Medical Laboratory Science

About this Composite Major

Two students working in the toxicology lab in the Rhoades Science Center at Valley City State University

Medical Laboratory Science is a specialty program at VCSU, training future healthcare workers in practicing diagnostic medicine and generating accurate test results in chemistry, hematology, immunology, immunohematology, and microbiology. The results of these tests are critical because they provide key information to help in the diagnosis and treatment of disease. The Medical Laboratory Science (MLS) major equips students to become essential members of a healthcare team. This degree path will earn you a degree from VCSU and a Medical Laboratory Science Certificate from UND. This major at VCSU is meant to give students career opportunities, particularly in rural areas.

Meet a Student

- VCSU alumni Jessica (Ulrich) Hennings works in a lab at Sanford Hospital.

VCSU offers a unique experience in that the science professors are right there with you to offer the best advice and course recommendations- and of course the best ways to learn science! - Jess Ulrich, 2017 graduate, Medical Laboratory Scientist

Career Opportunities

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, job opportunities in this field are expected to be excellent. Employment of medical laboratory workers is expected to grow by 11% between 2018–2028, faster than the average for all occupations (www.bls.gov/ooh).

Get Involved in your Major

Pre-Professional Club

The Pre-Professional Club is for students interested in continuing their education in the medical field (including nursing), law, accounting, and graduate school. This club provides support for students going through the application process and provide opportunities to practice aptitude tests such as the GRE, mCAT, LSAT, and DAT. Volunteer work, job shadowing, and educational & leadership opportunities are also part of the club’s activities. The goal is for students to support each other, learn from other students’ experiences, thus making your applications stronger, and increasing your chance for successful admission into your program of choice.

Western College Alliance

Valley City State University has an affiliation agreement with the University of North Dakota for this major. This is considered the 3+1 track, and students in this track are from affiliated universities in the Western College Alliance for Medical Laboratory Science. Each of the affiliated colleges have aligned specific curriculum content in their first three years with UND’s MLS program. The universities that do not offer professional courses such as hematology, clinical immunology, or medical microbiology contract with the University of North Dakota to deliver these courses by distance learning.

Medical Laboratory Science Certificate

Students in this major take part in a very prescribed program. The first six semesters for the MLS degree are completed at VCSU in the pre-professional phase. Upon successful completion of all required prerequisite coursework, the student applies to UND to complete the professional phase. This consists of a summer practicum experience at the UND campus in Grand Forks, ND, followed by two semesters in a clinical setting at a UND MLS clinical affiliate. The student will graduate in the MLS major with a degree from Valley City State University and a certificate from UND.

Contact Information

Department Chair

Dr. Nicholas Galt, nicholas.galt@vcsu.edu, (701) 845-7459

Faculty Contact

Dr. Hilde van Gijssel, hilde.vangijssel@vcsu.edu, (701) 845-7337

Department Location

Rhoades Science Center 203, (701) 845-7452

Schedule your visit today!

http://visit.vcsu.edu/

(701) 845-7101 or (800) 532-8641

General Education Requirements

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
English Composition
Select one of the following:		6
ENGL 110	College Composition I
ENGL 120	College Composition II
or ENGL 125	Introduction to Professional Writing
or
ENGL 120	College Composition II
or ENGL 125	Introduction to Professional Writing
ENGL 210	College Composition III: Persuasive Writing
Speech Communication
Select one of the following:		3
COMM 110	Fundamentals of Public Speaking
COMM 212	Interpersonal Communication
COMM 216	Intercultural Communication
Mathematics
Select one of the following:		3
MATH 103	College Algebra
MATH 104	Finite Mathematics
MATH 107	Precalculus ¹
MATH 110	Mathematics in Society
MATH 165	Calculus I
MATH 210	Elementary Statistics
Lab Science
Select two of the following, one must come from the Natural and Physical Sciences category		8
Natural and Physical Sciences (ND:LABSC)
BIOL 111	Concepts of Biology
BIOL 150	General Biology I ¹
BIOL 151	General Biology II
BIOL 170	General Zoology
CHEM 115	Introductory Chemistry
CHEM 116	Introduction to Organic and Biochemistry
CHEM 121	General Chemistry I ¹
CHEM 122	General Chemistry II
GEOL 100	Introduction to Earth Science
GEOL 106	The Earth Through Time
PHYS 100	Concepts of Physics
PHYS 110	Introductory Astronomy
PHYS 211	College Physics I
PHYS 212	College Physics II
PHYS 251	University Physics I
PHYS 252	University Physics II
Additional Sciences (ND:SCI)
PSYC 240	Cognition and Brain Science
TECH 161	Technology, Engineering, and Design
TECH 165	Technology Solutions for Society
Wellness
Select one of the following:		2
HPER 100	Concepts of Fitness and Wellness
HPER 212	Introduction to Stress Management
Computer Science and Literacy
Select one of the following:		3
CIS 147	Principles of Information Security
CIS 170	Introduction to Computer Information Systems ²
CSCI 120	Introduction to Programming
CSCI 127	Introduction to Programming in Java
CSCI 160	Introduction to Structured Programming I
CSCI 289	Social Implications of Computer Technology ²
SE 110	Discovering Computing
Humanities
Literacies
Select one of the following:		3
ASL 101	American Sign Language I
ASL 102	American Sign Language II
COMM 211	Oral Interpretation
ENGL 220	Introduction to Literature
ENGL 225	Introduction to Film
ENGL 231	Bible as Literature
ENGL 232	Mythology
ENGL 236	Women and Literature
ENGL 241	World Literature I
ENGL 242	World Literature II
ENGL 261	American Literature I
ENGL 262	American Literature II
HUM 201	Civilization, Thought, and Literary Heritage
PSYC 200	Ethics and Philosophy of Science
SPAN 101	1st Year Spanish I
SPAN 102	1st Year Spanish II
SPAN 201	2nd Year Spanish I
SPAN 202	2nd Year Spanish II
THEA 110	Introduction to Theatre Arts
Art and Music
Select one of the following:		3
ART 110	Introduction to the Visual Arts
ART 115	Introduction to Digital Media
ART 210	Art History I
ART 211	Art History II
ART 233	History of Craft
HUM 202	Fine Arts and Aesthetics
MUS 100	Music Appreciation
MUS 101	Music Fundamentals
MUS 201	World Music
MUS 207	History of Popular/Rock Music
Social Science
Select 6 credits from the following:		6
COMM 112	Understanding Media and Social Change
COMM 114	Human Communication
ECON 201	Principles of Microeconomics
ECON 202	Principles of Macroeconomics
GEOG 151	Human Geography
HIST 103	United States to 1877
HIST 104	United States to Present
HIST 211	World Civilizations to 1500
HIST 212	World Civilizations since 1500
HIST 267	Environmental History
HIST 270	Native American Studies
POLS 115	American National Government
POLS 116	State and Local Government
PSYC 111	Introduction to Psychology
SOC 110	Introduction to Sociology
SOC 111	Introduction to Anthropology
Additional Humanities or Social Science
Select one additional course from Humanities or Social Science or select from the following:		2
ART 122	Two-Dimensional Design
ART 130	Drawing I
ART 150	Ceramics I
ART 180	Photography I
GEOG 111	Survey of Geography
MUS 104	Group Piano for Non-Majors
MUS 105	Group Piano for Non-Majors
MUS 130	Valkyries
MUS 131	Concert Choir
MUS 140	Athletic Band
MUS 141	Concert Band
PHYS 275	Planetarium Science
THEA 201	Theatre Practicum
Total Credits		39

¹: Required
²: Course satisfies the Digital Literacy graduation requirement.

Major Requirements

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
Required Courses
BIOL 151	General Biology II	4
BIOL 220	Human Anatomy and Physiology I	4
BIOL 221	Human Anatomy and Physiology II	4
BIOL 310	Microbiology	4
BIOL 441	Cell Biology	4
or CHEM 360	Elements of Biochemistry
CHEM 122	General Chemistry II	5
Choose one of the following:		3-4
BIOL 440	Biostatistics and Experimental Design
MATH 210	Elementary Statistics
MATH 321	Applied Probability and Statistics
MLS 226	Immunology (University of North Dakota)	3
MLS 332	Hematology with Lab (University of North Dakota)	3
MLS 334	Medical Microbiology (University of North Dakota)	3
Directed Electives
Select 8 hours from the following:		8
BIOL 315	Genetics
CHEM 116	Introduction to Organic and Biochemistry
CHEM 330	Quantitative Analysis I
CHEM 341	Organic Chemistry I
CHEM 342	Organic Chemistry II
MGMT 302	Principles of Management
MLS 220	Laboratory Operations (University of North Dakota)
Certificate
MLS certificate at UND (University of North Dakota). Students are required to spend the summer of their senior year at UND and their senior year in a hospital-based clinical laboratory.
MLS 411	Clinical Chemistry I	2
MLS 412	Clinical Hematology & Hemostasis I	3
MLS 413	Clinical Immunohematology I	2
MLS 414	Clinical Microbiology I	3
MLS 415	Clinical Urinalysis & Body Fluids	2
MLS 416	Clinical Immunology & Molecular Diagnostics	1
MLS 420	Clinical Laboratory Operations	2
MLS 421	Clinical Chemistry II	2
MLS 422	Clinical Hematology & Hemostasis II	3
MLS 423	Clinical Immunohematology II	2
MLS 424	Clinical Microbiology II	3
MLS 425	Clinical Urinalysis & Body Fluids II	2
MLS 431	Clinical Chemistry & Urinalysis III	2
MLS 432	Clinical Hematology & Hemostasis III	2
MLS 433	Clinical Immunohematology III	2
MLS 434	Clinical Microbiology III	2
MLS 449	Capstone in MLS	3
MLS 450	Advanced Clinical Applications in MLS	1
Total Credits		84-85

Total General Education 39 Hrs
Total Major Requirement 84-85 Hrs
Total Credits Needed to Graduate 123-124 Hrs

For degree and graduation requirements, visit degree requirements and graduation requirements.

Plan of Study

Fall start - even years

First Year
Fall	Credits	Spring	Credits
BIOL 150 (Gen Ed)	4	BIOL 151	4
CHEM 121 (Gen Ed)	5	CHEM 122	5
CIS 170 (Gen Ed)	3	ENGL 125 (Gen Ed)	3
ENGL 110 (Gen Ed)	3	CHEM 116	4
	15		16
Second Year
Fall	Credits	Spring	Credits
BIOL 220	4	BIOL 221	4
MATH 107 (Gen Ed)	4	BIOL 310	4
SOC 110 (Gen Ed)	3	HPER 100 (Gen Ed)	2
CHEM 360	4	PSYC 200 (Gen Ed)	3
		Social Science (Gen Ed)	3
	15		16
Third Year
Fall	Credits	Spring	Credits	Summer	Credits
MATH 210	3	BIOL 315	4	MLS 325L	1
MLS 226 (offered through UND)	3	MLS 332 (offered through UND)	3	MLS certificate courses (offered through UND)	13
MLS 334 (offered through UND)	3	MGMT 302	3
Art and Music (Gen Ed)	3	Additional Humanities or Social Science (Gen Ed)	2
Speech Communication (Gen Ed)	3
	15		12		14
Fourth Year
Fall	Credits	Spring	Credits
MLS certificate course affiliated hospital	12	MLS certificate courses affiliated hospital	12
	12		12
Total Credits 127

Fall start - odd years

First Year
Fall	Credits	Spring	Credits
BIOL 150 (Gen Ed)	4	BIOL 151	4
CHEM 121 (Gen Ed)	5	CHEM 122	5
ENGL 110 (Gen Ed)	3	ENGL 125 (Gen Ed)	3
CIS 170 (Gen Ed)	3	HPER 100 (Gen Ed)	2
	15		14
Second Year
Fall	Credits	Spring	Credits
BIOL 220	4	BIOL 221	4
MATH 107 (Gen Ed)	4	BIOL 310	4
MATH 210	3	CHEM 116	4
SOC 110 (Gen Ed)	3	PSYC 200 (Gen Ed)	3
Art and Music (Gen Ed)	3
	17		15
Third Year
Fall	Credits	Spring	Credits	Summer	Credits
CHEM 360	4	BIOL 315 or MATH 165	4	MLS 325L (offered through UND)	1
MLS 226 (offered through UND)	3	MLS 332(offered through UND)	3	MLS certificate courses (offered though UND)	13
MLS 334 (offered through UND)	3	MGMT 302	3
Social Science (Gen Ed)	3	Additional Humanities or Social Science (Gen Ed)	2
Speech Communication (Gen Ed)	3
	16		12		14
Fourth Year
Fall	Credits	Spring	Credits
MLS certificate course affiliated hospital	12	MLS certificate courses affiliated hospital	12
	12		12
Total Credits 127

Please note: This plan is intended for general information only. Students are strongly encouraged to meet with their academic advisor each semester before registration.

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the Medical Laboratory Science Program the students should be able to:

Demonstrate a fundamental knowledge of the major concepts in chemistry and biology
Exhibit critical thinking skills by applying the scientific method to solve problems
Exhibit the entry level competencies needed to work as a Bachelor of Science degreed medical laboratory scientist.
Exhibit adequate knowledge and background experience to qualify for national certification examinations appropriate to their level of training.