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:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BIOM 250 | Microbiology for Hlth Sciences | 3 |
| BIOM 251 | Microbiology Hlth Sciences Lab | 1 |
| BIOH 201 | Human Anat Phys I | 4 |
| BIOH 211 | Human Anatomy & Physiology II | 4 |
| CHMY 141 | College Chemistry I | 3 |
| CHMY 143 | College Chemistry II | 3 |
| M 121 | College Algebra | 3-4 |
| or M 105 | Contemporary Mathematics | |
| PSYX 100 | Intro to Psychology | 3 |
| or PSYX 230 | Developmental Psychology | |
| SOCI 101 | Introduction to Sociology | 3 |
| or COMX 111 | Intro to Public Speaking | |
| WRIT 101 | College Writing I | 3 |
| M 105 | Contemporary Mathematics | 3 |
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.