| Overview | Admissions | Program Outcomes | Essential Program Requirements |
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - Overview
The MLS Post-Baccalaureate Certificate program is open to individuals who possess a bachelor’s degree in biology, chemistry, molecular and cell biology, or a related subject area and who have completed appropriate prerequisite courses. You will apply by February 1st for admission the following January. The program is limited to a maximum of 24 students each year (combined undergraduate and certificate program admissions).
Over the course of 17 months, you will complete didactic and clinical laboratory training. The didactic portion of the curriculum will be completed over two semesters and a summer session at the UConn Storrs campus. Didactic coursework will cover seven major areas of study:
- Clinical Chemistry – The biochemical analysis of blood and body fluids for the detection of disease including the operation, maintenance, and troubleshooting of laboratory instrumentation.
- Clinical Immunology – The study of immune responses in normal and diseased states including the detection of antigens and antibodies in blood and body fluids in infectious and auto-immune diseases.
- Clinical Microbiology – The isolation and identification of normal flora and clinically significant bacteria, fungi, parasites, and viruses, including anti-microbial susceptibility testing.
- Diagnostic Molecular Technologies – DNA and RNA technologies used in clinical settings, including cancer management, transplantation, infectious disease, and genetic disorder diagnosis.
- Hematology – The study of hemostasis and blood cell formation and function, including the diagnosis of coagulation disorders, anemias, leukemias, and lymphomas.
- Transfusion Services – Evaluation of laboratory results for selection of blood components for therapy, including human blood groups, HLA antigens, and compatibility testing and donor selection.
- Urinalysis – The chemical and microscopic examination of urine for the detection of disease.
In the final semester of the program, you will complete a clinical rotation at one of several clinical affiliates throughout Connecticut where you will work one-on-one with a practicing technologist in a licensed clinical laboratory. Upon graduation, you will be eligible to sit for the certification examination in Medical Laboratory Sciences offered by the Board of Certification of the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP).