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College of Science and the Environment

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Medical laboratory scientists oversee all steps of lab testing processes

We regret to announce that the Medical Laboratory Science program is scheduled for closure by the end of 2023 and is no longer accepting new students.

Medical Laboratory Science students practicing techniques for counting bacteria

LSSU’s Medical Laboratory Science program has two concentrations: Academic and Clinical


  • Listing of Degree Requirements
Degree Details
Academic ConcentrationClinical Concentration
Duration (total)4 years4 ½ years
Certification Exam eligibility (upon graduation)NoYes
AdmissionAll who are accepted to LSSUCompetitive
CurriculumAll classroom lectures and labs4 years of classroom lectures and labs + 6 months clinical experience
Degree Requirements
Degree Requirements

Academic Concentration

Microbiology students practicing techniques for counting bacteria
Microbiology students practicing techniques for counting bacteria

The Academic Concentration is designed to be completed in four years. When you finish the Academic Concentration you will receive a Bachelor of Science in Medical Laboratory Science, but you will not be eligible to take the Board of Certification exam. If you want to take the certification exam, you must first complete a six- to twelve-month clinical experience at an independent hospital-based MLS program that is accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS). There are three such programs in the state of Michigan, located at:

  • DMC University Laboratories (Detroit)
  • St. John Providence Health Laboratories (Detroit/Grosse Pointe)
  • Beaumont Health System (Royal Oak)

LSSU cannot guarantee acceptance into any of the hospital-based programs. While completing this clinical experience, you are not an LSSU student (you have already graduated), and you do not pay LSSU tuition (some hospital programs charge their own tuition; some do not).

Clinical Concentration

Medical Laboratory Science students examining the eggs of parasitic worms
Medical Laboratory Science students examining the eggs of parasitic worms

The Clinical Concentration is designed to be completed in four and a half years. When you finish the Clinical Concentration you will receive a Bachelor of Science in Medical Laboratory Science and you will be eligible to take the Board of Certification exam. The last six months of the Clinical Concentration is spent one of our Clinical Affiliate partner labs: you will spend each day in a real-life laboratory performing tests on real-life patient specimens. Because our Clinical Affiliates can accommodate only a limited number of students each year, admission into the Clinical Concentration is by competitive application at the end of your junior year.

Entry into and completion of MLS – Clinical Concentration

All students wishing to major in Medical Laboratory Science must begin by declaring the MLS-Academic Concentration as their major.

The course requirements for the first three years of the Academic Concentration and the first three years of the Clinical Concentration are exactly the same.

Students may apply to enter the Clinical Concentration near the end of their junior year (details in the Student Handbook). Students who are accepted finish the last 1½ years according to the course requirements of the Clinical Concentration. Students who do not apply to or who are not accepted into the Clinical Concentration finish the last 1 year according to the course requirements of the Academic Concentration.

Accreditation Information and Outcomes Measures

Extensive information about LSSU’s MLS-Clinical Concentration, including accreditation information, program goals and outcomes measures, and policies and procedures, is provided in the Student Handbook Student Handbook LSSU MLS-Clinical Concentration 2021-2022.

Key accreditation information is also provided below.  The information provided here was updated in May 2022, while the 2021-2022 Handbook was updated in August 2021.  The next edition of the Handbook (for AY 2022-2023) will be published by the end of August 2022.

II. Program Mission Statement

The mission of the Lake Superior State University Medical Laboratory Science- Clinical Concentration Program is to train competent entry-level Medical Laboratory Scientists.

III. Program Accreditation Information

The Lake Superior State University (LSSU) Medical Laboratory Science (MLS)—Clinical Concentration Program is accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS).  NAACLS may be contacted at:

5600 N. River Rd. Suite 720
Rosemont, IL 60018-5119
Phone: 773-714-8880
Fax: 773-714-8886

IV.  Program Director

Martha A. Hutchens, Ph.D., MLS(ASCP)CM
Associate Professor
School of Science and Medicine
Lake Superior State University
650 W. Easterday Ave.
Sault Ste. Marie, MI 49783

VI. Program Outcomes Measures

A. Certification Rate

Eighty percent (80%) (4 of 5) of students graduating between December 2018 and December 2021 passed the American Society for Clinical Pathology’s Board of Certification exam within one year of graduation.

B. Graduation Rate

One hundred percent (100%) (5 of 5) of students who were accepted into the Clinical Concentration in anticipation of finishing the program between December 2018 and December 2021 completed the program.

C. Attrition Rate

Zero percent (0%) (0 of 5) of students who began the Clinical Concentration in anticipation of finishing it between December 2018 and December 2021 failed to complete the program.

D. Placement Rate

One hundred percent (100%) (5 of 5) students who graduated between December 2018 and December 2021 found employment in the field of medical laboratory science or were accepted to post-graduate education programs within one year of graduation.

VII. Program Goals and Graduate Competencies

The goals of the Lake Superior State University Medical Laboratory Science- Clinical Concentration Program are to provide the information, personal interactions, and experiences that will prepare students to:

  • Understand and analyze medical laboratory tests and situations
  • Quickly, accurately, and precisely perform medical laboratory test procedures
  • Conduct themselves in a professional and ethical manner.

Graduate competences (aka Program-Level Student Learning Outcomes)

1) Graduates of the MLS Program will recall fundamental principles of each discipline used in the medical laboratory, including:

  • Basic Laboratory Operations
  • Clinical Chemistry
  • Hematology/Hemostasis
  • Immunology/Serology
  • Immunohematology
  • Microbiology (including Mycology and Parasitology)
  • Urine and Body Fluids Analysis
  • Regulations pertaining to the medical laboratory
  • Communication
  • Education
  • Professionalism
  • Finances
  • Management
  • Clinical Research

2) Graduates of the MLS Program will, given the necessary data, draw accurate conclusions about the quality of a clinical laboratory test and suggest appropriate action

3) Given a set of clinical laboratory data, graduates of the MLS Program will draw accurate conclusions about the health of the patient and suggest a correct course of action

4) Graduates of the MLS Program will use the scientific method to formulate and test hypotheses

5) Graduates of the MLS Program will communicate clearly in writing

6) Graduates of the MLS Program will safely and accurately perform basic medical laboratory test procedures

7) Graduates of the MLS Program will demonstrate entry-level competency in medical laboratory test procedures

8) Graduates of the MLS Program will exhibit professional behavior and attitudes

VIII. List of Clinical Affiliates

War Memorial Hospital, Sault Ste. Marie, MI

Jennifer Kabat, MT(ASCP) and Claire LaPlaunt, MT(ASCP)

Laboratory Co-Directors

War Memorial Hospital

Sault Sainte Marie, MI, 49783

906-635-4430

Helen Newberry Joy Hospital, Newberry, MI

Mitchell Grigg MBA, MT(ASCP)

Laboratory Director

Helen Newberry Joy Hospital

Newberry MI, 49868

906-293-9189

Mackinac Straits Health System, St. Ignace, MI

Laboratory Director:

Karen Schwiderson, MT(ASCP)

Mackinac Straits Health System

1140 N. State St.

St. Ignace, MI 49781

906-643-1193

Schoolcraft Memorial Hospital, Manistique, MI

Laboratory Manager:

Henry Richey, MT (ASCP)

7870W U.S. Hwy. 2

Manistique, MI 49854

906-341-3216

Mid-Michigan Medical Center- Alpena

Mariflor Ramirez, MT(ASCP)

Clinical Laboratory Manager

1501 W Chisholm ST

Alpena, MI 49707-1498

989-356-7556

UP Health System-Portage

Jennifer L. Heltunen, MT (ASCP)

Laboratory Director

UPHS-Portage

500 Campus Drive

Hancock, MI  49930

(906) 483-1435

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