B.S. Medical Laboratory Science

For students looking to pursue a career as a medical laboratory scientist (MLS), a B.S. Medical Laboratory Science degree from Southwestern Adventist University is perfect for you!

 

Job Outlook
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, from 2019-2029 the job outlook for:

  • Medical laboratory scientists will increase by 6 percent, which is an additional 8,400 jobs.
  • Clinical laboratory scientists will increase by 7 percent, which is an additional 24,700 jobs.

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Affiliation Program

Southwestern Adventist University has partnered with Tarleton State University here in Texas and Andrews University in Michigan to give students the opportunity to train for 14 months in state of the art facilities either locally or in the beautiful Great Lakes Region!

General Education Requirements

To view general education requirements for this major please visit the catalog.

 

Careers
MLS technicians are in very high demand with almost all graduates being placed in a job immediately after graduation.

In addition to having an abundance of career opportunities in the labs, a MLS degree is the perfect stepping stone for someone who may eventually want to study medicine.

Sample Job Titles
Medical Technologist
Medical Tech Lab Scientist
MLS – Trauma Tech

Wearing a white lab coat and goggles, a student looks up as he is holding a thermometer to take the temperature of his lab project

Your Future

Careers

A medical laboratory science specialist provides a supporting role in a medical diagnosis by analyzing specimens drawn from patients. Students pursuing this degree spend their first three years at Southwestern Adventist University, followed by one year at one of our partner institutions (Andrews University or Tarleton State University).

 

With this degree, graduates easily find jobs in clinic, hospital and veterinary laboratory settings.

Professions

  • Medical Laboratory Scientist
  • Medical Laboratory Technician

$53,120
Median annual pay for
clinical laboratory technologists
and technicians in 2019

Groups of students with lab coats in lab doing an experiement with the professor
Group of students with lab coats in lab analyzing class materials
Group of students with lab coats in lab analyzing class materials
Required Courses 
Item #Title Credits
BIOL 111General Biology I4
BIOL 112General Biology II4
BIOL 180Biology Research Seminar1
BIOL 318Microbiology & Immunology4
BIOL 320Genetics4
CHEM 111General Chemistry I4
CHEM 112General Chemistry II4
CHEM 231Organic Chemistry I4
CHEM 232Organic Chemistry II4
 MATH 141 or MATH 1803 - 4
 Sub-Total Credits39 - 40

 

Recommended Cognates
Item #TitleCredits
BIOL 455Immunology3
CHEM 431Biochemistry I3
PHYS 121General Physics I4
PHYS 122General Physics II4
 Sub-Total Credits14

 

Senior Year

Click here to link to Andrews University Medical Laboratory Science page for a complete list of classes taken during Senior year.

Click here to link to Tarleton State University Medical Laboratory Science page for a complete list of classes taken during Senior year.

 

 Total Credits:120 - 150

 

 

Faculty Profiles

Arthur Schwarz, PhD

Department of Biological Sciences
Professor and Department Chair
Email:

Arthur Chadwick, PhD

Department of Biological Sciences
Paleontology Specialist
Email:

Amy McHenry, PhD

Department of Biological Sciences
Adjunct Faculty
Email:

Jared Wood, PhD

Department of Biological Sciences
Associate Professor
Email: