Allied Dental Programs Accreditation
The GCSC Dental Assisting and Dental Hygiene Programs are fully accredited by the American Dental Association Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA).
Accreditation is a status granted to an institution that meets or exceeds specific criteria of educational quality. The purposes of the accreditation process are to assess and enhance the educational quality of an institution, to assure consistency in institutional operations, to promote institutional improvement, and to provide for public accountability and transparency.
The Dental Assisting and Dental Hygiene programs offered by Gulf Coast State College were initiated in 1970 and 1996, respectively. The most recent evaluation of both programs was in 2019; this was the Commission’s seventh site evaluation of the Dental Assisting program and the fifth site evaluation of the Dental Hygiene program.
After the 2019 site visit, the accreditation status for the Dental Assisting and Dental Hygiene education programs was “approved without reporting requirements.”
Procedure
Students in the GCSC Dental Programs have the right to file an academic complaint with the Office of Academic Affairs. The College has outlined several grievance processes for students. For more information please consult the Student Handbook and College Catalog.
American Dental Association Commission on Accreditation
The United States Department of Education (USDE) procedures require accrediting agencies
to provide an opportunity for third-party comments with respect to institutions or
programs scheduled for review.
Students, faculty, constituent dental societies, state boards of dentistry, and other
interested parties have the right to file a complaint with the American Dental Association
Commission on Dental Accreditation within 60 days of the scheduled review.
A complaint is defined by the Commission on Dental Accreditation as one alleging that a Commission-accredited education program or a program that has an application for initial accreditation pending, may not be in substantial compliance with Commission standards or required accreditation procedures.
To file a complaint, write to the Commission at the address below. A copy of the appropriate standards and/or the Commission’s policy and procedure for submission of complaints may be obtained by contacting the Commission at:
211 East Chicago Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60611 or by calling 1.800.621.8099 (ext. 4653). https://coda.ada.org/policies-and-guidelines/file-a-complaint