Medical or clinical laboratory technicians do critical work preparing and analyzing human tissue and helping to detect, prevent and treat disease. To ensure a successful career path, many students earn bachelor’s degrees from top colleges, which might include preparing for graduate or medical school. These top-ranked schools in medical research and health science have outstanding clinical laboratory science programs and world-class faculty and training facilities.
University of Washington
The University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle offers bachelor’s degrees in medical technology in two phases -- the pre-professional phase where students complete the basic coursework and the professional phase where students learn the specialized subjects of their field, such as bacteriology, clinical microscopy and virology. Classes are usually taught in an internship setting at clinical laboratories by the department faculty. The program will not admit more students than it can accommodate in the laboratories.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill offers one of the premier clinical laboratory science bachelor's degree programs in the nation. The two-year program includes one year of lecture and laboratory courses followed by a year of intensive clinical work in hospitals and laboratories in North Carolina. As of 2013, graduates have maintained a 100 percent pass rate on the American Society of Clinical Pathology Board of Certification examination, and 95 percent were employed within six months of graduation. The remaining five percent pursued graduate degrees.
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine at Iowa City offers a bachelor's degree program in clinical laboratory sciences in partnership with the University of Nebraska Medical Center Clinical Laboratory Sciences program in Omaha. The program is patient-centered and offers students individualized help and attention with theoretical training and clinical experience in hematology, clinical chemistry, microbiology, immunohematology, immunology, endocrinology, biotechnology and research. Students receive clinical laboratory experience at University of Iowa hospitals and the Iowa City Veterans Affairs Medical Center.
Boston University
Boston University's Metropolitan College offers a bachelor's degree in biomedical laboratory and clinical sciences in collaboration with the university's School of Medicine. Courses are available in basic and advanced theory and practice, along with lecture and laboratory coursework, such as molecular biology and protein purification. Students also take coursework toward their specializations, such as virology, bioinformatics and forensic toxicology, and all students take an externship, often at biotechnology firms, research facilities or medical centers.
University of Alabama at Birmingham
The University of Alabama at Birmingham offers a bachelor's degree in medical technology, which trains students for employment in hospital laboratories. Students develop high-level diagnostic skills, such as in hematology, microbiology and blood banking. Students receive clinical laboratory training at a variety of sites in the area, such as at university hospitals and the Veteran's Administration Medical Center.