Prerequisite Requirements
- MA 105: Pre-Calculus Algebra or higher
- CH 115 and 116: General Chemistry I and Lab
- CH 117 and 118: General Chemistry II and Lab
- CH 235 and 236: Organic Chemistry and Lab
- BY 123: General Biology and Lab
- BY 261 or 271: Microbiology and Lab
- BY 210: Genetics
In addition to the general UAB admission requirements, to gain admission to the BS MLS program, applicants must:
- Have a minimum cumulative overall GPA of 2.75 at the time of application. A minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75 does not guarantee admission to the BS MLS program. Admission is competitive and is based on space available.
- Have successfully completed a minimum of 58 semester credit hours prior to matriculation into the BS MLS program.
- Have successfully completed all BS MLS prerequisite courses with a “C” or above prior to matriculation into the BS MLS program.
- Provide a written statement of interest and career goals
- If accepted, a background check and drug screening will be required at program admission and again prior to clinical placement.
- If accepted, complete the UAB Student Health and Wellness Level III Immunization requirements and provide proof of medical coverage.
Application Procedure
Students are eligible to apply when they have successfully completed a minimum of 40 semester hours of credit. If accepted, applicants are enrolled in the Fall semester after completion of all admission requirements. Applicants should submit the following materials:
To the UAB Undergraduate Admissions Office
- Completed UAB undergraduate application and fee, if applicable. Apply online,
- Official transcripts from each college or university attended.
To the MLS program, School of Health Professions
- Completed application to the BS MLS Program.
- Unofficial copies of all transcripts from each college or university attended emailed to
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
International Requirements
International students can apply to UAB as freshmen, transfer/second degree, or returning students. To learn more about our international admissions, visit the UAB Office of Global Engagement website.
Essential Functions
In order to successfully complete the degree requirements for the BS MLS, students must complete the academic and clinical practice requirements.
Students must also meet the essential requirements in addition to the academic requirements. Essential requirements are those physical abilities, mental abilities, skills, attitudes, and behaviors students must evidence or perform at each stage of their education. The absence of an essential requirement would fundamentally alter the program goals.
The essential requirements include categories of observation, movement, communication, intellect, and behavior.
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Observation
The student must be able to:
- Observe laboratory demonstrations in which biological (i.e., body fluids, culture samples, tissue sections, and cellular samples) specimens are tested for their biochemical, hematological, immunological, microbiological, and histochemical components.
- Characterize the color, odor, clarity, and viscosity of biologicals, reagents, or chemical reaction products.
- Employ a clinical grade binocular microscope to discriminate among fine structural and color (hue, shading, and intensity) differences of microscopic specimens.
- Read and comprehend text, numbers, illustrations, and graphs displayed in print, on a projection screen, and on a video monitor.
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Movement
The student must be able to:
- Move freely and safely about a laboratory.
- Reach laboratory bench tops and shelves, patients lying in hospital beds or patients seated in specimen collection furniture.
- Travel to numerous clinical laboratory sites for practical experience.
- Perform moderately taxing continuous physical work, often requiring prolonged sitting, in confined spaces, over several hours.
- Maneuver phlebotomy and culture acquisition equipment to safely collect valid laboratory specimens from patients.
- Control laboratory equipment (i.e. pipettes, inoculating loops, test tubes) and adjust instruments to perform laboratory procedures.
- Use an electronic keyboard (i.e. 101-key IBM computer keyboard) to operate laboratory instruments and to calculate, record, evaluate, and transmit laboratory information.
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Communication
The student must be able to:
- Read and comprehend technical and professional materials (i.e. textbooks, magazine and journal articles, handbooks, and instruction manuals).
- Follow verbal and written instructions in order to correctly perform laboratory test procedures.
- Clearly instruct patients prior to specimen collection (if applicable).
- Effectively, confidentially, and sensitively converse with patients regarding laboratory tests (if applicable).
- Communicate with faculty members, fellow students, staff, and other health care professionals verbally and in a recorded format (writing, typing, graphics, or telecommunication).
- Prepare papers, prepare laboratory reports, and take examinations within specified times.
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Intellect
The student must:
- Possess these intellectual skills: comprehension, measurement, mathematical calculation, reasoning, integration, analysis, comparison, self-expression, and criticism.
- Be able to exercise sufficient judgment to recognize and correct performance deviations.
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Behavior
The student must:
- Be able to manage the use of time and be able to systematize actions in order to complete professional and technical tasks within faculty-defined time limits.
- Possess the emotional health necessary to effectively employ intellect and exercise appropriate judgment.
- Be able to provide professional and technical services while experiencing the stresses of task-related uncertainty (i.e. ambiguous test ordering, ambivalent test interpretation), emergent demands (i.e. “stat” test orders), and a distracting environment (i.e. high noise levels, crowding, complex visual stimuli).
- Be flexible and creative and adapt to professional and technical change.
- Recognize potentially hazardous materials, equipment, and situations and proceed safely in order to minimize risk of injury to patients, self, and nearby individuals.
- Adapt to working with unpleasant biologicals.
- Support and promote the activities of fellow students and of health care professionals. Promotion of peers helps furnish a team approach to learning, task completion, problem solving, and patient care.
- Be honest, compassionate, ethical, and responsible. The student must be forthright about errors or uncertainty. The student must be able to critically evaluate her or his own performance, accept constructive criticism, and look for ways to improve (i.e. participate in enriched educational activities). The student must be able to evaluate the performance of fellow students and tactfully offer constructive comments.