What is Medical Laboratory Sciences?
Medical Laboratory Sciences (MLS) is a profession that combines the challenges of medicine, the basic sciences, and clinical sciences into a highly satisfying and valued career. Medical laboratory scientists function as detectives, investigating and determining the causes of disease. They utilize the latest biomedical instruments and molecular techniques to perform both routine and complex testing.
Learn more about Careers in Laboratory Sciences.
Who Benefits from Medical Laboratory Sciences?
As vital members of the health care team, medical laboratory scientists (sometimes called medical technologists) find great satisfaction in making a direct impact on medical care. Today's medical laboratory science graduates work in diverse settings including hospital laboratories, physician offices, clinics, commercial and research laboratories, pharmaceutical and biotechnology firms, as well as government and public health facilities.
Did you know...
U.S. News and World Report ranked Clinical Laboratory Technicians #1 in Best Health Care Support Jobs and #21 in 100 Best Jobs.
What Will I Learn?
The primary goal of the GW MLS Program is to produce highly competent and professional medical laboratory scientists who will be able to enter the health care field and be prepared to comprehend and utilize future scientific and technological advances in medical laboratory science.
Program Offerings
We offer one undergraduate MLS Program, a Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences (BSHS), five post-baccalaureate certificates, and seven graduate program, the Master of Science in Health Sciences (MSHS):
Post-Baccalaureate Categorical Certificates
- Blood Banking for Medical Laboratory Science
- Chemistry for Medical Laboratory Science
- Hematology for Medical Laboratory Science
- Microbiology for Medical Laboratory Science
MSHS Programs
Dual-Degree Programs
Why GW?
Our online, flexible undergraduate programs are designed to provide students with broad-based knowledge in medical and basic sciences that allow them to pursue their individual goals. The BSHS degree and post-baccalaureate certificate programs, for example, offer a unique blend of online course work combined with instruction in clinical laboratories. Our online MSHS in MLS program is designed to equip certified laboratory professionals with the knowledge and skills to assume leadership positions in the laboratory, as managers, educators, clinicians, and researchers.
Click here to learn more about the online Medical Laboratory Sciences programs.
National Certification Examinations
Graduates of several of the programs within the Biomedical Laboratory Sciences department are eligible to take national examinations for certification, such as those offered by the Board of Certification of the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP). The programs that lead to exam eligibility are:
- ASCP Board of Certification MLS exam
- ASCP Technologist in Hematology exam
- ASCP Technologist in Microbiology exam
- ASCP Technologist in Chemistry exam
- ASCP Technologist in Blood Banking exam
- ASCP Board of Certification Molecular Biology exam
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- BSHS in Molecular Diagnostic Science
New Students
Congratulations on your admission to the Medical Laboratory Sciences program.
Visit our Department page for your New Student Resources
Alumni
If you would like to be added to the Department's alumni mailing list, please send an email to Biomed_LabSci@gwu.edu(link sends e-mail) with your name, program, and email address.
For more Alumni information, visit our Department's Alumni page
FAQ
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