MS in Clinical Laboratory Sciences

Dominican offers the only graduate Clinical Laboratory Sciences program in California. The Master of Science in Clinical Laboratory Sciences (CLS) with an emphasis in Molecular Diagnostics is a 30-unit, non-thesis program, designed for practicing Clinical Laboratory Scientists looking to become a leader in the clinical laboratory. Students who are not already CLS licensed or license-eligible pursue a Master of Science in Molecular Diagnostics.

CLS Photo

This program provides advanced training to students who are already CLS-licensed or are CLS-license eligible. This program is also a great fit for candidates who are looking to make themselves more competitive prior to application to a CLS internship program.

Students in the CLS program will be prepared to modify systems and procedures in an effort to make the clinical lab more efficient and cost-effective while still emphasizing the importance of obtaining accurate and reproducible patient results. Molecular diagnostic techniques covered by this program include nucleic acid and protein extraction, gel electrophoresis, PCR, fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH), restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis, and DNA and RNA microarray technology.

MS in Clinical Laboratory Sciences Fall 2013 Course Schedule

MS in Clinical Laboratory Sciences Course Descriptions

Program Highlights

The program’s primary goal is to provide advanced training to licensed CLS or CLS-license eligible professionals.
A 30-unit, non-thesis program
Two year program that includes one summer term (Summer 2014)
Courses meet on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, 6:00 - 8:30 p.m.
Coursework meets the California Department of Public Health continuing education requirement for CLS license renewal

Program Objectives

The Clinical Laboratory Sciences program will teach students to:

Analyze patient samples using state-of-the-art molecular diagnostic techniques combined with various computer applications and database management systems used in the clinical lab
Know how to implement knowledge of CLS laws and regulations, ethical practices, financial management strategies, and laboratory utilization in a clinical lab setting.
Evaluate effectiveness of current quality system practices in the clinical lab and devise alternative quality control (QC) and/or quality assurance (QA) measures when necessary.
Devise and carry out a research scheme designed to test an original hypothesis pertaining to a current issue in the CLS field.
Analyze and evaluate research data and explain, both orally and in journal article format, its relevance to the general field of interest
Generate clear and concise written protocols for various CLS procedures.