Medical Laboratory Science
Medical Laboratory Science Major
Medical laboratory scientists use analytical procedures and the latest biomedical instruments to perform laboratory tests on blood and body fluids that assist physicians in patient diagnosis and treatment, disease monitoring and prevention. Clinical chemistry, hematology, microbiology, urinalysis, immunohematology, and immunology are the principle practice areas for an MLS working in a medical laboratory. In addition to laboratory testing and analysis, an MLS may also monitor test quality, supervise personnel, conduct research and develop new tests and methodologies.
A Bachelor of Science degree, major in Medical Laboratory Science, includes three years of academic coursework on campus followed by an 11-12 month full-time professional class and clinical experience in an affiliated school of medical laboratory science. Graduates are eligible to take a national certification exam administered by the American Society for Clinical Pathology Board of Certification (ASCP BOC).
College academic coursework includes college algebra, biology, microbiology, general and organic chemistry, biochemistry, and statistics, along with general education electives. The full-time professional hospital program consists of classroom and clinical “bench instruction” in clinical chemistry, hematology, immunohematology, microscopy/urinalysis, microbiology, serology, phlebotomy, education, management, and research methods.
Students who have completed the prerequisite course work on campus and meet the GPA requirements established by the affiliated hospital program may be eligible to apply for the professional-level class and clinical. Transfer students must complete a minimum of 20 resident credits at NDSU prior to the start of the professional program to be eligible to apply. NDSU has affiliation agreements with seven hospital-based MLS programs that provide the necessary professional-level education. Affiliated programs are accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Science (NAACLS). Admission to hospital programs is competitive. Criteria for admission is established by each hospital program and generally includes academic performance at the university level, references, related experience, compliance with essential functions, and an interview. In addition, students must comply with criminal background and student conduct requirements.
During the professional program, specific letter grades are assigned by the hospital program, recorded on the hospital program’s official transcript, and are not included in calculation of NDSU’s grade point average. Official transcripts are available upon written request from the hospital program. An NDSU grade of 'Pass' is awarded for successful completion of each term of the internship.
Information about the profession, curriculum, internship, and advising contacts are available from the Department of Allied Sciences .
Major Requirements
Medical Laboratory Science Major
Degree Type: B.S.
Required Degree Credits to Graduate: 122
General Education Requirements
| First Year Experience (F): | ||
| UNIV 189 | Skills For Academic Success (Students transferring in 24 or more credits do not need to take UNIV 189.) | 1 |
| Communication (C): | ||
| ENGL 110 | College Composition I | 3 |
| ENGL 120 | College Composition II | 3 |
| One Course in Upper Level Writing. Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Business and Professional Writing | ||
| Writing in the Technical Professions | ||
| Creative Writing I | ||
| Creative Writing II | ||
| Writing in the Sciences | ||
| Writing in the Health Professions | ||
| Writing in the Humanities and Social Sciences | ||
| Researching and Writing Grants and Proposal | ||
| COMM 110 | Fundamentals of Public Speaking | 3 |
| Quantitative Reasoning (R): | ||
| STAT 330 | Introductory Statistics | 3 |
| Science & Technology (S): | ||
| BIOL 220 & 220L | Human Anatomy and Physiology I and Human Anatomy and Physiology I Laboratory | 4 |
| CHEM 121 & 121L | General Chemistry I and General Chemistry I Laboratory | 4 |
| CSCI 114 | Microcomputer Packages | 3-4 |
| or CSCI 116 | Business Use of Computers | |
| Humanities & Fine Arts (A): Select from current general education list | 6 | |
| Social & Behavioral Sciences (B): Select from current general education list | 6 | |
| Wellness (W): Select from current general education list | 2 | |
| Cultural Diversity (D): Select from current general education list | ||
| Global Perspectives (G): Select from current general education list | ||
| Total Credits | 41-42 | |
Major Requirements
| General Education Requirements | 40 | |
| Medical Laboratory Science Major Requirements | ||
| MLS 111 | Intro/Medical Lab Science | 1 |
| MLS 435 | Hematology | 2 |
| MLS 496 | Field Exp/Internship | 6 |
| MLS 496 | Field Exp/Internship | 12 |
| MLS 496 | Field Exp/Internship | 12 |
Professional education (internship) within an accredited affiliated school of medical laboratory science includes the capstone experience. | ||
| Related Courses Required: | ||
| BIOC 460 & 460L | Foundations of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology I and Foundations of Biochemistry I Laboratory | 4 |
| BIOL 150 & 150L | General Biology I and General Biology I Laboratory | 4 |
| BIOL 221 & 221L | Human Anatomy and Physiology II and Human Anatomy and Physiology II Laboratory | 4 |
| CHEM 122 & 122L | General Chemistry II and General Chemistry II Laboratory | 4 |
| MATH 103 | College Algebra (or higher level) | 3 |
| or MATH 105 | Trigonometry | |
| MICR 350 & 350L | General Microbiology and General Microbiology Lab | 5 |
| MICR 463 | Clinical Parasitology | 2 |
| MICR 460 & 460L | Pathogenic Microbiology and Pathogenic Microbiology Laboratory | 5 |
| MICR 470 | Basic Immunology | 3 |
| MICR 471 | Immunology and Serology Laboratory | 2 |
| ZOO 315 & 315L | Genetics and Genetics Laboratory | 4 |
| Select one group of the following: | 6-7 | |
Group One: | ||
| Organic Chemistry I and Organic Chemistry I Laboratory | ||
| Organic Chemistry II | ||
Group Two: | ||
| Survey of Organic Chemistry | ||
| Foundations of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology II | ||
| Degree Electives: Potential of 2 credits to reach 122 | 2 | |
| Total Credits | 122-123 | |
Degree Requirements and Notes
- All required courses must be completed with a grade of 'C' or above. All students must maintain a semester GPA of 2.0 or above for each semester in the College. A student who fails to meet this standard for two successive or three non-successive semesters may be terminated from enrollment in the College of PNAS.
- Completion of the prerequisites does not guarantee a student internship. Selection of interns is competitive. Please consult your MLS advisor for more information.
