Bachelor of Science in Biomedical Sciences:
Pre-Clinical Laboratory Science Option

Clinical Laboratory Science is an interesting, challenging, and rewarding profession. Clinical laboratory scientists obtain and analyze clinical laboratory data and consult with physicians and others regarding those data. Working in hospitals, clinics, research laboratories, physicians’ offices or public health laboratories, they are responsible for performing (or directing those who perform) a variety of chemical, hematological, immunological, microbiological, serological, and other laboratory procedures. Furthermore, the clinical laboratory scientist is also responsible for quality assurance in the laboratory and the supervision of other laboratory personnel.

To earn a Bachelor of Sciences in Biomedical Sciences, all students must complete the General University Requirements for Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and the Biomedical Sciences Core Requirements.

In addition, students will complete at least 49 semester credit hours of course work in the Pre-Clinical Laboratory Science Option (listed below). Thirty-one semester credit hours are required baccalaureate courses; the other eighteen hours are electives. The current Undergraduate Catalog contains a description of the Biomedical Sciences Program and a list of Biomedical Sciences Course Descriptions. A list of required courses and electives is also found in the Sample Schedule for Pre-Clinical Laboratory Science Students. A student (in consultation with his or her Faculty Mentor and Academic Advisor) selects appropriate electives to personalize the Blank Pre-Clinical Laboratory Science Degree Plan.

---

Important Note: Laboratory Safety Seminar (SMTE 0091) is a co-requisite course for all courses in the Department of Life Sciences that have a laboratory component.

---

Pre-Clinical Laboratory Science Option—Required Baccalaureate Courses (31 SCH):

Course #	Course Title	SCH
BIMS 2171	Medical Terminology	1
BIMS 3102	Essentials Laboratory for Clinical Laboratory Science	1
BIMS 3202	Essentials for Applied Laboratory Sciences	2
BIMS 4406	Immunology	4
BIOL 3430	Physiology	4
CHEM 4401	Biochemistry I	4
CHEM 4402	Biochemistry II	4
MATH 2413	Calculus I (hours included in University Core)	(4)
MATH 2413	Applied Probability and Statistics	3
PHYS 1401*	General Physics I*	4
PHYS 1402*	General Physics II*	4

*Or PHYS 2425-2426 (University Physics I-II).

Pre-Clinical Laboratory Science Option—Electives (18 SCH):

Course #	Course Title	SCH
BIMS 4182*	Seminar-Clinical Correlations	1
BIMS 4297*	Professional Practicum I	2
BIMS 4325	Clinical Chemistry I	3
BIMS 4326	Clinical Chemistry II	3
BIMS 4331	Clinical Immunology I	3
BIMS 4332	Clinical Immunology II	3
BIMS 4365	Hematology I	3
BIMS 4366	Hematology II	3
BIMS 4370	Medical Bacteriology	3
BIMS 4374	Medical Microbiology	3
BIMS 4378	Advanced Medical Microbiology	3
BIMS 4380*	Introduction to the Clinical Laboratory Profession	3
BIMS 4382*	Advanced Medical Laboratory Procedures	3
BIMS 4384*	Professional Skills for Clinical Laboratory Science	3
BIMS 4598*	Professional Practicum II	5
BIMS 4599*	Professional Practicum III	5

*Admission to these courses is limited to students who have a minimum GPA of 2.5, and who have a “C” or better in all prerequisite Biology, Chemistry, and Biomedical Sciences courses. Full-time students will be given preference for admission to these courses.

---

Clinical Laboratory Science Certification and Post-Baccalaureate CLS Courses

The clinical laboratory scientist holds a key position in life-and-death matters involving the diagnosis and treatment of patients. Therefore, the practice of clinical laboratory science requires professional certification that is regulated both from within the profession and, in some states, by law. To apply for certification as a clinical laboratory scientist, a student at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi must complete the course work required for the baccalaureate degree plus additional post-baccalaureate courses.

A student who has a baccalaureate degree in Biology, Biomedical Sciences, Chemistry, or Microbiology, or who is completing the requirements for such a degree, may apply for post-baccalaureate certification in one of three areas: General Clinical Laboratory Scientist (CLS-Generalist), Clinical Chemist, or Medical Microbiologist. National certification examinations are given through the American Society for Clinical Pathology, Board of Certification (ASCP, BOC). Before applying to take a certification examination in any area of clinical laboratory science, a student must complete those Pre-Clinical Laboratory Science Option courses required for certification in that area, and have earned a “C” or better in all BIMS courses.

Application is required for admission to the some CLS courses (BIMS 4182, BIMS 4297, BIMS 4384, BIMS 4598, and BIMS 4599), and for admission to the certification programs/examinations. Completion of a Form, an interview and reference letters may be required as part of the application process.

Students who are seeking more information about requirements for the different areas of certification, or who are interested in applying for admission to courses or certification examinations should contact the Director of Clinical Laboratory Science directly.

For help designing a personal degree plan and scheduling courses, a student should contact his or her Faculty Mentor and Academic Advisor. Verbal descriptions of these and other courses are found in the Current University Catalog. Many courses are not offered each semester; some are offered once every year or once every two years. To make long-term plans, a student should consult the Two-Year Schedule to determine when and how often a course in the sciences will be taught.

Information on this page is based on the 2005-06 Catalog. Students who entered under previous catalogs can access similar information through the BIMS Archives. Additional information about Clinical Laboratory Science is also available.

Contact Information:

Jean Sparks, Ph.D.
Clinical Laboratory Science Director
CS-130G, Unit 5802
Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi
6300 Ocean Drive
Corpus Christi, Texas 78412-5802
E-Mail: jean.sparks@tamucc.edu
Telephone: (361) 825-2359
FAX: (361) 825-3719

---

Clinical Laboratory Science at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi is accredited by the:
National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS)
8410 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., Suite 670
Chicago, Illinois 60631-3415
Telephone: (773) 714-8880
FAX: (773) 714-8886