Medical Laboratory Science B.S.
General Degree Requirements
To earn a baccalaureate degree, all students must complete successfully, in addition to any other requirements, the University of Montana General Education Requirements. Please refer to the General Education Requirements page for more information.
Additional requirements for graduation can be found on the Degree/Certificate Requirements for Graduation page.
Unless otherwise noted in individual program requirements, a minimum grade point average of 2.00 in all work attempted at the University of Montana-Missoula is required for graduation. Please see the Academic Policies and Procedures page for information on how your GPA is calculated.
Courses taken to satisfy the requirements of a major, minor, or certificate program must be completed with a grade of C- or better unless a higher grade is noted in the program requirements.
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE - MEDICAL LABORATORY SCIENCE
A Medical Laboratory Science degree prepares students to perform various chemical, histological, and microbial laboratory procedures used in the diagnosis, study, and treatment of disease. Students with this degree seek employment in hospital laboratories, physicians' offices, and health departments. For clinical practice, a student must be certified through the Board of Registry by completing a one-year clinical practicum.
Course Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Lower-Division Biology Courses | ||
| Complete all of the following courses: | ||
| BIOB 260 | Cellular and Molecular Biology | 4 |
| BIOB 272 | Genetics and Evolution | 4 |
| Upper-Division Required Courses | ||
| Complete all of the following courses: | ||
| BCH 380 | Biochemistry | 4 |
| or BCH 480 & BCH 482 | Advanced Biochemistry I and Advanced Biochemistry II | |
| BIOB 410 | Immunology | 3 |
| BIOH 365 & BIOH 366 | Human Anatomy and Physiology for Health Professions I and Human Anatomy and Physiology for Health Professions I Laboratory | 4 |
| BIOH 405 | Hematology | 3 |
| BIOM 360 & BIOM 361 | General Microbiology and General Microbiology Lab | 5 |
| BIOM 402 & BIOM 403 | Pathogenic Microbes and Pathogenic Microbes Laboratory | 5 |
| BIOM 427 & BIOM 428 | General Parasitology and General Parasitology Lab | 4 |
| BIOM 435 | Virology | 3 |
| Mathematics | ||
| Complete all of the following courses: | ||
| M 162 | Applied Calculus | 4 |
| or M 171 | Calculus I | |
| STAT 216 | Introduction to Statistics | 4 |
| Chemistry | ||
| Complete all of the following courses: | ||
| CHMY 141N & CHMY 142N | College Chemistry I and College Chemistry I Lab | 5 |
| CHMY 143N & CHMY 144N | College Chemistry II and College Chemistry II Lab | 5 |
| CHMY 221 & CHMY 222 | Organic Chemistry I and Organic Chemistry I Lab | 5 |
| Advanced Writing Requirement | ||
Complete the equivalent of a full writing course (either three 1/3 writing courses or one 2/3 writing course + one 1/3 writing course or one complete writing course). | ||
| 4+1 or 3+1 Tracks | ||
| Complete one of the following tracks: | 24-37 | |
4+1 Track 1 | ||
Complete all of the following courses (24 credits): | ||
| Immunology Laboratory | ||
| Clinical Diagnosis | ||
| Clinical Diagnosis Lab | ||
| Organic Chemistry II | ||
| Organic Chemistry II Lab | ||
| Analytical Chemistry-Quantitative Analysis | ||
| College Physics I and College Physics I Laboratory | ||
| College Physics II and College Physics II Laboratory | ||
3+1 Track 2 | ||
Complete all of the following courses (37 credits): | ||
| Summer Clinical Laboratory | ||
| Professional Training I | ||
| Professional Training II | ||
| Total Hours | 86-99 | |
- 1
The 4+1 track is the more flexible option. Students complete the four years of the Bachelor's degree on the UM campus. They may then apply to a clinical practicum program anywhere in the country.
- 2
The 3+1 track is the faster option as the clinical practicum year is part of the degree. Three years are spent on the UM campus, and then the clinical practicum year with the Montana University System Medical Laboratory Training program (or with one of our affiliated programs) is the fourth year of the Bachelor's degree.
The student must apply for the professional practicum to one of our affiliated programs during the autumn prior to enrollment. To be competitive for this practicum, a student must be in good academic standing with a minimum GPA of ~3.0 and demonstrate a commitment to the clinical laboratory profession. For more information, visit the Medical Laboratory Sciences website.
Advanced Writing Distributed Model Courses for Biological Sciences
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| 1/3 Advanced Writing Courses | ||
| BCH 482 | Advanced Biochemistry II | 3 |
| BIOB 410 | Immunology | 3 |
| BIOB 425 | Advanced Cellular & Molecular Biology | 3 |
| BIOB 483 | Phylogenics and Evolution | 3 |
| BIOE 403 | Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy | 4 |
| BIOE 428 | Freshwater Ecology | 0,5 |
| BIOM 402 | Pathogenic Microbes | 3 |
| BIOO 320 | General Botany | 5 |
| BIOO 434 | Plant Physiology Lab | 1 |
| BIOO 470 | Ornithology | 4 |
| BIOO 475 | Mammalogy | 4 |
| 2/3 Advanced Writing Courses | ||
| BCH 486 | Biochemistry Research Lab | 3 |
| BCH 499 | Senior Thesis/Capstone | 3-6 |
| BIOB 411 | Immunology Laboratory | 2 |
| BIOB 499 | Undergraduate Thesis | 3-6 |
| BIOE 342 | Field Ecology | 5 |
| BIOE 371 | General Ecology Lab (equivalent to 271) | 2 |
| BIOM 411 | Experimental Microbial Genetics Lab | 1 |
| BIOM 499 | Undergraduate Thesis | 3-6 |
| Complete Advanced Writing Course | ||
| BIOH 462 | Principles of Medical Physiology | 3 |
| BIOM 420 | Host-Microbe Interactions | 3 |