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Students interested in the pre-health major in medical laboratory sciences must complete the two-year program requirements (a total minimum of 60 credits) for application to the Bachelor of Science degree program in medical laboratory sciences offered by the College of Health Professions. Applications to the program are normally submitted in spring of the sophomore year. Students planning to start the program in the fall would begin the admissions process during the fall semester of the preceding year. Students apply to the baccalaureate program through Undergraduate Admissions in the spring of the year preceding entrance. All prerequisite course work should be completed by the summer of the year of desired admission.
Completion of the pre-health major in medical laboratory sciences does not guarantee admission to the junior- and senior-year program for the B.S. in Medical Laboratory Sciences nor does it result in a college degree. Students must be admitted to and complete the baccalaureate program to earn a B.S. degree in medical laboratory sciences. Admission into the program is based on scholastic record, demonstrated aptitude and interest, and a personal interview conducted by the departmental admissions committee. Students are strongly encouraged to consult with a UAA pre-health major academic adviser to learn about admission requirements that are specific to the program and to speak about alternate/parallel majors. For more information about the admission requirements for the B.S. in Medical Laboratory Sciences, visit the department’s website.
Requirements for the pre-health major in medical laboratory sciences
Students in the pre-health major in medical laboratory sciences must complete 12 credits of biology to include biological concepts or introduction to biological sciences (both with laboratories), 12 credits of chemistry to include a two-semester sequence of general chemistry (both with laboratories) and organic chemistry with laboratory or quantitative analysis with laboratory, nine credits of English composition (UNIV 111, UNIV 112 and UNIV 200), pre-calculus mathematics (three credits), and electives to meet the 60 minimum credits requirement for entrance into the medical laboratory sciences program and to complete VCU’s general education curriculum.
In addition to the academic requirements, there are “essential functions” (non-academic) of the medical laboratory sciences program that students must master to successfully participate in the program. The following is a list of the essential technical abilities and skills for admission that applicants must possess: manual dexterity, fine motor skills, mobility, vision, hearing, the ability to verbally communicate, read and write in the English language, emotional stability, and (other) personal attributes including integrity, responsibility, tolerance and respect. Although not required, introduction to medical laboratory sciences, additional mathematics, biology or chemistry courses, and a physics course are highly recommended.
Following a review of admissions credentials, eligible applicants will require an interview with the admissions committee. The department will contact the student/applicant to schedule the interview. Applicants are notified of committee decisions at the earliest possible date.
Changing to the pre-health major in medical laboratory sciences from another major
Current VCU students who wish to change their major to the pre-health major in clinical laboratory sciences must meet the following criteria to be considered for the major:
- Minimum GPA of 2.5
- No more than 75 credits completed
Students who do not meet these requirements may see a pre-health adviser, but they will not be assigned to a pre-health adviser in Navigate.
Progression policy
Students interested in pursuing the B.S. in Medical Laboratory Sciences are admitted initially into the pre-health major in medical laboratory sciences, which is not a degree-granting major. In order to remain in the pre-medical laboratory sciences program, students must meet the following criteria.
- Students must maintain a minimum 2.5 VCU cumulative GPA.
- If a student's VCU cumulative GPA drops below 2.5, they will be placed on pre-health probation and allowed one semester to raise their cumulative GPA to 2.5 — provided it is mathematically possible to do so. If it is not mathematically possible to do so, or if the student fails to raise their minimum cumulative GPA to 2.5 during their probationary semester, they will be removed from the pre-medical laboratory sciences major and transitioned into their secondary major. If no secondary major exists, students will be moved into the Discovery program (undeclared major) where they will receive assistance with selecting another major.
- Pre-health probation students: Students must meet with their pre-health adviser prior to the add/drop deadline of the pursuant semester in order to adjust their class schedule and to create an action plan.
- By the time a student has attempted1 60 credits, if they have not successfully matriculated into the medical laboratory sciences major, they must declare a secondary major related to their parallel plan.
- If a student exceeds 75 attempted1 credits and has not successfully matriculated into the medical laboratory sciences major, they will be removed from the pre-medical laboratory sciences major and their secondary major will become their primary major.
Details of special requirements for admission to the medical laboratory sciences program can be found on the degree requirements tab of the B.S. in Medical Laboratory Sciences page of this Bulletin.
Transfer students who are admitted to the pre-health major in medical laboratory sciences must apply to the B.S. in Medical Laboratory Sciences degree program following the minimum number of semesters needed to complete the prerequisite courses required for admission. Transfer students must adhere to the same guidelines outlined above (re: declaring secondary majors, developing action plans, etc.).
Students may appeal the removal from the pre-health major in medical laboratory sciences via the associate director of pre-health advising in University Academic Advising. Students must initiate the appeal with their assigned academic adviser. The associate director may, at their discretion, extend the time period needed to meet the requirements, generally by only one semester. A student who wishes to appeal must submit his or her appeal at least one week prior to the start of the next semester in which they register for classes.
Attempted hours include credit hours from courses in which a W, an F or any other grade has been assigned. This is reported in the transcript as “overall attempted hours.”
Prerequisites for the medical laboratory sciences program
| Course | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| VCU courses | ||
| Select one of the following biology sequences (Note the three-credit lecture component satisfies general education BOK for natural sciences and AOI for scientific and logical reasoning.): | 4 | |
| Biological Concepts and Biological Concepts Laboratory | ||
| Introduction to Biological Sciences I and Introduction to Biological Science Laboratory I | ||
| Additional biology credits | 8 | |
| Introduction to Biological Sciences II and Introduction to Biological Science Laboratory II | ||
| Basic Human Anatomy | ||
| Medical Microbiology and Medical Microbiology Laboratory | ||
| Cellular and Molecular Biology | ||
| Microbiology | ||
| Genetics | ||
| Human Physiology and Human Physiology Laboratory | ||
| Inroductory chemistry sequence | ||
| CHEM 101 & CHEZ 101 | General Chemistry I and General Chemistry Laboratory I (both satisfy general education BOK for natural sciences and AOI for scientific and logical reasoning) | 4 |
| CHEM 102 & CHEZ 102 | General Chemistry II and General Chemistry Laboratory II | 4 |
| Select one of the following chemistry sequences: | 5 | |
| Organic Chemistry and Organic Chemistry Laboratory I | ||
| Quantitative Analysis and Quantitative Analysis Laboratory | ||
| MATH 151 | Precalculus Mathematics (satisfies general education quantitative foundations) | 4 |
UNIV 111  Play course video for Focused Inquiry I | Focused Inquiry I (satisfies general education UNIV foundations) | 3 |
| UNIV 112 Play course video for Focused Inquiry II | Focused Inquiry II (satisfies general education UNIV foundations) | 3 |
| UNIV 200 | Advanced Focused Inquiry: Literacies, Research and Communication (satisfies general education UNIV foundations) | 3 |
| Electives to reach the 60-credit minimum requirement for entrance into the program and completion of VCU’s general education curriculum | 22 | |
| Total Hours | 60 | |
The minimum number of credit hours required (for admission to medical laboratory sciences program) is 60.
Sample curriculum outline
| Freshman year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall semester | Hours | |
| CHEM 101 & CHEZ 101 | General Chemistry I and General Chemistry Laboratory I (both satisfy general education BOK for natural sciences and AOI for scientific and logical reasoning) | 4 |
| MATH 151 | Precalculus Mathematics (satisfies general education quantitative foundations) | 4 |
| UNIV 111 Play course video for Focused Inquiry I | Focused Inquiry I (satisfies general education UNIV foundations) | 3 |
| UNIV 191 | Student Success Special Topics | 1 |
| General education course | 3 | |
| Term Hours: | 15 | |
| Spring semester | ||
| Select one of the following biology sequences: 1 | 4 | |
| BIOL 101 & BIOZ 101 | Biological Concepts and Biological Concepts Laboratory | - |
| OR | ||
| BIOL 151 & BIOZ 151 | Introduction to Biological Sciences I and Introduction to Biological Science Laboratory I | - |
| CHEM 102 & CHEZ 102 | General Chemistry II and General Chemistry Laboratory II | 4 |
| CLLS 201 | Introduction to Clinical Laboratory Science | 1 |
| UNIV 112 Play course video for Focused Inquiry II | Focused Inquiry II (satisfies general education UNIV foundations) | 3 |
| General education course | 3 | |
| Term Hours: | 15 | |
| Sophomore year | ||
| Fall semester | ||
| Select one of the following sequences: | 5 | |
| CHEM 301 & CHEZ 301 | Organic Chemistry and Organic Chemistry Laboratory I | - |
| OR | ||
| CHEM 309 & CHEZ 309 | Quantitative Analysis and Quantitative Analysis Laboratory | - |
| UNIV 200 | Advanced Focused Inquiry: Literacies, Research and Communication (satisfies general education UNIV foundations) | 3 |
| Additional biology course and laboratory | 4 | |
| General education course | 3 | |
| Term Hours: | 15 | |
| Spring semester | ||
| Additional biology course and laboratory | 4 | |
| Electives to reach the 60-credit minimum requirement for entrance into the program and completion of VCU’s general education curriculum | 11 | |
| Term Hours: | 15 | |
| Total Hours: | 60 | |
The three-credit lecture component satisfies general education BOK for natural sciences and AOI for scientific and logical reasoning.
The minimum number of credit hours required (for admission to medical laboratory sciences program) is 60.