Medical Laboratory Sciences, Master of Science (M.S.)
| Program start date | Application deadline |
| 2025-09-01 | - |
| 2026-09-01 | - |
| 2027-09-01 | - |
Program Overview
Program Overview
The Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences provides students with advanced theoretical and technical education and prepares them to assume roles as laboratory supervisors, educators, and researchers. The program offers a superior, yet flexible, course of advanced study in medical laboratory sciences.
Program Goals
The program goals are to provide students with advanced theoretical and technical education and prepare them to assume roles as laboratory supervisors, educators, and researchers.
Student Learning Outcomes
- Students will demonstrate the ability to research and evaluate laboratory issues within medical laboratory sciences, formulate a research question, design a research protocol, and complete a research project.
- Students will demonstrate appropriate professional conduct and leadership characteristics to include effective communication skills, ethical conduct, and problem-solving abilities.
Admission Requirements
- Degree: Master of Science
- Semester(s) of entry: Fall
- Deadline dates: June 1
- Test requirements: Minimum TOEFL of 600 (paper), 250 (computer), or 100 (IBT); or minimum IELTS score of 7.0 for international students whose native language is not exclusively English
Special Requirements
In addition to the general admission requirements of the VCU Graduate School, the general entrance requirements for the Master of Science in Clinical Laboratory Sciences for the advanced master's concentration are:
- Baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university with a major in clinical laboratory sciences (medical technology)
- National certification as a medical laboratory scientist or equivalent level
- Minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale for at least the last two years of undergraduate work
- Three letters of recommendation from employers or recent instructors addressing academic potential
- Satisfactory interview
Degree Requirements
In addition to the general VCU Graduate School graduation requirements, students in the Master of Science degree program in Medical Laboratory Sciences are required to complete a minimum of 34 graduate credit hours to include 20 credits from core courses and 14 credits from discipline-specific courses.
Curriculum Requirements
The curriculum requirements include:
- Core courses (20 credits)
- ALHP 594: Health Education Practicum (4 credits)
- BIOS 543: Graduate Research Methods I (3 credits)
- CLLS 661: Research Methodology in Medical Laboratory Sciences (3 credits)
- CLLS 690: Clinical Laboratory Sciences Seminar (one-credit course taken three times) (3 credits)
- CLLS 790: Research in Clinical Laboratory Sciences (4 credits)
- HADM 602: Health System Organization, Financing and Performance (3 credits)
- Additional courses (14 credits)
- CLLS 628: Advanced Concepts in Microbiology (2 credits)
- CLLS 629: Advanced Concepts in Hematology (2 credits)
- CLLS 630: Advanced Concepts in Clinical Chemistry and Instrumentation (2 credits)
- Electives (8 credits)
- Total Hours: 34
Graduation Requirements
As graduate students approach the end of their academic programs and the final semester of matriculation, they must make formal application to graduate. No degrees will be conferred until the application to graduate has been finalized.
Degree Candidacy Requirements
A graduate student admitted to a program or concentration requiring a final research project, work of art, thesis, or dissertation, must qualify for continuing master's or doctoral status according to the degree candidacy requirements of the student's graduate program. Admission to degree candidacy, if applicable, is a formal statement by the graduate student's faculty regarding the student's academic achievements and the student's readiness to proceed to the final research phase of the degree program.