Dental Hygiene Pathway (full-time)

Associate in Science Degree

Meta-Major: Health Sciences

Specialization: Dental Hygiene

Catalog: 2026 - 2027

Planning Your Degree Pathway

This document outlines the courses needed to complete your Associate in Science (A.S.) degree and prepare you for employment in a specialized career upon degree completion. These courses include general education requirements as well as courses specific to your field. Please connect with your Student Success Coach if you need introductory coursework, have earned college credit, industry certifications, have completed an articulated program at a technical college, or would like to modify when you take certain courses and/or how many courses you take in a term. A Success Coach can also provide guidance on how to transition or transfer to a bachelor's degree program at Valencia or another Florida state college in case you decide to earn a bachelor's degree in the future.

Additional Degree Requirements

  • Introductory Coursework: Required courses based on placement tests including developmental education
  • Civic Literacy Exam: must satisfy Florida Civic Literacy Exam or appropriate scores in AP or CLEP exams
  • Grade Point Average (GPA): Need to maintain 2.0 or higher for both Overall GPA and Valencia GPA
  • Valencia Residency: Must complete at Valencia at least 25% of the college-level credits required for a degree
Key

* Class has a prerequisite

+ Class requires “C” grade or higher

^ Course may require a specific grade for transfer institution

GESC General Education Student Choice


Tools and Tips

Limited-Access Program Information

  • Admission to Valencia does not imply acceptance into this limited-access program; students must apply and be accepted.
    • Valencia’s Dental Hygiene program is a competitive selection limited access program that requires the completion of specific prerequisite courses to be considered for admission.  
    • After completion of prerequisite courses, a separate program application must be submitted during the application window.  
  • Admission into the program is competitive and points based. Please see the  Dental Hygiene Admission Guide for full details.
    • Students can complete the following courses required for graduation to earn additional points prior to applying to the program: BSC 2086C, MCB 2010C, ENC 1101, Core Humanities, and either POS 2041, AMH 2010, or AMH 2020.  
    • Starting your math sequence at MAC1105 will save time, money, and elective space; prepare and test for math level placement to start with MAC1105, if desired. Note: passing of MAC1105 is required to take PHY1007C. 
    • HSC 1004 Introduction to Health Professions and HSC 1531 Medical Terminology are optional elective opportunities for additional admissions points and are recommended to be taken in the first semester of prerequisites. 
    • STA 2023 Statistical Methods is recommended to satisfy the Mathematics Core requirement. 
    • Passing of Florida Civic Literacy Exam (FCLE) prior to the application deadline may result in additional points toward admission. 
  • Based on educational and personal obligations, prerequisite courses can be completed either as a full-time or part-time student. Please note that once accepted into a limited access program, these programs have a full-time commitment. 
  • Attend an Allied Health Information Session.
  • For further assistance, please work with your Student Success Coach.

Required Prerequisite Coursework

  • Mathematics Core*+ 
  • ENC 1101 Freshman Composition I*+
  • BSC 2085C Human Anatomy and Physiology I*+^
  • BSC 2086C Human Anatomy and Physiology II*^
  • MCB 2010C Microbiology*+ 

Sample Admission Prerequisite Term-by-Term Plan 

Introductory Coursework

Courses Credits
   
   
   
   

Term 1

Courses Credits
ENC 1101 Freshman Composition I*+ 3
BSC 2085C Human Anatomy and Physiology I*+^ 4

Term 2

Courses Credits
BSC 2086C Human Anatomy and Physiology II*^ 4

Mathematics Core *+

 3

Term 3

Courses Credits
MCB 2010C Microbiology*+ 4
PSY 2012 General Psychology+ 3

Term 4

Courses Credits
Humanities Core+ 3
SYG 2000 Introductory Sociology+ 3

Term 5

Courses Credits
POS 2041 - U.S. Government+ or AMH 2010 - U.S. History to 1877+ or AMH 2020 - U.S. History 1877 to Present+ 3

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Dental Hygiene In-Program Term-by-Term Plan

Term 8 (Summer)

Courses Credits
DES 1020 Dental Anatomy*+ 2
DES 1020L Dental Anatomy Lab+ 1
DEH 1000 Introduction to Dental Hygiene*+ 1
DES 1800 Intro to Clinical Procedures+ 1

Term 9 (Fall)

Courses Credits
DEH 1003 Fundamentals of Dental Hygiene*+ 2
DEH 1003L Dental Hygiene Instrumentation+ 2
DES 1200 Dental Radiography*+ 2
DES 1200L Dental Radiography Laboratory+ 1
DES 1800L Intro. to Clinical Procedures Lab+ 1
DES 1100 Dental Materials*+ 2
DES 1100L Dental Materials Lab+ 1

Term 10 (Spring)

Courses Credits
DEH 1130 Oral Histology and Embryology+ 2
DEH 1800 Dental Hygiene I*+ 2
DEH 1800L Clinical Dental Hygiene I*+ 5
DES 1600 Dental Office Emergencies*+ 1
DEH 1602 Periodontology I*+ 1
DES 1051 Dental Pain Control and Local*+ 2

Term 11 (Summer)

Courses Credits
DEH 1802 Dental Hygiene II*+ 2
DEH 1802L Clinical Dental Hygiene II*+ 3
DEH 2604 Periodontology II*+ 1
DEH 2300 Pharmacology*+ 2
DEH 2700 Dental Health Education*+ 1

Term 12 (Fall)

Courses Credits
DEH 2400 General and Oral Pathology*+ 3
DEH 2701 Community Dental Health I*+ 2
DEH 2804 Dental Hygiene III*+ 2
DEH 2804L Clinical Dental Hygiene III*+ 4

Term 13 (Spring)

Courses Credits
DEH 2605 Periodontology Seminar*+ 1
DEH 2702 Community Dental Health II*+ 1
DEH 2812 Dental Hygiene IV*+ 2
DEH 2806L Clinical Dental Hygiene IV*+ 5

General Education Course Requirements

Courses listed below are 3 credit hours each unless otherwise stated.

See key for the meaning of symbols

See pathway-specific information

Communications Requirements

These courses need to be completed with a C or higher.

Humanities Core (3 Credits)

Select one of the following Humanities courses.

Math Core (3 Credits)

These courses need to be completed with a C or higher.

Select one course from core

Science Core (3 Credits)

Select one of the following Science courses.

Social Sciences (3 Credits)

Select one of the following Social Science Courses. These courses need to be completed with a C or higher.

Financial Aid Notice

Federal Financial Aid will only pay for courses for the required Associate in Science Degree. Work closely with your assigned Student Success Coach to verify the degree on your record and to develop a customized plan that includes the required classes each term.

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