Medical Laboratory Science Track with Biology Major

The Biology Department has a track for students interested in medical laboratory science (MLS—formerly known as medical technology and clinical laboratory science).

The University is partnered with two hospitals to provide training for this particular field, Hines VA Hospital and NorthShore University HealthSystem. Admission is not guaranteed to any affiliate partner by virtue of acceptance to Elmhurst University or declaring the biology major. Students must apply for these tracks as per the guidelines of the hospital. Also, students must recognize the length of each track varies and may require summer courses. Additional tuition costs and fees may apply.

The courses for the major and these particular tracks are listed below. Students accepted to an MLS affiliate will attend the hospital during senior year for the MLS courses. These courses will fulfill two upper-level biology electives for the major and elective credit toward graduation requirements. Accepted students will need to successfully complete all general education requirements, core courses required for the biology major, the biology capstone, and three upper-level biology electives in the three required categories prior to beginning at the hospital.

Students on the MLS track must successfully complete prerequisite courses to be eligible to apply. These courses include, but are not limited to, microbiology and immunology. A minimum of 24 credits must be earned prior to matriculating to an affiliate partner for the MLS track. Students who are accepted and successfully complete the MLS track at an affiliate partner will earn a bachelor’s degree in biology from Elmhurst University and be eligible to sit for the national MLS certifying examination. All affiliate partners and requirements are subject to change.

Students must earn a minimum grade of C- and maintain a minimum GPA of 2.00 across all courses that are required for the major in order to successfully complete the degree. Biology majors are allowed to repeat any major-required course taken at Elmhurst University in which they received a grade of C-, D, F, P, NP or W no more than one time for each course. To be eligible to apply for these tracks, the affiliate partners may require specific grades in individual courses and a minimum GPA that may vary from the minimum that the Biology Department requires for the major. Students are responsible for working with their faculty advisor and the health professions advisor to determine eligibility to apply and any additional requirements for the MLS track. Transfer credit is limited for the MLS track. Transfer students or other students with transfer credit should speak with both advisors to determine if they are eligible.

• Read additional information about the affiliate tracks.

Any student accepted into an affiliate partner must successfully complete the required courses to earn the certificate from the affiliate partner. Should a student not earn the certificate, they must complete the remaining biology upper-level electives and general electives needed to graduate. These must be completed at Elmhurst University. This could be up to two upper-level biology courses and six credits of general electives.