CIP Code: 511005
Program Description
The Medical Laboratory Science Undergraduate Certificate Program is aimed at students who currently hold a baccalaureate degree or higher (Master’s or Ph.D.) in a scientific field looking to focus and train in laboratory medicine leading directly to a career as a medical laboratory scientist.
Medical Laboratory Scientists are essential members of the health care team providing physicians, practitioners, and patients with timely, accurate lab results vital to patient diagnosis and appropriate treatment. WSU’s program has a history of producing well-rounded medical laboratorians who are prepared to enter the workforce upon graduation. Students who are successful in this program and profession are academically strong, especially in rigorous science courses, are detail-oriented, ethical, organized, and have good manual dexterity and fine motor skills.
The Medical Laboratory Science (MLS) degree program is a 3+1 medical laboratory curriculum which includes 3 years of prerequisite coursework and one-year (3 semester) Medical Laboratory Science Program which is accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS), 5600 N. River Road, Suite 720, Rosemont, IL. 60018.
The MLS program’s clinical year beings Summer semester (in May) and includes intensive didactic lecture and laboratory courses on campus, followed by two semesters (Fall and Spring) of supervised clinical rotations at an affiliated clinical facility with concurrent advanced lectures. Our clinical affiliates include: Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Clinton Memorial Hospital, CompuNet Clinical Laboratories (Premier Health), Dayton Children’s Hospital, Kettering Health, Mercer Health, Mercy Health, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Reid Health, TriHealth McCullough-Hyde Memorial Hospital, UC Health, Dayton Veterans Administration Medical Center, Wayne Healthcare, and Wilson Health.
The program plan is specifically designed to facilitate student progress and promote career development in any clinical laboratory discipline. Graduates of the program will have met educational requirements to take the certification exam for Medical Laboratory Scientists maintained by the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) Board of Certification (BOC). While passing the ASCP-BOC exam is not required to pass the MLS program, it is a nationally recognized credential employers in the field require for their employees.
Continuing education is required for ASCP certification renewal.
Upon successfully completing the twelve-month (3 semesters full time) MLS program, students are eligible to receive the Bachelor of Science in Medical Laboratory Science degree, and certificate of completion of the accredited MLS program.
Prerequisites, Application, and Admission
- Requirements for admission to the clinical year program are set by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS), and the WSU Medical Laboratory Sciences Program with input from its Advisory Committee. Please refer to the BS, MLS page for biology, chemistry, and math requirements to the program. Post-baccalaureate applicants to the certificate program must already have a baccalaureate degree in natural science from a regionally accredited college or university including a grade of ‘C’ or better in all courses in biological sciences, chemistry and math, with a minimum overall GPA of 2.7.
- Applications and letters of recommendation are due November 1 of the year prior to the program start.
- Criteria used to determine admission include the academic record, letters of recommendation, and a personal interview. The number of positions in each class for the clinical year is limited and determined each year by the Program’s Advisory Committee.
Eligible applicants from nonaffiliated universities will be considered. These applicants must also meet NAACLS and MLS Program requirements before they can enter the program.
Applicants with a foreign baccalaureate degree must meet NAACLS, American Society of Clinical Pathology, and Program criteria before they enter the clinical year program. A transcript evaluation and an Oral Proficiency Test are required.
Admission to Wright State University or the Department of Biological Sciences does not automatically guarantee admission into the Medical Laboratory Science program.
State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA)
This program prepares students to be eligible to apply for a professional license to practice in the state of Ohio. Students planning to work in other states or countries should contact the relevant state licensing board in the state where you plan to work before beginning the program. SARA does not provide reciprocity for state professional licensure requirements. Academic programs and the program graduate must meet standards set by the licensing board in a state in order for the graduate to be eligible for a license in that state.
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