Medical Laboratory Sciences B.S.

The medical laboratory sciences BS degree program consists of two years of prerequisite courses and a two and a half year professional program sequence. Students may also be admitted directly into the final professional year after completion of the prerequisites and the upper division science requirements. Admission is once a year for the upcoming fall semester. The program uses an active learning hybrid program delivery format. Courses are offered in person, through online modules, and through other technology-enhanced delivery methods. The MLS program is fully accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS).

The program prepares students to be professional laboratory practitioners who are not only able to perform medical laboratory testing but analyze and critique the accuracy and validity of testing results for the improvement of patient care or research design. Graduates are eligible to take the American Society for Clinical Pathology Board of Certification examination and be certified as medical laboratory scientists (MLS). In addition to the medical laboratory setting, graduates of this program are qualified to work in a variety of other laboratory facilities such as research, environmental, biomedical, public health, or forensic laboratories. With the curriculum emphasis on developing quality understanding of laboratory methods and their diagnostic interpretation, our graduates are also excellent candidates for graduate research degree programs or graduate medical professional schools. Graduates of the MLS Program are also prepared to be leaders in healthcare delivery, medical laboratory professional societies, or as members of a research and development team.

Since it began in 1922 as the first baccalaureate program for medical laboratory personnel, the MLS Program at the University of Minnesota has been a leader in the profession. The program is proud to provide students with the opportunity to learn from faculty who focus on clinical excellence, critical thinking, analysis, evaluation, scientific inquiry, leadership, and professional and community service. Current faculty perform laboratory-based research as well as scholarship in the field of teaching and learning. As a part of one of the nation's most extensive interdisciplinary academic health centers, the University of Minnesota's MLS program provides opportunities for interaction with students from other health professions as students prepare for a career in laboratory medicine.