School Information

Health Sciences 313 Marshall, 734.487.4096 

Colleen Croxall, PhD, Director

Advisor Information

Lynne M. Shetron-Rama PhD, MT (ASCP), Professor, Program Director, 341 Marshall, 734.487.2381

Program Information

Advising is available by faculty through the clinical laboratory sciences program. To assess progress, students should meet with their advisor each semester in which they are enrolled in classes. The MLS program is accredited by:

National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences
5600 North River Road
Suite 720
Rosemont, IL 60018

Certification as a Medical Laboratory Scientist

Once the student has completed the requirements for a B.S. through our NAACLS accredited Medical Laboratory Science Program he or she is eligible to sit for the Board of Certification exam sponsored by the American Society of Clinical Pathologist.

Clinical Certification Track

This curriculum is a four-year program at Eastern Michigan University:

The medical laboratory science option consists of seven semesters of course work in general education, basic sciences and clinical sciences and includes 22 weeks of rotation through an accredited clinical laboratory. These rotations for the clinical track include:

University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Promedica Hospital, Monroe
Garden City Hospital, Garden City
VA Hospital, Ann Arbor
McLaren Labs, Flint, MI
Promedica Health System, Toledo OH
Alverno Clinical Labs, Hammond IN
Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit for Cytogenetics
William Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak Histotechnology

Because enrollment in the clinical internship is limited by the size of classes in the affiliated hospitals, admission to the program does not ensure admission to the clinical rotations of the curriculum. Admission into the clinical rotations is competitive. The Medical Laboratory Science program is accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences.

The major in clinical laboratory sciences follows an interdisciplinary format composed of courses in clinical laboratory sciences, biology, chemistry, and mathematics.

All students must complete the courses in each of the four areas of general education. At least 30 hours of the academic program must be completed at Eastern Michigan University. Students should be aware of the 60- and 75-hour rule regarding the transfer of community college credit.

Admission and continuation in the clinical laboratory sciences program are based upon the following:

1. A minimum EMU cumulative GPA of 2.0. A cumulative GPA of less than 2.8 mandates warning students of their ineligibility for acceptance into the clinical track.
2. No grade below C in any mathematics, clinical lab science, or science course.
3. A grade of D (including D- and F) in one course in the clinical laboratory sciences major may, upon recommendation by the Program Review Committee, result in dismissal from the CLS program.
4. Freedom from any kind of probation (administrative, academic, academic dishonesty or other university-sanctioned probations) must be maintained. While on academic probation, no student may register for, remain in, or receive credit for science courses or practicum courses within the clinical laboratory sciences program.
5. TOEFL scores of 570 or above (230 on the computer-based exam or 88 on the Internet-based exam).
6. Students may retake any science, math, or CLSC course only one time in order to improve a grade.
7. Transfer credits from any institution must be at least a B or above.

Successful completion of the clinical track and the Bachelor of Science degree qualifies students to take the national board examination in medical laboratory science.

Clinical Track Requirements

Students must be accepted to Eastern Michigan University before they can be considered by the Clinical Laboratory Science Program Screening Committee. However, admission to EMU does not guarantee admission into the clinical track program.

Application for full admission to the clinical track program should be made during the winter semester of the junior year. Application packets can be obtained from the program director. Completed applications must be in the office by March 15 in order to be considered for acceptance for the winter semester.

Selection criteria include overall EMU GPA, letters of recommendation, overall science GPA, interview evaluations, freedom from any academic dishonesty and completed application form.

Admission to the clinical laboratory sciences curriculum/clinical track is competitive and is based on the following:

1. A minimum GPA of 2.8 with no grade below C in any science, mathematics, or pre-professional course. The prerequisite courses may be taken at EMU, or other four-year or two-year institutions.
2. A minimum science GPA of 2.8.
3. Completion of at least 60 hours of University credit, including 45 credit hours of prerequisite mathematics and science courses, as indicated on the application form.
4. Three letters of recommendation. It is suggested that references should include a science instructor and an employer.
5. Documentation that an applicant will have completed all prerequisite clinical laboratory sciences courses prior to beginning clinical rotations in the spring of the senior year.

The first three years of clinical laboratory sciences are similar for both the professional and clinical tracks. It is likely that acceptance into the clinical track will be highly competitive. Clinical laboratory sciences majors who are not accepted into the clinical track program, yet desire to sit for the registry examination in medical laboratory science, have the following options:

1. Completion of the Bachelor of Science degree in clinical laboratory sciences (pre-professional track) at Eastern Michigan University and filing a reapplication to the clinical track program.
2. Completion of all required coursework for the Bachelor of Science degree in clinical laboratory sciences and application to an approved hospital-based school of medical technology. The faculty advisors will assist students in the application process. Students are selected for internship placement through a statewide computer matching process. The selection process is completed in September each year, with internships usually beginning during the month of July. A bachelor of science in clinical laboratory sciences will qualify the student to apply to hospitals within Michigan and throughout the United States.

Hospital-based schools of medical technology (internship programs) associated with the computer match process are:

Detroit Medical Center, Detroit
St. John Hospital, Detroit
William Beaumont Hospital, Royal Oak

General Education Requirements:

For specific requirements, see General Education  or view the General Education Worksheet [PDF] .  

Major Requirements: 87-91 hours

Minor Requirement:

This major does not require a minor.

Program Total:

Students must earn a minimum total of 120 credits at the 100-level or above.

Critical Graduation Information

Each undergraduate student will be responsible for fulfilling the requirements (or their equivalents) of the Eastern Michigan University catalog in force at the time of their initial registration at a college or university or a subsequent catalog, including the one in effect at the time of their graduation.

In the event an undergraduate student does not complete the degree requirements within seven years of the date of their original registration at a college or university, the student may be required to have their credits re-evaluated by the academic department(s) of their major/minor in keeping with catalog requirements in force during the year of their graduation.

Minimum requirements for all bachelor’s degrees awarded by Eastern Michigan University

Some majors and minors require more than the minimum in one or more of the areas below; students are urged to consult this catalog for the requirements of their particular programs.

• Earn a minimum total of 120 credit hours at the 100-level and above.
  • Courses numbered below 100 are not counted toward this degree requirement.
  • At most, eight credit hours of physical education (PEGN) activity courses are counted toward this requirement.
• Meet the requirements of the General Education program (see information below), including completing a Writing Intensive (GEWI) course in the student’s major.
• Earn a minimum of 60 credits from a four-year college or university; courses taken at community colleges cannot be used to meet this requirement (Some formal program-to-program articulation agreements modify this requirement. See specific agreements for details).
• Earn a minimum of 30 credits from courses taken at EMU.
• Complete 10 of the last 30 hours for the degree from courses taken at EMU.
• Have a minimum of 30 unique credit hours in their major and 20 unique credit hours in their minor for a total of at least 50 unique credit hours between them. Some majors that require 50 or more hours themselves do not require a minor. A double major automatically satisfies the need for a minor unless one of the two majors requires a specific minor. Students should check the requirements of the selected major in the undergraduate catalog to see if a minor is required. 
• Earn no more than 60 credit hours in one subject area (prefix). Credits over the 60 maximum will not be counted toward the minimum of 120 credits required for a bachelor’s degree.
• Earn the minimum number of credits in 300-level and above courses in each major and minor as specified below - these credits must be earned in distinct courses; that is, no course can be used to fulfill this requirement in more than one major or minor.
  • Earn a minimum of 6 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each minor
  • Earn a minimum of 9 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each major that requires a minor.
  • Earn a minimum of 15 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each major that does not require a minor
• Transfer credit will be awarded for courses taken at colleges and universities that are accredited by one of the recognized regional accrediting bodies only if the courses are college-level (equated to 100-level or above at EMU) and the student earned a “C” (or 2.0 on a 4 point scale) or better. Transfer credit may be awarded on a case-by-case basis for college-level courses in which a “C” (2.0) or better was earned at institutions outside the U.S. or at non-accredited U.S. institutions; individual departments/schools conduct the internal review of such courses within EMU, and additional documentation may be required. Please note: EMU awards only credit for transferred courses; grades are not used to calculate an EMU GPA.
• Earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 in courses taken at EMU to graduate. In addition, a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 must be reached in each major and minor. Only courses a student takes at EMU and those applied to their major or minor are used to calculate their major and minor cumulative GPAs. (Note: some programs may require a higher GPA - check with your program advisor.)

General Education Requirements - EMU’s General Education Program requires students to choose from a menu of approved courses in several different areas; do not assume that other courses in the same department or similar names will fulfill these requirements. A detailed description of General Education requirements is available in the General Education  section of the catalog.

Students who transferred to EMU may have modified general education requirements based on Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA) or articulation agreements; consult your academic advisor for additional information.