Medical Laboratory Science

The Medical Laboratory Science program prepares you to spend your last year of college immersed in a hands-on, hospital-based clinical training program. Your other three years at St. Edward’s will be full of science courses with labs, research opportunities and time to build relationships with fellow Hilltoppers through clubs focused on science, service and health.

Coursework establishes fundamental knowledge in such disciplines as microbiology, hematology, immunology, clinical chemistry and molecular biology. Research and clinical training at Partner Institutions of St. Edward’s allows students to pursue personal interests and develop skill sets that align with professional objectives.

Major Requirements: The BS in Medical Laboratory Science requires 53–54 hours of major courses. Requirements include a combination of Biology, Chemistry and Math. In addition, 30 hours of coursework is taken at a Partner Institution, including Microbiology, Hematology, Clinical Chemistry, Coagulation, Phlebotomy, Blood Bank/Immunology/Serology and Urinalysis.

General Education Requirements: In addition to the major program requirements, all students must satisfy the general education requirements. Talk with your success coach and faculty advisor about which courses are right for you.

View and download the full degree plan for the Medical Laboratory Science major (PDF).

A few examples of courses students in this major take:

• Microbiology - Microbiology is the study of microorganisms with an emphasis on their structure, function and role in sickness, health and research. 
• Immunology - Immunology is the scientific discipline that seeks to understand the nature of the human immune system. The immune system is of paramount importance to the success of humans, as the human body is inundated daily by a multitude of potentially pathogenic microorganisms that left unchallenged would quickly destroy all human bodies. Throughout this course, students will discover the molecular nature of the human immune system, including the cellular and noncellular components involved and how these factors interact to combat disease. 
   

Interested in earning a Master of Science in Clinical Laboratory Science? Learn about our dual degree program in partnership with The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.

What You Will Learn

The Medical Laboratory Science program provides in-depth training that prepares you to test and analyze a variety of biological specimens for the diagnosis and treatment of disease. 

• Study the theoretical and practical aspects of the major laboratory disciplines: clinical chemistry, hematology/coagulation, microbiology, transfusion medicine, urinalysis and clinical research.
• Learn to use sophisticated equipment like microscopes, hematology analyzers, cell counters and incubators to gather and analyze data that will help identify and treat diseases like cancer, diabetes and other medical conditions. 
• Pair courses like Microbiology, Clinical Chemistry and Molecular Biology with clinical training at one of our Partner Institutions (Austin State Hospital and Baylor Scott and White in Temple, Texas). There, you’ll learn medical testing procedures like phlebotomy, immunology and urinalysis.

Skills You Will Gain

Your classroom studies and experiential learning activities equip you with transferable skills that are valuable across many workplaces and employment scenarios.

• Critical thinking and problem-solving
• Data collection and analysis
• Research
• Developing, testing and iterating on a hypothesis
• Time management
• Ability to multitask
• Teamwork
• Laboratory research and safety techniques
• Understanding and communicating — verbally and in writing — scientific and medical topics

Experiential Learning

You’ll learn the fundamentals of laboratory research and the scientific method in your science courses at St. Edward’s. For example …

In your freshman Biology lab, you’ll start to develop your laboratory skills and learn how to construct and answer a scientific question. Previous classes have collected and analyzed water samples from locations near campus and used their data to answer distinct research questions. At the conclusion of your work, you’ll learn how to present your findings to your peers.

In Microbiology, you’ll continue to build your lab skills through projects like determining whether a particular plant extract inhibits bacterial growth or characterizing antimicrobial-resistant bacteria in soil samples. Although St. Edward’s students have been testing plant extracts for antimicrobial properties for many semesters, you’ll be testing one that has not been analyzed before. This project gives you a chance to experience real-life research, where no one knows the outcome.

Teaching Assistantships

Students with an affinity for teaching and mentorship can assist younger students by serving as teaching assistants. At St. Edward’s, all classes are taught by professors, but student teaching assistants help their fellow students develop lab skills and techniques. You’ll expand your communication skills and improve your own lab skills by helping other people learn the material.

Research

All Medical Laboratory Science students have the opportunity to conduct research and present their work at symposia on campus or at conferences like the Texas Academy of Science. Undergraduate research teaches you to work independently and analyze scientific literature. 

Outstanding students complete Research Experiences for Undergraduates, in which they join the lab of a professor at a major research university over a summer. These competitive 10-week experiences, funded by the National Science Foundation, introduce you to research with different mentors and help you evaluate whether a research career is right for you.

Internships

You’ll finish your degree by completing classes and rotations at one of two clinical sites, to which you apply your junior year. Here, you’ll do exactly the same kind of work you’ll do as a professional, making you a strong candidate for jobs in the field.

• Austin State Hospital is a public psychiatric facility a few miles north of St. Edward’s. If you enter this clinical program, you’ll study in classes with fewer than 10 other students. At ASH, you’ll learn how to analyze samples used to monitor patients’ medication levels, check for markers that indicate negative side effects, and assess patients’ overall health. 
• You’ll also complete rotations at other sites, such as the local blood bank, where you’ll learn how to do blood typing and analyze blood chemistry, and Dell Seton Medical Center, Austin’s safety-net and teaching hospital. There, you’ll work in divisions including blood chemistry, microbiology, parasitology, and blood and tissue typing.
• St. Edward’s also has a partnership with Baylor Scott and White Medical Center in Temple, where you can spend your last year of college learning how to conduct clinical tests. Your rotations will include the labs at BS&W Medical Center as well as the healthcare system’s hospitals in Round Rock and Waco, and the Veterans Affairs hospitals in Temple and Waco. For this program, you would probably move to Temple — an hour’s drive from Austin in light traffic — to reduce commuting time, participate fully in the life of the community and build your network in the field.

The University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston has an agreement with St. Edward’s through which students can earn two degrees in five years. Students complete three years at St. Edward’s and two years of clinical training at UTMB. Through this program, you can earn a bachelor’s degree in Biology from St. Edward’s and a master’s degree in Clinical Laboratory Science from UTMB. If you complete all your prerequisites at St. Edward’s, you will be accepted automatically to UTMB. If you pursue this path, you will move to Galveston after your third year of college to experience life in a beach city and build a new network of colleagues and friends in the medical community.

Student Organizations

The St. Edward’s chapter of the Texas Academy of Science supports student research, including presentation and publication opportunities. Members also tutor in the sciences and complete other service projects.

Students with strong academic achievement in the sciences are eligible to join the St. Edward’s chapter of Beta Beta Beta, the National Biological Honor Society.

The student chapter of the American Society for Microbiology attends regional ASM meetings together and takes a field trip to UTMB to learn about the master’s program and life in Galveston. The group invites guest speakers, watches documentaries (such as about antibiotic resistance) and plans special events like a reception with fermented foods.

At St. Edward’s University, all curricula in the Biological Sciences are founded upon evolutionary theory. As a subject of scientific inquiry, the theory of evolution provides opportunities for testing of hypotheses that strengthen our understanding of the processes that account for the diversity of life on earth, and existing data overwhelmingly support the theory as scientifically sound. We regard any non-scientific or teleological attempts that distract from the scientific processes that underlie science as, at best, a diversion to our mission to provide exceptional education to our students in the Biological Sciences. We stand with the numerous scientific societies that have issued statements on the subject of evolution and intelligent design, confirming the demonstrated success of the former and rejecting the scientific viability of the latter.