ASHLAND – Ashland University will offer a new academic concentration in Medical Laboratory Science this fall that will allow students in the biology program to complete a fourth year at Cleveland Clinic’s School of Medical Laboratory Science and become eligible for certification as a medical laboratory scientist.
“We are pleased that The Higher Learning Commission approved this new concentration within the Bachelor of Science in Biology major. This program will start in the fall and we expect it to be very popular program,” said AU Provost Dr. Eun-Woo Chang. “This partnership with the Cleveland Clinic, one of the nation’s premiere medical institutions, is just another example of AU’s ability to develop strategic partnerships that enhance our educational mission.”
According to Dr. Paul Hyman, associate professor of Biology/Toxicology, the new concentration will provide students with a biology degree, and with the completion of the extended senior year, eligibility for certification as a laboratory scientist.
“Certified medical laboratory scientists work in hospitals and other clinical laboratories, processing patient samples and performing tests essential for doctors to properly diagnose and treat patients,” Hyman said. “With increasing numbers of aging persons requiring more medical care in the United States, medical laboratory science is an expanding field with an excellent employment rate for graduates, especially those with the appropriate certifications.”
Hyman said the AU program would be structured as a “3 plus 1 program” with the first three years spent at Ashland University completing most requirements for a biology major as well as all core requirements.
“The final year would be completed at the Cleveland Clinic School of Medical Laboratory Science, which will be certified as an Ashland University auxiliary campus,” he said. “In this last year, students will focus on clinical preparation and preparing to take the certification exam.”
Upon completing that final year, students will be awarded a Bachelor of Science in Biology and will be eligible to take the certification exam in Medical Laboratory Science.
“Students who graduate and get on the job training for exam eligibility normally take two to three years to get the experience needed to take the exam so AU’s new program will allow them to progress much more rapidly,” Hyman said.
According to Dr. Chang, Ashland University signed the Memorandum of Understanding with the Cleveland Clinic last summer, but has been waiting for HLC approval to announce the agreement. “That approval was finalized last month,” he said.
Those wanting more information about the new medical laboratory science program can visit the program website at www.ashland.edu/medicallabscience or contact Dr. Paul Hyman at 419-207-6309 phyman@ashland.edu or the AU admissions office at 419-289-5052/enrollme@ashland.edu.
