Coordinator: Dr. Tracy S. Tran, tstran@rutgers.edu

A major in clinical laboratory sciences (CLS) leading to the bachelor of science degree is offered jointly by the Department of Biological Sciences at Rutgers University-Newark and the Rutgers School of Health Professions (SHP). The major is offered at the Newark College of Arts and Sciences (NCAS). Students graduating with degrees in CLS become members of health care teams contributing to the diagnosis and treatment of disease. CLS majors are readily employed in a variety of health care, industrial, governmental, and educational settings and also may elect graduate programs in a number of specializations, such as basic and applied science, medical school, and dental school.

Clinical laboratory science majors take approximately three years of coursework at Rutgers-Newark. They must apply during the junior year to complete the senior clinical year at SHP through a separate admissions process. Admission requirements for the senior clinical year include a cumulative grade-point average of 2.85 and grades of C or better in all prerequisite core science courses taken at Rutgers-Newark. Once admitted, students register for their senior clinical year at SHP specializing in medical laboratory science. For more information about the joint program, contact the faculty adviser for Clinical Laboratory Sciences at Rutgers-Newark, Dr. Tracy S. Tran, at tstran@rutgers.edu.

For further information about these programs, please visit the Frequently Asked Questions website: https://sasn.rutgers.edu/student-support/current-students/pre-professional-programs/pre-health/clinical-laboratory-science.

Course requirements to be taken at NCAS are as follows:

Core NCAS courses required of all CLS majors (53 credits)

  21:120:200  Concept of Biology (4)

  21:120:201  Foundations of Biology: Cell and Molecular Biology (3) and
  21:120:202  Foundations of Biology Laboratory (1)

  21:120:205  Foundations of Biology: Ecology and Evolution (3) and
  21:120:206  Foundations of Biology Laboratory (1)

  21:120:335  General Microbiology (4)

  21:120:340  Mammalian Physiology (4)
 
  28:120:350  Immunology (3)

  21:120:355  Cell Biology (3)

  21:160:113-114  General Chemistry Laboratory (1,1)

  21:160:115-116  General Chemistry (4,4)

  21:160:331  Organic Chemistry Laboratory (2)

  21:160:335-336  Organic Chemistry (4,4)

  21:640:114  Precalculus (4) or 21:640:135  Calculus I (4)

  21:640:211  Statistics I (3)

Elective Rutgers University-Newark Courses (8 credits)

In addition to the above courses, program-specific requirements include eight additional credits of science electives required for medical laboratory science.The following courses are recommended, but you are allowed to substitute other science electives with permission from Dr. Tracy Tran.

  21:120:352  Genetics (3)

  21:120:356  Molecular Biology (3)

  21:160:227  Experimental Analytical Chemistry (3)

  21:750:203,204  General Physics (4,4)

  21:750:205,206  General Physics Laboratory (1,1)

Writing Intensive Courses: Rutgers-Newark College of Arts and Sciences (NCAS) requires two writing intensive (WI) courses, of which both can be nonscience WI or one nonscience, one science WI offered by the Department of Biological Sciences. You must complete the WI requirements and all other general education requirements before you transfer to the Rutgers School of Health Professions.