Medical Laboratory Sciences Major - Florida Southern College in Lakeland, FL

The degree that leads to a fast paced, impactful career in the medical field!

Medical Laboratory Science is the “hidden profession” that saves lives every day! Over 75% of clinical decisions are based on the laboratory tests performed by Medical Laboratory Scientists. If you love working in a laboratory setting and want to have a direct impact on patient care, the MLS major is a great fit for you!

Medical Laboratory Scientists work behind-the-scenes, processing laboratory tests that doctors count on to correctly diagnose, monitor and treat patients. The Medical Laboratory Scientist is responsible for interpreting and communicating critical patient results to the physician.

Your B.S. in Medical Laboratory Sciences will provide you with an extensive background in the basic biological sciences, including anatomy and physiology, immunology, microbiology, biochemistry and parasitology.

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Faculty at Lakeland Regional Health (LRH)

The faculty at LRH include:

Maridaliz Rodriguez Rosado, Ph.D, MLS(ASCP)CM - Program Director
Darnal Smith, MT MSM - Instructional Faculty
Theresa Ohrmund, Clinical Liaison between FSC and LRH

Earn your Certification

Our curriculum follows the strict guidelines set by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS). This provides you with exceptional preparation for the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP) national certification exam and licensure within the state of Florida.

LRH Partnership

A major part of your curriculum includes taking classes at our local hospital with professionals at LRH. In your final year, you will be full time at LRH where you will spend time in each clinical lab for extensive training.

Hands on Experience

Beginning in the first semester, students gain valuable laboratory, skills-based and critical thinking experiences at FSC. In advanced courses, students work with MLS professionals in state-of-the-art clinical labs at LRH, where 5 million lab tests are performed each year.

Unique experiences

he MLS program provides unique experiences at LRH and other affiliated health care facilities, with bedside testing, molecular pathology and microbiology testing, and working with various patient populations, including at their cancer center.

Employment and career opportunities

Many of our current students are employed at LRH as laboratory assistants. MLS Ranks #3 among health professions, and the national median salary is $62,737 annually. There is a current shortage everywhere in the US, especially Florida, and the field has a projected 25% job growth. All of this means job security, guaranteed employment and higher salaries! There is rapid advancement within the field to administrative positions, specializations, and educational opportunities.

Meet Drew Mundy '24
A current student talks about career journey

Drew Mundy is a current student from Clearwater, FL. She discovered the MLS program during her freshman year at a STEM career fair held at FSC.

“I chose MLS because I have always loved working in the laboratory,” Drew said. “I use to be in a veterinary program [in high school], and I would always be near the microscopes, running all the urine and blood tests. I loved it so much! I also think it would be such a rewarding career to be able to help people behind the scenes.”

Drew is looking forward to her upcoming experiences. “My favorite thing about the MLS program is starting your junior year you get to take classes at Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center, and you get hands-on experience,” she said.

As she thinks about her future, Drew is very optimistic and sees many opportunities. “MLS allows for a lot of different career opportunities and advancements,” she said. “If you know you want to go into the healthcare field and you love being in the laboratory then I would definitely consider joining the MLS program. Also, MLS can be a great stepping stone to other career paths as well, such as pathologist assistant, or specializing in parasitology, hematology, etc.”

National Accreditation

We have earned Serious Applicant Status (SAS) with NAACLS and are awaiting our final approval to become a fully accredited Medical Laboratory Scientist Program. Our program received a NAACLS Site Visit Review Report and the Review Committee for Accreditation Program (RCAP) meeting was performed in February 2022. RCAP will review our program and formulate a recommendation by March 2022. This recommendation will be received by the Board of Directors by April 2022, and our notification of the award will be sent by May 2022.

We graduated our first class in the spring of 2021. Information on certification, graduation and attrition rates for the program are listed below.

ASCP Certification BOC Rate
(within first year of graduation)

Class Year	Rate	Number of Student Pass/Fail
2021	75%	3/1

Graduation Rates

Class Year	Rate	Number of Student Pass/Fail
2021	100%	4/4

Attrition Rates

Class Year	Rate	Number of Student Pass/Fail
2021	0%	4/0

Get an inside look at Medical Laboratory Sciences

Diagnose and Monitor Patient Progress

In MLS 4800 Medical Laboratory Sciences Practicum you will apply medical testing concepts to laboratory settings. You will work in multiple laboratory facilities in a hospital clinical setting to gain experience in the methods and procedures needed for the medical laboratory science professional.

Course List

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A visit is the next step. Online or In‑Person.

Schedule a campus tour or take our video tour of one of the nation’s most beautiful campuses. Participate in our daily online Admission Info Session or a MocTalk webinar to learn more about Florida Southern.

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Featured Medical Laboratory Sciences Faculty

Dr. Nancy Morvillo
- Biology Department Chair

Read and think. Then read some more and think some more. Then do. Learning is not something that just takes place in the classroom and ends when you obtain a degree. It is something you do throughout your entire life, in all aspects of your daily existence. All you need is curiosity, passion, and enthusiasm. Let yourself be that young child again: allow everything to be fun, to be an adventure. Don’t be afraid to explore and dig deeper. You will be rewarded in ways you cannot possibly imagine.

Medical Laboratory Sciences

The MLS degree is an allied health career opportunity for students interested in working in a clinical laboratory.

Medical Laboratory Scientists are healthcare professionals who perform chemical, hematological, immunological, histopathological, cytopathological, microscopic, and bacteriological diagnostic analyses on patient samples. Medical Laboratory Scientists commonly work in hospital clinical laboratories, commercial laboratories, for pharmaceutical, chemical, or biotechnology companies, and in research and teaching institutions.

This four year degree includes experience working in the clinical laboratories of Lakeland Regional Health, a major health care provider in central Florida. Students will begin taking courses at the Medical Center hospital beginning in their third year, before transitioning into a full time internship at Lakeland Regional Health during their fourth year.

Second Bachelor’s Degree in Medical Laboratory Sciences

Florida Southern College accepts applications from students seeking a Second Bachelor’s degree in select academic majors. Graduates from other 4-year accredited institutions of higher education (meeting university transfer eligibility requirements) in the United States who apply for admission to work toward a second bachelor’s degree must meet the regular requirements of the university and would apply as a Transfer student. Students must meet all transfer GPA requirements. A baccalaureate degree or higher from another 4-year accredited institution of higher education (meeting university transfer eligibility requirements) in the United States satisfies the General Education requirements for graduation.

Second Bachelor’s degree seeking students are great candidates for the Medical Laboratory Sciences program. Florida Southern College offers 2 year and 3 year paths to an MLS degree. To apply for admission to the MLS program, a second bachelor’s degree student must be admitted to Florida Southern College and meet academic criteria for admission to the program.

Additional Materials

Clubs and More

The Biology department sponsors Beta Beta Beta, the society for biology students affiliated with the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Alpha Epsilon Delta, (AED) the national Health Preprofessional Honor Society, and Rho Rho Rho Marine and Atmospheric Honor Society.

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Program Details

Available in:

Admission Requirements

First-Years

All freshman applicants to Florida Southern Colleges full-time degree programs must submit the following information:

A completed application form
An official high school transcript
Must have an SAT score of 1180 or ACT score of 24
One recommendation letter (must be an academic reference)
Admission to the program is competitive, and a comprehensive review of application materials will determine admittance.

Transfers

Applying to Florida Southern as a transfer student is easy.

A completed application form
Personal statement
All official college transcripts
Overall college GPA of 3.0 for completed courses received as transfer credits.
Completion of at least three prerequisite courses including BIO 1500, CHE 1111, and CHE 1112 all with a grade of C or higher.
Social standing form

If transferring less than 19 credits, we also need your:

Official high school transcript
Must have an SAT score of 1180 or ACT score of 24.

Learn More about transfer student requirements

Internationals

Learn More about international student requirements

Additional Admission Requirements for Medical Laboratory Sciences

All pre-certified MLS students are required to participate in clinical laboratory experiences at off-site locations. Each student is responsible for obtaining reliable transportation to the clinical laboratory sites. Students may be assigned laboratory rotations on weekends.

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Bacholor of Science in
Medical Laboratory Sciences (MLS)

The degree that leads to a fast paced, impactful career in the medical field!

Faculty at Lakeland Regional Health (LRH)