Biology Major,
Medical Laboratory Science Option

Department of Biology

Become a medical laboratory scientist

Co-coordinators: Dr. Greg Pryor and Dr. Lorianne Turner

Medical laboratory scientists perform clinical laboratory procedures helpful to pathologists and physicians in the diagnosing the nature, course and treatment of disease.  The Biology Department offers a B.S. degree with either a 3+1 or 4+1 Medical Laboratory Science Option. Once they have completed a program, the student is then eligible and must take the National Certification Exam from the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP). The Medical Laboratory Science Option at FMU can be done in two ways.

Bachelor of Science in Biology-Medical Laboratory Science (3+1) Option

The “3+1” option involves a cooperative arrangement with the McLeod Regional Medical Center (MRMC), in which students can become a medical laboratory scientists in four years by completing the first three years (90 hours) at FMU and the fourth clinical year (30 hours) at McLeod. During this process, students earn a biology major and a chemistry minor with an emphasis in medical laboratory science and are eligible to take the National Certification Exam from the  American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP). The bachelor of science degree in biology-medical laboratory (3+1) option requires 120 credit hours.

Bachelor of Science in Biology-Medical Laboratory Science (4+1) Option

The “4+1” option involves a student getting a normal bachelors degree in biology with a chemistry minor at FMU. They then have the ability to complete a fifth clinical year at a medical laboratory science program of their choice. A student on this path can become a medical laboratory scientist in 5 years. During their time at FMU, a student needs to ensure they are taking all of the prerequisites needed for any medical laboratory science programs to which they wish to apply.

General Education Requirements

Communications (9 hours)

Social Sciences (9 hours)

  • POLI 101: U.S. Government or POLI 103: Introduction to Political Science (3)
  • Two elective courses in Anthropology (ANTH), Economics (ECON), Geography (GEOG), Political Science (POLI), or Sociology (SOCI). (3)
    • Honors (HNRS) courses 250-259 will also fulfill this requirement.

Humanities (12 hours)

  • Literature (ENGL) (3)
  • History (HIST) (3)
  • Fine Art Appreciation (ART 101, MUSI 101, or THEA 101) (3)
  • One elective course in Art (ART), Literature (ENGL), History (HIST), Music (MUSI), Theater (THEA), or Philosophy & Religious Studies (PRS) or AAAS 200: Introduction to African American Studies or GNDR 200: Gender Studies (3)
    • Honors (HNRS) courses 260-269 will also fulfill this requirement.

Mathematics (6 hours)

  • MATH 132: Trigonometry with Analytical Geometry (3)
  • MATH 134: Probability and Statistics (3)

Natural Sciences (12 hours)

  • Biology majors fulfill this General Education requirement automatically.
  • A minimum of 12 hours of science courses with laboratories.
    • Biology (BIOL) or Environmental Science (ENVR) (4)
    • Chemistry (CHEM), Physics (PHYS), or Physical Science (PSCI) (4)
    • Astronomy (ASTR), Biology (BIOL), Chemistry (CHEM), Environmental Science (ENVR), Physics (PHYS), Physical Science (PSCI), Psychology (PSYC 206/216), or
      • Honors (HNRS) courses 280-289 will also fulfill this requirement.

Major Requirements

Biology (24 hours)

  • One course from Introductory Group I: (4)
    • BIOL 105/BIOL 115L: Biological Sciences I
      • BIOL 103 and BIOL 104 may substitute for BIOL 105/115L with permission from the Department.
    • BIOL 107: Integrated Biological Concepts I
  • One course from Introductory Group II: (4)
  • One additional (BIOL) elective course. (4)
    • Course must be 200-level or above.
    • Courses in human anatomy and human physiology are recommended.
    • Internship courses (BIOL 490, 494, and 498) do not fulfill the biology elective requirements for the biology major. 

Chemistry (20 hours)

Physics (8 hours)

Electives

  • Additional elective courses in any discipline may be needed to reach the total 90 hours required to apply for the clinical program.
    • CS 150: Microcomputer and Software Applications I is recommended.

Applying to the McLeod Program

During the Junior year, a student must apply to the MRMC Medical Laboratory Science Program. Acceptance is on a competitive basis and admission is not guaranteed. The size of each class is five. The minimal requirements for admission are:

  • Completion of the 90 hours of undergraduate requirements listed above.
  • Scores greater than 140 on the verbal and quantitative reasoning sections of the GRE.
  • A minimum GPA of 2.6 in all biology, chemistry, physics, and mathematics courses.
  • A minimum overall GPA of 2.5 in all undergraduate courses.
  • Three lettters of reference.

MRMC Clinical Program

If admitted into the program, students will complete their final year of study at the School of Medical Laboratory Science at MRMC. The final year involves 53 weeks, integrating classroom lectures with practical laboratory experiences. Students receive hands-on experience in each department of the clinical laboratory. Schedules are rotated to give students several weeks to learn the basic techniques of each department. A list of course competencies that must be completed for graduation is shown below.

Contact Information

April Orange (Director)
MRMC Medical Laboratory Science Program
P.O. Box 100551
Florence, SC 29502-0551
(843) 777-2497
Email

MRMC-Medical Laboratory Science Program website

Clinical Curriculum (30 hours)

Once a student completes their clinical year, they will receive a Bachelor of Science in Biology-Medical Laboratory Science Option from FMU and are also eligible to take the National Certification Exam from the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) for licensure to practice professionally.

The 4+1 Medical Technology Option

Students may also choose to complete a Bachelor of Science in Biology, and then apply to any medical technology program for their clinical year of study.

Additional Courses Needed to Complete a B.S. in Biology

  • One course in the Organismal Diversity Block
    • 201, 202, 206, 207, 208, 209, 216, 303, 307, 312, 313, or 315
  • One course in the Ecology Block
    • 308, 317, 318, 400, 402, 411, or 412
  • BIOL 499: Biology Capstone Seminar
  • Additional elective courses in any discipline may be needed to reach the total 120 hours required for graduation.