Dental Assisting

This program at Houston City College use a selective admissions process and requires an additional application beyond applying. Enrollment is limited, and not all qualified applicants may be offered placement. Please review the admission dates below carefully to ensure you complete all required steps by the required deadlines.

When the number of eligible applications exceeds program seat availability, selective criteria are used to determine which applicants are offered admission. Selective criteria are awarded based on the following:

• 75% may be awarded based on the health program academic criteria.
  (grades earned from pre-entry form, required and recommended courses and general education requirements)
• 25% may be awarded based on the interview process.
• All application requirements must be satisfied by the close of the application window.

Prerequisite Courses GPA

A minimum prerequisite GPA of 2.5 or higher is required.

Prerequisite Courses

Completion of the following courses with a minimum grade of ‘C’ is required. Application may be submitted while enrolled in pre-requisites, but courses must be completed before program start.

Academic Courses

Academic courses are highly encouraged to be taken in advance, but are not required for the application. A minimum grade of “C” or above is required in all academic requisite courses to receive additional points on the rubric, and courses will go towards the completion of the program/degree plan.

If You Are Offered Admission

You will need to complete the following pre-enrollment requirements by a specific due date to maintain eligible status.

Please note the Program Director will be in contact with you once your Letter of Intent has been received to provide you the information on the process of getting a background check, drug screen, personal health insurance, and deadlines for immunizations. Please check your email regularly for updates and information.

• Complete the letter of Intent form by the deadline stated in the Admission Acceptance Offer email that will be sent to your submitted email address with the program application.
• Immunization and Physical examination form, Immunization record. 
• Immunization record showing: Completion of Hepatitis B immunization series (may take up to 6 months), MMR – 2 shots or titer, Tdap – every 10 years, TB – every year, Varicella – 2 shots or titer, Meningitis (required for students 22 years or younger)– after September 1st
• Drug Screening – information will be provided at the program orientation
• Dental cleaning and Exam (program department will provide the information)
• Cleared Background check. Individuals with a positive background must declare with Texas State Board of Dental Examiners (TSBDE) and provide a letter from TSBDE that applicant will be eligible for registration.
• CPR (BLS) for the Healthcare Provider (must have hands-on component - not online)
• Complete the mandatory Program Orientation on the date provided in your admission acceptance email. (Please clear your calendar so you are available to attend the mandatory program orientation and student services orientation if you are offered admission: Fall Term – plan to attend both orientations between July to August; Spring Term – plan to attend between December to January; Summer Term- plan to attend in April)

HCC Coleman College Grading Scale

To best prepare students for success in their chosen fields, Health Sciences Programs have high standards for progression. Unlike other HCC programs, the Anesthesia Technology program requires a C (75%) or better to progress to the next course or semester in the program. 

Anesthesia Technology Program Grading Scale

• A = 100 – 90 %
• B = 89 – 80 %
• C = 79 – 75 %*
• D = 74 – 60 %
• F = 59 – 0 %

* A grade of C (75%) or better must be achieved to progress to the next course or semester. 

Clinical Requirements for Program Progression & Completion

To provide students with the most robust clinical educational experience and to ensure that students’ progress and graduate as scheduled, applicants are strongly encouraged to weigh all options before accepting a conditional acceptance into their desired health science program. To facilitate this decision-making, students should understand all the requirements of their program, including clinical education.

To be placed in a clinical educational experience, students must comply with the guidelines and requirements of HCC clinical sites, including health and wellness directives. Most clinical sites require background checks, health testing, drug screens, and immunizations.

Students are required to provide proof to HCC that they meet all immunization, testing, and other health requirements necessary for clinical placement. These requirements are determined by the healthcare facilities with which HCC partners for clinical education.

Many healthcare facilities require specific immunizations as a condition of employment, volunteering, or student clinical placement. If a student chooses not to receive or provide proof of required immunizations, HCC may be unable to place the student in clinical rotations. HCC will make reasonable efforts to place such students in a clinical site that does not require immunization(s), provided an appropriate site is available, and HCC has an active affiliation agreement that meets the necessary conditions to support the student’s learning outcomes. Though HCC cannot guarantee that such sites will be available at the time clinical placement is needed.

If a student cannot be placed in a qualifying clinical site due to unmet immunization requirements, the student’s progression in the program and ability to graduate may be delayed or prevented. Our affiliate partners’ expectations for student trainees reflect the same standards applied to individuals employed in their respective professional settings.

Students with questions about clinical requirements or placement should contact the program director of their program of interest.

HB 1508 requires the following information be given to students:

This program may lead to an occupational license for which a prior criminal history may make a student ineligible. For more information please visit:  HB 1508 Licensing Requirements.

The program in Dental Assisting is accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation [and has been granted the accreditation status of “approval without reporting requirements”]. The Commission is a specialized accrediting body recognized by the United States Department of Education. The Commission on Dental Accreditation can be contacted at 312-440-4653 or at 211 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL 60611. The Commission’s on Dental Accreditation.

The Dental Assisting program graduates licensures/certifications are issued by the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners.

There is no national standardization for dental assistants when moving from one state to another, due to different requirements for dental assistants in every state.

To locate this information, access resources such as The Dental Assisting National Board, Inc. (DANB.) DANB’s State-Specific Information page, which is a compilation of state-specific dental assisting information. You will be able to find out which DANB exams are recognized in any given state, the requirements to perform specific dental assisting functions there, contact information for the state dental board, and more. DANB’s website also lists the dental assistant titles recognized in each state.

Please note, every attempt is made to ensure the above information is accurate and up to date; however, some information is subject to change.

If you have any questions or encounter problems contacting the appropriate licensing board, please contact the Program Director at 713-718-7351.

2023-2024 Third-Party Licensure/Certification Exam Results 

Occupational licensure and/or certification pass rates reported by academic calendar year (Sept. 1–Aug. 31). Results for the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 academic years are provided for comparison.