The purpose of program evaluation is to systematically study, investigate and appraise the effectiveness of the Medical Laboratory Science program in order to ensure that the program continues to provide a signature educational program that produces graduates who are prepared to be leaders in their field.
UAB MLS Outcome Data | 7/1/21 - 6/30/22 | 7/1/22 - 6/30/23 | 7/1/23 - 6/30/24 | Three Year Average |
---|---|---|---|---|
Entering GPA | 3.37 | 3.41 | 3.45 | 3.41 |
Attrition (2nd half of program) | 5.8% | 5.2% | 0.0% | 4.0% |
Graduation Rate | 93% | 95% | 100% | 96% |
ASCP Pass Rate (1st Attempt) | 85% | 82% | 88% | 85% |
Placement Rate (w/in six months) | 100% | 100% | 100% | 100% |
With a degree in Medical Laboratory Science you can work as a medical laboratory scientist in:
- Hospitals
- Clinics
- Clinical Research Labs
- Reference Labs
- Research and Development Labs
- Health Departments
- Academia
- Consulting
- Many more organizations finding answers to patients’ health questions.
Many of the careers in medical laboratory sciences allow you to work within the healthcare industry without direct patient care. This can be ideal for professionals transitioning from other healthcare professions or even those who are changing from careers in research or education. The hours for positions in this field tend to be flexible, with different types of shifts available.
In addition to pursuing careers as a medical laboratory scientist, some students use the MS in Medical Laboratory Sciences program as part of their path to medical school.
In the Clinical Education portion of your education, you get to apply your knowledge and skills in a contemporary, accredited medical laboratory and to further develop discipline-specific competency under the supervision of clinical instructors.
Professional Clinics Affiliated with UAB Medical Laboratory Science
- Children’s of Alabama - Birmingham, AL
- DCH Regional Medical Center - Tuscaloosa, AL
- Huntsville Hospital - Huntsville, AL
- LabCorp - Birmingham, AL
- Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital - Memphis, TN
- Brookwood Baptist Medical Center - Birmingham, AL
- Gadsden Regional Medical Center - Gadsden, AL
- Grady Hospital - Atlanta, GA
- Grandview Medical Center - Birmingham, AL
- Northeast Alabama Regional Medical Center - Anniston, AL
- St. Vincent’s Birmingham - Birmingham, AL
- St Vincent’s East - Birmingham, AL
- USA Health University Hospital - Mobile, AL
- UAB Health System - Birmingham, AL
- Birmingham VA Medical Center - Birmingham, AL
- Jackson Hospital - Montgomery, AL
- Medical West, affiliate of UAB Health System - Bessemer, AL
- CHI Memorial - Chattanooga, TN
- Piedmont Atlanta Hospital - Atlanta, GA
- Princeton Baptist Medical Center - Birmingham, AL
- Walker Baptist Medical Center - Jasper, AL
- WellStar Health System - Atlanta, GA
- Coosa Valley Medical Center - Sylacauga, AL
- Piedmont Columbus Regional - Columbus, GA
- Floyd Medical Center - Rome, GA
- Pickens County Medical Center - Carrollton, AL
- Madison Hospital - Madison, AL
- Shelby Baptist Medical Center - Alabaster, AL
Application Deadlines:
February 1 – Early
May 1 – Regular
August 1 – Final deadline. Based on availability of seats.
Application Fees:
- Domestic applicants and green card holders: $50
- International applicants: $60
Instructions for Completing the Application
Prospective students may apply at any time during the year; however, students only begin program courses in the fall. Applications are submitted online through the UAB Graduate School. All admissions documents (test scores, transcripts, immigration documents, WES, etc.) must be sent to the UAB Graduate School.
Official transcripts from each institution where college credit was received can be mailed to:
UAB Graduate School
LHL G03, 1720 2nd Avenue South
Birmingham, AL 35294-0013
Transcripts can be submitted electronically by choosing University of Alabama at Birmingham - Graduate Admission or using the email
Example for Completing Application:
- For which of the following are you applying? Master’s Degree
- Intended program of study: Medical Laboratory Science
- Concentration: Not Applicable – Selected program does not offer concentrations
- Term: Fall 201X
Requirements
-
Prerequisite Requirements
- Pre-calculus Algebra (or higher)
- General Chemistry I
- General Chemistry II
- Introductory Biology
- Organic Chemistry
- Microbiology
- Genetics
-
Application Requirements
- Have a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university.
- Have a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0 computed from all undergraduate credits, or from the last 60 semester hours of undergraduate course credit.
- Provide a written statement of career goals.
-
International Requirements
International Students must submit a transcript evaluation from World Education Services, Educational Credential Evaluators, or Josef Silny and Associates, Inc.
The Graduate School now monitors English proficiency to make sure applicants meet our minimum scores which are listed below.
- IELTS – 6.5
- TOEFL – 80
- PTEA – 53
Other requirements include a financial affidavit of support and immigration documentation (if currently residing in the United States).
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Essential Functions
In order to successfully complete the degree requirements for the Master’s Degree in Clinical Laboratory Sciences, students must complete the academic and clinical practice requirements. Students must also meet the essential requirements in addition to the academic requirements. “Essential requirements are those physical abilities, mental abilities, skills, attitudes, and behaviors the students must evidence or perform at each stage of their education.” The absence of an essential requirement would fundamentally alter the program goals. The essential requirements include categories of observation, movement, communication, intellect, and behavior.
Observation
The student must be able to:
- Observe laboratory demonstrations in which biological (i.e., body fluids, culture samples, tissue sections, and cellular samples) specimens are tested for their biochemical, hematological, immunological, microbiological, and histochemical components.
- Characterize the color, odor, clarity, and viscosity of biologicals, reagents, or chemical reaction products.
- Employ a clinical grade binocular microscope to discriminate among fine structural and color (hue, shading, and intensity) differences of microscopic specimens.
- Read and comprehend text, numbers, illustrations, and graphs displayed in print, on a projection screen, and on a video monitor.
Movement
The student must be able to:
- Move freely and safely about a laboratory.
- Reach laboratory bench tops and shelves, patients lying in hospital beds or patients seated in specimen collection furniture.
- Travel to numerous clinical laboratory sites for practical experience.
- Perform moderately taxing continuous physical work, often requiring prolonged sitting, in confined spaces, over several hours.
- Maneuver phlebotomy and culture acquisition equipment to safely collect valid laboratory specimens from patients.
- Control laboratory equipment (i.e. pipettes, inoculating loops, test tubes) and adjust instruments to perform laboratory procedures.
- Use an electronic keyboard (i.e. 101-key IBM computer keyboard) to operate laboratory instruments and to calculate, record, evaluate, and transmit laboratory information.
Communication
The student must be able to:
- Read and comprehend technical and professional materials (i.e. textbooks, magazine and journal articles, handbooks, and instruction manuals).
- Follow verbal and written instructions in order to correctly perform laboratory test procedures.
- Clearly instruct patients prior to specimen collection (if applicable).
- Effectively, confidentially, and sensitively converse with patients regarding laboratory tests (if applicable).
- Communicate with faculty members, fellow students, staff, and other health care professionals verbally and in a recorded format (writing, typing, graphics, or telecommunication).
- Prepare papers, prepare laboratory reports, and take examinations within specified times.
Intellect
The student must:
- Possess these intellectual skills: comprehension, measurement, mathematical calculation, reasoning, integration, analysis, comparison, self-expression, and criticism.
- Be able to exercise sufficient judgment to recognize and correct performance deviations.
Behavior
The student must:
- Be able to manage the use of time and be able to systematize actions in order to complete professional and technical tasks within faculty-defined time limits.
- Possess the emotional health necessary to effectively employ intellect and exercise appropriate judgment.
- Be able to provide professional and technical services while experiencing the stresses of task-related uncertainty (i.e. ambiguous test ordering, ambivalent test interpretation), emergent demands (i.e. “stat” test orders), and a distracting environment (i.e. high noise levels, crowding, complex visual stimuli).
- Be flexible and creative and adapt to professional and technical change.
- Recognize potentially hazardous materials, equipment, and situations and proceed safely in order to minimize risk of injury to patients, self, and nearby individuals.
- Adapt to working with unpleasant biologicals.
- Support and promote the activities of fellow students and of health care professionals. Promotion of peers helps furnish a team approach to learning, task completion, problem solving, and patient care.
- Be honest, compassionate, ethical, and responsible. The student must be forthright about errors or uncertainty. The student must be able to critically evaluate her or his own performance, accept constructive criticism, and look for ways to improve (i.e. participate in enriched educational activities). The student must be able to evaluate the performance of fellow students and tactfully offer constructive comments.
Application Review Process
After an application window has closed, applications are reviewed at program deadlines.