Program Application Process

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS AND APPLICATION

Applicants seeking admission into a Maricopa Dental Hygiene program are encouraged to meet with an Academic Advisor.  Students must complete and submit a Student Information Form at their preferred college to initiate transcript evaluation and registration for courses.  All official transcripts should be sent directly to the admissions office at the preferred college.  High school graduation or GED is required for the Associate in Applied Science degree in Dental Hygiene. 

Applicants must obtain a level one Fingerprint Clearance Card and submit a copy of their card as part of the application process.  Apply for a level one Fingerprint Clearance Card through the Arizona Department of Public Safety by going to the following website: https://www.azdps.gov/services/public/fingerprint.  Allow a minimum of 4 to 8 weeks to receive the card. 

There are several general education courses required for application, and all application requirements and prerequisite coursework are outlined in the Maricopa Dental Hygiene Program Admission Information . Please note that all prerequisite courses and application requirements must be completed prior to submitting the online dental hygiene program application.  Additionally, there are GPA requirements that must be met to be eligible to apply to the dental hygiene program.  The GPA requirement for the Basic Science courses is 3.50 and the GPA requirement for the General Education courses is 3.25.  Please see the Maricopa Dental Hygiene Program Admissions Information for additional details on requirements for program admission and application.

HEALTH AND SAFETY REQUIREMENTS

It is essential that Dental Hygiene students be able to perform a number of physical activities in the clinical portion of the program. Students will be required to lift patients, stand for several hours at a time and perform bending activities. Students who have a chronic illness or condition must be maintained on current treatment and be able to implement direct patient care. The clinical Dental Hygiene experience also places students under considerable mental and emotional stress as they undertake responsibilities and duties impacting patients’ lives. Students must be able to demonstrate rational and appropriate behavior under stressful conditions. Individuals should give careful consideration to the mental and physical demands of the program prior to making application.

All students enrolled in the dental hygiene program must provide documentation of compliance with all health and safety requirements required to protect patient safety.  Only students demonstrating compliance with all health and safety requirements are permitted to enroll in Dental Hygiene courses.  Students will meet these requirements by providing the required documentation for the Health/Safety Requirements Documentation Checklist and the signed Health Declaration Form(s).  Students may also be required to complete dental and vision exams upon admittance into a Maricopa dental hygiene program, and provide associated documentation.   For additional information on Maricopa Allied Health Programs’ Health and Safety Requirements, please see the Maricopa Health and Safety Requirements webpage and the Allied Health Program Students Policies Manual.

DRUG SCREENING

All students are required to complete the urine drug screening procedure under the program account number, within the specified timeframe, and according to directions given at the time of notification. Only students in compliance with the screening guidelines and receiving a negative drug screen, as reported by the Medical Review Officer (MRO), will be permitted to continue their enrollment in Dental Hygiene courses.

BACKGROUND CLEARANCES

The level 1 fingerprint clearance card must remain current and valid throughout enrollment in the program. All Dental Hygiene students must undergo a background check to verify identity, social security number, and to show proof that they do not appear on the OIG/LEIE databases.  Any student who becomes sanctioned or excluded while enrolled in the program will not be permitted to continue in Dental Hygiene program.

Each student must also provide documentation that he or she has completed and “passed” a MCCCD-supplemental background check through the approved vendor American Databank. Students are required to pay the cost of obtaining this background check. Information on completing the required background check will be provided to the candidate upon placement in February prior to program start date in August.  Please refer to the Background Check Requirements and the Health and Safety Requirements at Maricopa Community Colleges website for further instructions.