College of Allied Health Professions
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University of Nebraska Medical Center
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Admission Requirements

Required Minimum GPAs for Medical Laboratory Science:

  1. Cumulative GPA 2.5 on a 4.0 scale (Applicants with a cumulative GPA below a 2.5 may still be considered for an interview)
  2. Cumulative Science GPA 2.5 and/or 20 most recently completed biology/chemistry semester hours 2.5

**These minimum GPAs must be achieved by the time of application submission.**

MLS Program Policy Manual (pdf)

University / College Required Prerequisites

Admission to the senior year of our Medical Laboratory Science Program requires the applicant to successfully complete the following prior to matriculation:

Semester Hours
Successful completion of 77 semester hours (or equivalent quarter hours) at an accredited college or university. Only 66 semester hours (or equivalent quarter hours) can be accepted from a community college. A total of 11 semester hours (or equivalent quarter hours) must be completed at a 4-year regionally-accredited college or university. Credits for courses in which grades below “C-“ were received, are not accepted in fulfillment of the individual course prerequisites listed below. [Exceptions to this policy due to COVID-19] The 77 semester hours must include the following:
Biological Sciences (16 semester hours) including:
  1. Microbiology (with lab preferred) (CAHP offers an on-line course in Fall Spring,and Summer)
  2. Immunology (CAHP offers an on-line course in Fall & Spring)
Chemistry (14 semester hours) including:

Minimum of two upper level (200 level or above) Chemistry courses.

Upper level chemistry courses may include Organic Chemistry I, Organic Chemistry II, Biochemistry or Analytical Chemistry.

Biochemistry with a lab recommended.

English Composition (3 semester hours)
English Composition (3 semester hours)
Mathematics (3 semester hours)
Statistics is preferred.

Advanced Placement

College Level Examination Program (CLEP), Advanced Placement (AP) and/or Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Support (DANTES) semester credit hours will be accepted for transfer, except towards prerequisite sciences courses.

Suggested Electives

Physiology and Molecular Biology are strongly recommended. Additional recommended courses include Cell Biology, Introduction to Hematology, Pathogenic Microbiology, and Parasitology.

Evaluation of Applicants

Applicants are evaluated for admission on several levels, including, but not limited to:

  1. Cumulative GPA
  2. Science GPA or most recently completed 20 biology/chemistry hours
  3. Verbal and written communication skills demonstrated in the application and during interview
  4. Writing ability demonstrated through personal essay and narrative, and writing skills demonstrated during interview
  5. Communication skills demonstrated during interview

Enrollment in each program is limited and competitive. The admissions committee of each program, composed of program faculty and administration, evaluates the qualifications of each applicant and makes the final selections for admission.

An applicant may strengthen their application through job shadowing experience or direct observation of a clinical laboratory, additional coursework in science and mathematics and demonstrating academic ability through the completion of higher level courses with a laboratory component (such as the suggested electives).

Clinical Site Placement

Applicants submit their preference for clinical site location during the interview process. Clinical site assignments are made based on site availability, competitive factors, and applicant preference. If you're a current California resident and you're interested in securing a CA license, please contact the admissions office to connect with the program before applying.

Computer Requirements

Any accepted student will be responsible for having a desktop, laptop or tablet (as designated by their program) that meets specified requirements. Please visit the College Computer Requirements page for more details.

How to Apply