Special Transfer Program

Students may complete preparatory course work at Montana State University Northern for the Dental Hygiene program at Great Falls College-MSU.

Dental Hygiene. For many years, Montana was the only state in the United States without a dental hygiene program. That educational deficit was corrected in 2001, when the Montana Board of Regents approved such a program at Montana State University-Great Falls College-MSU in Great Falls, Montana(now Great Falls College-MSU).

Students complete 93-98 credits to earn the associate of applied science degree in Dental Hygiene. Fourteen (14) students each year are admitted to the Dental Hygiene program under a competitive process. Preference is given to Montana residents. Employment prospects for dental hygienists are quite good, however, and graduates may earn a salary in the $52,000 - $68, 000 range for full-time employment.

Students interested in the program can complete the pre-requisite courses required for the degree at campuses other than the Great Falls College-MSU campus. At Montana State University-Northern, for instance, the following classes can be completed at this institution and transferred to the Great Falls Dental Hygiene program. Some of the classes are pre-requisites and others are courses with the program:

BIOM 250Microbiology for Hlth Sciences3
BIOM 251Microbiology Hlth Sciences Lab1
BIOH 201Human Anat Phys I4
BIOH 211Human Anatomy & Physiology II4
CHMY 141College Chemistry I3
CHMY 143College Chemistry II3
M 121College Algebra3-4
or M 105 Contemporary Mathematics
PSYX 100Intro to Psychology3
or PSYX 230 Developmental Psychology
SOCI 101Introduction to Sociology3
or COMX 111 Intro to Public Speaking
WRIT 101College Writing I3
M 105Contemporary Mathematics3

Students who are interested in the Dental Hygiene program, and who would like to complete the 9 classes outlined above, should consult with a faculty advisor on the MSU-Northern campus. The MSU-Northern faculty advisor assigned to the Dental Hygiene program are:

Terri Hildebrand
Hagener Science Center Room 205
 

Students are also encouraged to consult the Great Falls College-MSU web site for current information about the actual program.