BHS in Clinical and Diagnostic Sciences with Emphasis in Medical Laboratory Science

Degree Program Description

Medical laboratory scientists are highly trained professionals with expertise in the theoretical and practical aspects of laboratory medicine – including chemistry, hematology, microbiology, immunology, molecular diagnostics, blood banking among other areas. They are vital members of the healthcare team, providing the laboratory data that supports approximately 70% of clinical decisions related to diagnosis, treatment, and hospital admission and discharge. Medical laboratory scientists have diverse career opportunities as laboratory professionals, educators, researchers, supervisors, and managers. They work in a variety of settings, including hospital, clinic, specialty, public health, and research laboratories. The MLS Program prepares students to become certified medical laboratory scientists. The program follows a 3+1 format: the first three years focus on general education and prerequisite coursework, while the final year consists of the clinical phase, requiring a secondary application and formal acceptance. The clinical phase spans three semesters—summer, fall, and spring. The summer semester includes introductory didactic coursework and student laboratory training. In the fall, students complete advanced didactic instruction and simulation labs using hospital-grade equipment in a former hospital laboratory space donated by MU Health Care, closely mirroring a real clinical laboratory setting. During the spring semester, students are assigned to clinical sites where they apply their skills with real patient specimens under the supervision of laboratory professionals. Concurrently, students complete additional advanced online coursework that supports preparation for the national certification exam. Graduates earn a Bachelor of Health Science (BHS) in Clinical and Diagnostic Sciences with an emphasis in Medical Laboratory Science and are eligible to sit for the national certification examination administered by the American Society for Clinical Pathology Board of Certification (ASCP BOC). The MU MLS program is currently seeking accreditation by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS). 

Major Program Requirements

To earn the BHS in Clinical and Diagnostic Sciences with an emphasis in Medical Laboratory Science degree, students must meet degree requirements below as well as University requirements, including University general education. The MLS program requires an application, including an interview, and students are encouraged to work with an advisor in order to best structure the prerequisites and prepare for the program application. The application process is competitive, and meeting minimum criteria does not guarantee admission. There are a limited number of clinical positions available. A minimum 2.5 cumulative in addition to a math/science course GPA are required to be considered for acceptance. Students must complete the courses below with a grade of C- or higher to earn the BHS in Clinical and Diagnostic Sciences with an emphasis in Medical Laboratory Science degree. 

Program Prerequisites		49
ENGLSH 1000	Writing and Rhetoric	3
MATH 1100	College Algebra	3-5
or MATH 1160	Precalculus Mathematics
or MATH 1400	Calculus for Social and Life Sciences I
or MATH 1500	Analytic Geometry and Calculus I
STAT 1200	Introductory Statistical Reasoning	3
or STAT 1300	Elementary Statistics
or STAT 2500	Introduction to Probability and Statistics I
or ESC_PS 4170	Introduction to Applied Statistics
CDS 4480	Clinical Ethics (Preferred)	3
or PHIL 2440	Medical Ethics
or PHIL 1150	Introductory Bioethics
or PHIL 1100	The Difference Between Right and Wrong: An Introduction to Ethics
or HLTH_SCI 4480	Clinical Ethics
1000-level or higher Psychology course		3
CDS 3100W (optional but strongly recommended for MU General Education WI requirement)		3
BIO_SC 1500	Introduction to Biological Systems with Laboratory	5
or BIO_SC 1010 & BIO_SC 1020	General Principles and Concepts of Biology and General Biology Laboratory
or BIO_SC 1030	General Principles and Concepts of Biology with Laboratory
MICROB 3200	Medical Microbiology and Immunology	4
or MICROB 2800	Microbiology for Nursing and Health Professions
MPP 3202	Elements of Physiology	5
or BIO_SC 3700	Human Physiology
CL_L_S 3000	Introduction to Immunology for Medical Laboratory Science	3
or MICROB 4304	Immunology for Health Professions
or MICRO 3551	Introduction to Immunology I
CHEM 1400 & CHEM 1401	College Chemistry I and College Chemistry I Laboratory	4
CHEM 1410 & CHEM 1411	College Chemistry II and College Chemistry II Laboratory	4
CHEM 2100	Organic Chemistry I	3
BIOCHM 3630	General Biochemistry	3
or BIOCHM 4270	Biochemistry
Major Core Requirements		43
MLS 3100	Laboratory Operations and Techniques	3
MLS 3200	Fundamentals of Clinical Immunology	1
MLS 3250	Molecular Diagnostics	1
MLS 3300	Clinical Hematology and Coagulation I	1
MLS 3400	Clinical Microbiology I	1
MLS 3500	Clinical Chemistry I	1
MLS 3600	Clinical Immunohematology I	1
MLS 4100	Urinalysis and Body Fluids	1
MLS 4200	Parasitology, Mycobacteria, Mycology and Virology	1
MLS 4300	Clinical Hematology and Coagulation II	2
MLS 4350	Clinical Hematology and Coagulation Laboratory	2
MLS 4355	Clinical Hematology and Coagulation Practicum	2
MLS 4400	Clinical Microbiology II	2
MLS 4450	Clinical Microbiology Laboratory	2
MLS 4455	Clinical Microbiology Practicum	2
MLS 4500	Clinical Chemistry II	2
MLS 4550	Clinical Chemistry Laboratory	2
MLS 4555	Clinical Chemistry and Urinalysis Practicum	2
MLS 4600	Clinical Immunohematology II	2
MLS 4650	Clinical Immunohematology Laboratory	2
MLS 4655	Clinical Immunohematology Practicum	2
MLS 4800W	Laboratory Management, Education and Professionalism - Writing Intensive	3
MLS 4900	Clinical Laboratory Correlations and Review (Capstone)	5

Semester Plan

Below is a sample plan of study, semester by semester. A student's actual plan may vary based on course choices where options are available. 

First Year
Fall	Credits	Spring	Credits
MATH 1100	3	ENGLSH 1000	3
BIO_SC 1500	5	CHEM 1400 & CHEM 1401	4
HLTH_SCI 1000 (recommended elective)	3	SOCIOL 1000	3
PSYCH 1000	3	Elective	3
	14		13
Second Year
Fall	Credits	Spring	Credits
CHEM 1410 & CHEM 1411	4	MICROB 3200	4
PHIL 1100, 1150, or 2440	3	CHEM 2100	3
CL_L_S 1000	1	HIST 1100, 1200, or POL_SC 1100	3
Elective	4	Elective	2
	12		12
Third Year
Fall	Credits	Spring	Credits	Summer	Credits
MPP 3202	5	1000-level Writing Intensive course (CDS 3100W recommended)	3	MLS 3100	3
STAT 1200, 1300, or ESC_PS 4170	3	BIOCHM 3630	3	MLS 3200	1
2000+ level Humanities	3	CL_L_S 3000	3	MLS 3250	1
Elective	3	Humanities	3	MLS 3300	1
				MLS 3400	1
				MLS 3500	1
				MLS 3600	1
	14		12		9
Fourth Year
Fall	Credits	Spring	Credits
MLS 4100	1	MLS 4355	2
MLS 4200	1	MLS 4455	2
MLS 4300	2	MLS 4555	2
MLS 4400	2	MLS 4655	2
MLS 4500	2	MLS 4800W	3
MLS 4600	2	MLS 4900	5
MLS 4350	2
MLS 4450	2
MLS 4550	2
MLS 4650	2
	18		16
Total Credits: 120