Program Overview

Program Overview

The University of Missouri offers a unique Clinical Laboratory Science (CLS) program in collaboration with the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. This program is designed to train skilled, certified professionals in the theoretical and practical aspects of clinical laboratory medicine.

Program Details

• The CLS program includes three years of pre-requisite coursework and 11 months of clinical coursework.
• The clinical year begins in late May, with 13 weeks of coursework in a dedicated summer student lab facility at the University of Nebraska's Medical Center in Omaha.
• After the initial 13 weeks, CLS students return to the Mid-Missouri area and complete their clinical laboratory rotations at local and regional clinical sites.
• Students graduate with a Bachelor of Health Science (BHS) degree in Clinical and Diagnostic Sciences with an emphasis in Clinical Laboratory Science from the University of Missouri.

Accreditation and Certification

• The CLS program is accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS) via its partnership with the NAACLS-accredited Medical Laboratory Science program of the University of Nebraska Medical Center.
• Upon completion of the program, students are eligible to challenge the Medical Laboratory Scientist credentialing examination administered by the American Society for Clinical Pathology Board of Certification (ASCP BOC).

Emphasis Areas

• This program is an emphasis area of the Clinical and Diagnostic Sciences major, BHS.
• Other emphasis areas within this major include:
  • Diagnostic Medical Ultrasound, BHS
  • Nuclear Medicine, BHS
  • Radiography, BHS
  • Respiratory Therapy, BHS

Career Paths

• Graduates of this major can pursue careers as Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technicians or Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technologists.
• Approximately 70 percent of all medical decisions regarding a patient's diagnosis and treatment, as well as their hospital admission and discharge, are based upon laboratory test results obtained by Clinical Laboratory Scientists.

Program Structure

• The program is designed to provide students with a comprehensive education in clinical laboratory science, including chemistry, hematology, microbiology, immunology, molecular pathology, and blood banking.
• Clinical Laboratory Scientists have various levels of responsibility, including staff scientists, research scientists, supervisors, managers, or educators, and can work in a variety of settings, including hospitals, clinics, laboratories, and research centers.