Bachelor of Science in Medical Laboratory Sciences

LEAP Degree Plans and Curriculum

See Also: SHP Bulletin and Student Handbook

Laboratory Education and Advancement Program (MLT to MLS)

The LEAP Program offers an ASCP certified MLT the opportunity to complete a majority of your baccalaureate degree in Medical  Laboratory Sciences without leaving your home community. The program is a part-time, 3-year (on average) degree track designed to accommodate MLTs with responsibilities in addition to their education, such as family, job, etc. Upon consultation with a CLS advisor, a student may choose the standard 3-year or accelerated 2-year LEAP degree plan. The 2-year LEAP degree can only be completed in 2 years when the program is started in the fall semester. The goal of the LEAP Program is to provide critically needed laboratory personnel for health care facilities in rural Texas.

UTMB faculty teach distance MLS courses via:

• Web-based instructional lessons
• Narrated PowerPoint lectures
• Streaming video lectures
• Interactive discussion and chat sessions
• Online testing and evaluation
• Comprehensive on-line review materials
• Online interactive course laboratories using video and animation
• Occasional on-campus laboratories at UTMB Galveston
• The Internet

This project was developed to specifically address the educational needs of medical laboratory technicians (MLTs) and laboratory personnel in rural east and gulf coast areas of Texas, but now serves students across the state, and even a few outside the state. It tracks medical laboratory technician students recruited from the area who take their associate level education at a local community college and then wish to complete their baccalaureate education in the same rural area.

The program provides theory and technical skills on an accelerated schedule to allow you to begin professional practice. This program is part of an overall intensified effort by UTMB to reduce the shortage of health professionals in rural areas of the state and to develop training programs aimed at rural and primary care through a coordinated approach in the recruitment, training and retention of the rural health professional.

Credit for previously taken courses

CLT graduates with certification are given credit for prior learning experiences, permitting the CLT certificant to be waived out of the following courses:

Total Credit Hours: 21

Note: scroll left to view full table on mobile devices.

Note: Students may wish to reduce the number of credit hours taken per semester to balance their educational career with other commitments (e.g. family, workload, etc.). A reduction in the number of credit hours completed per semester will obviously lengthen the time it takes to complete the distance degree plan

BS in MLS LEAP Track

The BS in MLS LEAP Program is designed for working MLTs who wish to complete their BS degree on a part-time basis.

BS in MLS Accelerated LEAP Track

The BSMLS LEAP Accelerated program is for MLTs who are NOT working full-time and can devote more hours to their studies.

F-1 Visa LEAP Track On Campus

The F-1 Visa LEAP Program is a full-time, 1.5-year On Campus degree track designed to accommodate MLTs who have an F1 Visa with a 12 hour semester. Upon consultation with a CLS advisor, a student may choose the standard 1.5-year F1 Visa LEAP degree plan.