210 _____ CHM 105 _____ ENG 101 _____ MAT101 _____
A = 5 points
B = 3 points
C = 1 point
Academic Rigor: (maximum = 6.5 points)
Number of Dental Hygiene general education courses completed above and beyond the Pre-requisite courses:
GPA 5 6 7 8 9 10
2.75-2.99 3.0 pts. 3.5 pts. 4.0 pts. 4.5 pts. 5.0 pts. 5.5 pts.
3.00-3.50 3.5 pts. 4.0 pts. 4.5 pts. 5.0 pts. 5.5 pts. 6.0 pts.
3.51-4.00 4.0 pts. 4.5 pts. 5.0 pts. 5.5 pts. 6.0 pts. 6.5 pts.
Placement Test Scores or Degree:
COMPASS: >Reading—87; Writing—80; Algebra—46 OR
ACT: > Reading—19; Writing—19; Math—21 OR
SAT: > Critical Reading —480; Math—440 OR
Bachelor’s degree or higher
3 points
Horry or Georgetown Resident (as established by the College) 1 point

8. Acceptance into the DHG program is limited and
competitive. There is no guarantee of acceptance.
Your grades are very important. Even though the
minimum GPA requirement is 2.75 you should strive
for a much higher GPA.
The scoring criteria in the previous slide is used to
determine which applicants will be accepted into the
Dental Hygiene program. The 18 students with the
highest number of points are accepted each year.
The number of points needed for selection will vary
each year. Acceptance depends on your points vs.
the points of the other applicants at that time,
therefore admissible points may change each review
period.

9. Be the Best Applicant You Can Be!
Applying with the highest number of points you can obtain is important!!!
You may increase your points by:
Applying for and obtaining residency status – go to
http://www.hgtc.edu/admissions/residency.html for a residency application.
Obtaining a South Carolina driver’s license and car registration (if the car is in
your name) are normally an important part of this process. Read the
application and instructions carefully.
Applying with the best grades possible! You can also increase your points by
increasing your GPA as you will see in the Academic Rigor section of the point
criteria. You can use the calculator on the Libguides page to see how much
your GPA will increase by retaking or taking a different course in the same
prereq category and receiving a higher grade. Always check with financial aid
before retaking any course.
Completing the Expanded Duty Dental Assisting course at HGTC – view the
STEPS session for Dental Assisting and speak with a Health Science Advisor to
determine if this is a good option for you. If you have completed the EDDA
program be sure to include a copy of your certificate with your DHG
application.
Working in a Dental Office – if you have worked in a Dental office for a full year
within the last three years be sure to submit a letter from your employer, on
letterhead, explaining your duties and providing the dates of your
employment. Your employer’s contact information must be included. The DHG
department will determine if you qualify for the Dental Experience points.

10. These requirements must be completed AFTER being accepted
into the program. The college will provide you with the
instructions about when to complete these requirements in your
notification of initial acceptance into the program. Please plan
ahead to cover the costs of these items. Failure to complete
these requirements within the designated time frame will
prohibit your progression into the program.
• Submit $500.00 deposit to reserve your seat. This is an out of pocket expense
– not covered by financial aid.
• Pass Certified Background Check and Drug Screening – cost to you is $106.00.
The return of an unfavorable CBS and/or UDS may result in student being
removed from desired program. Clinical sites/facilities determine applicant’s
eligibility to participate in clinical studies based on their policies. If you
complete the background check before being instructed to do so you will have
to redo it and pay the $106 again. The Background Check and payment of $106
will be required every semester while in the program.
• Complete a Health Physical and submit proof of required immunizations.
(Physical cost is your responsibility so plan ahead financially.)
• Show proof of current Health Care Providers CPR. You may take a class through
HGTC’s Workforce Development Department. Register at
www.hgtc.edu/jobtraining. This course costs $69 and in addition will require
the purchase of a book and mask.

11. Other expenses for which you are responsible may include, but are not limited
to the items listed here. These are approximate and costs may vary slightly.

13. Dental Hygiene is a 5 semester Degree beginning each
Fall (August)semester on the Grand Strand Campus.
Classes and clinicals associated with this program are
during the day. Once accepted you will attend class
year round, including summer. Please plan ahead
financially as you may not receive financial aid for the
summer.
Of course, if you have already completed the core
courses such as PSY 201, SPC 205, etc. you do not
have to retake them in the program.
FIRST SEMESTER (FALL) SECOND SEMESTER (SPRING) THIRD SEMESTER (SUMMER)
AHS 113 Head & Neck Anatomy DHG 121 Dental Radiography DHG 175 Clinical Dental Hygiene II
BIO 211 Anatomy and Physiology II DHG 141 Periodontology DHG 239 Dental Assisting for Dental Hygienists
BIO 225 Microbiology DHG 165 Clinical Dental Hygiene I PSY201 General Psychology
DHG 125 Tooth Morphology & Histology DHG 243 Nutrition
DHG 151 Dental Hygiene Principles SPC 205 Public Speaking
FOURTH SEMESTER (FALL) FIFTH SEMESTER (SPRING)
DHG 140 General and Oral Pathology DHG 242 Integrated Dental Hygiene II
DHG 143 Dental Pharmacology DHG 265 Clinical Dental Hygiene IV
DHG 230 Public Health Dentistry SOC 101 Introduction to Sociology
DHG 241 Integrated Dental Hygiene I Humanities
DHG 255 Clinical Dental Hygiene III

14. Thank you for completing the Dental Hygiene
STEPS session.
Please be aware that HGTC does reserve the right
to change these admission requirements at any
time. You will be required to adhere to any
changes made at the time you submit your
application.
Please view the checklist underneath the STEPS
session on the Libguides page and submit it to
receive credit for the required session.
Please include your H number (student ID number)
when submitting the checklist below.