MLS Admission Requirements

MLS Admission Requirements

Applications for admission to the Medical Laboratory Science program are available online and can be downloaded from the MLS web site. During the Spring semester of their Sophomore year, students should complete the MLS application and submit all transcripts to the Program Coordinator by April 1. (Reference letters may be accepted after this date.) Students who can complete all course requirements and obtain a grade point average of 2.5 (on the 4.0 scale) are eligible to apply.

Students who do not have an overall GPA of 2.5 at the end of the Sophomore year can apply the following year, assuming they have met the GPA requirement. The GPA calculation will include credits transferred to BGSU from other universities or schools, including College Credit Plus. Students will then be evaluated by the MLS selection committee for program acceptance. During the summer of the Senior year, students will participate in interviews with the hospital/agency laboratory staff to determine clinical placement sites.  

Students with Foreign Academic Records

Students with higher education credits earned outside the U.S. or Canada must have their transcripts authenticated and evaluated by the Office of International Studies, and by an independent agency approved by the Board of Certification of the American Society for Clinical Pathology ASCP. One such agency is the International Education Research Foundation (IERF), P.O. Box 3665, Culver City, CA 90231 (Phone: 310.258.9451, Email: info@ierf.org Website: www.ierf.org ).

Admission Criteria

The selection committee, consisting of all MLS faculty, evaluates student applications. The students are admitted to the program based on GPA, Resume, Interviews, and Recommendation Letters. Students are notified of their acceptance in the MLS program by June. The maximum capacity of the program depends upon availability of clinical sites (usually 16 students).

In addition to a GPA minimum of 2.5 and C or higher in core courses, students must have the ability to perform the following visual and motor functions that must be used in order to produce reliable laboratory results.

• Sufficient visual skill to read small print and labels
• Color discrimination skills that permit identification of color changes and visual reading of color blocks
• Ability to make adjustments in small dials and controls using the fingers
• Sufficient hand to eye coordination to perform laboratory procedures (e.g., pipetting) and venipuncture (placing a needle into a vein)
• Sufficient speech, hearing and language function to communicate accurately.
• Sufficient control of movement to sit or stand for periods of at least 30 minutes.
• Move or lift small objects weighing less than 10 pounds.