Medical Laboratory Sciences

You can apply, but may need to complete additional general education and/or prerequisite coursework before starting the program. The MLS program coordinator will advise you after review of your transcript. To be considered for admission to the Medical Laboratory Technician to Medical Laboratory Science Bachelor of Science Degree Completion program you must have an Associate of Applied Science or an Associate of Science Degree, and hold Medical Laboratory Technology certification and be a practicing MLT with at least one year of work experience in the last five years.

The best way to determine this is by applying to the university. Upon acceptance, your transcript(s) will be reviewed for credit. Once this is done, an advisor will look at the coursework to determine whether any courses can be substituted to apply to the major and degree requirements.

Yes, the program is accredited by the National Accreditation Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS). Upon completion of the program, the student can sit for the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) board of certification (BOC) exam to become a certified medical laboratory scientist.

MLT degree completion students wanting to pursue a BS in MLS have the option of starting courses in the fall, spring or summer and may take courses part-time.

Traditional students pursuing a degree in MLS start in the fall semester only.

Yes. There is a separate application (PDF) for the MLS major.

Please view specific requirements for admissions.

Step 1: Read instruction letter

Step 2: Complete application form

Step 3: Download letter of recommendation form, complete pages, and forward to your recommender.

All applications are submitted online to mlsadmissions@niu.edu.

All program didactic courses are online for MLT to MLS students. If you have additional questions, contact the MLS program coordinator.

Yes. If you have at least one year of full-time work experience before starting the program you will receive 12 semester credit hours for a number of lab courses and upon successful completion of all MLS requirements maybe awarded up to an additional 17 credit hours of proficiency credit for the learning experiences leading to the A.A.S. in CLT/MLT. You are also exempt from the 30 semester hour university graduation residence requirement.

Practicum is not required for the MLT to MLS program.

The state of Illinois does not have a licensure law. You will need to decide whether this program meets the requirements of your state.

Please visit the following pages for tuition information.

• Tuition Estimator
• Office of the Bursar

Please contact Ellen Olsen, program coordinator for more information. Call: 815-753-6300 or email: eolsen1@niu.edu.