Prerequisite Courses

Common Course Numbers* are provided for comparison purposes. Your college counselor will be able to advise you in equivalencies to common course numbers for their campus.  Texas Common Course Number information is available on the Internet at http://www.tccns.org/matrix.aspx.

Courses Must be completed by end of Summer I of entry year.

The core curriculum consists of 42 semester credit hours in specified component areas.  Many of the required dental hygiene prerequisites courses also satisfy the core requirements. The prerequisite courses including the core curriculum must be successfully completed before enrolling in the program.

A grade of "C" or better is required for all prerequisite courses.

It is beneficial to have the majorityof the science courses completed by December 31 of the year before anticipated entrance into the program.

*Texas Common Course Number information is available on the Internet: http://www.tccns.org/matrix.aspx.

Applicants from out of state colleges or private colleges who have never been required to the Texas Success Initiative (TSI) must take this test with passing scores before accepted for admission.

Transfer of Undergraduate Credit

Transfer policies vary by component program. Disputes concerning lower-division courses are resolved by the following rule:

In accordance with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB), the following procedures shall be followed by public institutions of higher education in Texas in the resolution of credit transfer disputes involving lower-division courses:

1. If an institution of higher education does not accept course credit earned by a student at another institution of higher education in Texas, the receiving institution shall give written notice to the student and to the sending institution that transfer of the course credit is denied.

2. The two institutions and the student shall attempt to resolve the transfer of the course credit, in accordance with the THECB rules and guidelines.

3. If the transfer dispute is not resolved to the satisfaction of the student or the sending institution within 45 days after the date the student received written notice of denial, the institution whose credit is denied for transfer shall notify the commissioner of the denial.

The Commissioner of Higher Education or the commissioner's designee shall make the final determination about the dispute concerning the transfer of course credit and give written notice of the determination to the involved student and all involved institutions.

Transfer credit will be determined by the staff of TAMBCD's Office of Academic Records on a course-by-course basis from official transcripts submitted in the competitive admissions process. Course content will be determined by catalog course description or course syllabus. Course acceptability is guided by these criteria:

1. Courses given by regionally accredited institutions are considered for transfer if:

a. They are acceptable as credit for a bachelor's degree at a regionally accredited institution.

b. Course content is at or above the level of courses specified in TAMBCD's requirements for admission.

2. Courses intended for use in a vocational, technical or occupational program normally do not transfer; general courses within this type of program may transfer.

3. Credit on the transcript must appear in semester hours or credits that may be converted to semester hours.

4. Credit by examination courses may be transferred if accepted by another college and followed by sequenced coursework.

5. Equivalency of coursework is determined by content found in catalog course descriptions or syllabi of courses. In case of doubt, departmental faculty will determine equivalency. The final determination is left to the director of the Department of Dental Hygiene.

6. As a general policy, coursework with a passing grade may be transferred, but the applicant must keep in mind that admission to the hygiene program is on a competitive basis and grades of "F" are calculated into the grade point average.

7. Course hours will be evaluated on a course-by-course basis, but will be transferred as a block of hours and the grades do not calculate into the GPA for the hygiene program.

8. Credit will be given for correspondence courses on a select basis.

9. Credit will not be given for courses completed at institutions not accredited by a regional accrediting agency.

Texas Success Initiative

The Texas Success Initiative (TSI) was instituted to ensure that students enrolled in Texas public colleges and universities possess the necessary academic skills to perform effectively in college. As a transfer student, applicants to the Caruth School of Dental Hygiene must submit qualifying scores on tests acceptable to the THECB if they were so required when entering their undergraduate institutions. Established cutoff scores on the SAT, ACT or TAKS tests qualify students for exemption. Proof of these scores must be submitted in place of scores on qualifying tests mentioned earlier. Alternative test scores accepted by the THECB may be provided as proof of compliance with academic skills regulations.

Applicants from out-of-state colleges or private colleges who have never been required to take a qualifying test must take the test prior to acceptance for admission.  Additional criteria exist to fulfill the TSI requirement. Non-resident students should contact the college for additional information. Request that test scores be sent to the Office of Academic Records at TAMBCD directly from the testing agency.

Fresh Start

An applicant for admission who is a Texas resident may seek to enter this institution pursuant to the state's "academic fresh start" statute. If the applicant informs the admissions office in writing of his or her election under the statute, the institution will not consider academic course credits or grades earned by the applicant 10 or more years prior to the starting date of the semester in which the applicant seeks to enroll.  An applicant who makes the election to apply under this statute and is admitted as a student may not receive any course credit for courses undertaken 10 or more years prior to enrollment under this section.