January 5, 2006
***REVISED***
TO:
Robert Mrtek, Chair, Dean
Senate Committee on Educational Policy
FROM:
Roger Nelson
Assistant Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
I am resubmitting for review and action by the Senate Committee on Educational Policy the
attached proposal from the College of Applied Health Sciences to eliminate the B.S. and
M.S. in Medical Laboratory Sciences.
This proposal was considered and tabled by the Senate Committee on Educational Policy on
November 9, 2005. The Committee requested additional justification regarding the
eliminations. Attached is a letter from Dean Charlotte Tate and Executive Associate Dean
June Wencel-Drake from the College of Applied Health Sciences with additional
information.
The proposal was approved by the AHS Academic Affairs Committee on October 13, 2005
and by the Graduate College Executive Committee on November 4, 2005.
RN:
Attachment
Cc:
R. Betts
J.Huntington
M. Issel
J. Holden
C. Tate
J. Wencel-Drake
A. Valenta
January 5, 2006
MEMORANDUM
To:
Roger Nelson
Assistant Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs
From:
Charlotte Tate, Dean, College of Applied Health Sciences
June Wencel-Drake, Executive Associate Dean, College of Applied
Health Sciences
Several impacting "issues" ultimately led to the decision to suspend and then close the
Medical Laboratory Science (MLS) program within the College of Applied Health Sciences.
Most significantly was the continuing trend of declining enrollments. Contributing to this was
the presence of several institutions in the Chicago area offering 2-year associate degrees in
medical technology. The fact that potential students could acquire entry-level positions with
a less demanding degree undoubtedly contributed to low applications/enrollments.
Additionally, since the MLS program at UIC had a rigorous science curriculum, students who
were qualified for admission and were interested in clinical science were not selecting MLS
as their program, in large part due to competition with other health professions that provided
higher salaries in entry-level jobs, as well as greater career potential.
In addition, we met with several stakeholders including Dr. Charles Rice, Vice Chancellor for
Health Services; Dr. Robert Folberg, Head of the Department of Pathology; James Carson,
Administrative Director of the UIC Pathology Laboratories; as well as members of the Illinois
Hospital Association workforce committee, local and regional health science deans, and
several other area hospitals/employers. Although all recognized the need for clinical
laboratory sciences graduates in the workforce, no viable plan to cooperatively fund this
academic program was forthcoming, due principally to the economic downturn in the State
of Illinois.
The following is a list of actions taken following the decision to suspend admissions:
Initial Notification of Program Suspension: (April 2002)
Letters:
 Letters sent to current students in the MLS program about program suspension.
 Letters sent to Fall 2002 applicants about program suspension.
 Letters sent to students identified as pre-MLS and those in the pipeline for Fall 2003
admissions.
2
Roger Nelson
January 5, 2006
Page Two


Letters sent to Illinois community college advisors and counselors announcing the
program closure.
Letters sent to UIC support programs and advising offices regarding program
suspension (AAAN, LARES, GPPA, Honors College, LAS Advising Center, ACE,
OAR, UIUC, UIS)
Other Services:
 Met with current MLS students who were still completing the program to answer their
questions/concerns.
 Provided applicants with a list of alternate MLS/Clinical Lab. Science programs in
Illinois.
 Forwarded application materials to alternate programs per students' requests.
Maintained a log of student contacts related to program closure and services
provided, if any.
 Coordinated refund of application fee to applicants.
Voluntary withdrawal of accreditation: (July 28 2005)

Provost letter sent to accrediting agency (NAACLS) requesting voluntary withdrawal
of accreditation.
Final Notification of Program Closure: (August 2005)


Letters sent to MLS alumni regarding official program closure
Letters sent to Illinois community college advisors and counselors regarding the
program closure.
3
Request for Academic Program Change
Date:
September 2, 2005
Title:
Elimination of the B.S. and M.S. in Medical Laboratory Sciences
Sponsor:
College of Applied Health Sciences
Description: The College of Applied Health Sciences is requesting to close and eliminate
the B.S. and M.S. in Medical Laboratory Sciences programs. The College
stopped admitting students to the programs in Summer 2002. All students
current at the time of suspension of admission have graduated or are fulfilling
degree requirements in other programs.
Justification: Due to economic considerations, we have been forced into the decision,
effective as of February 2006, to permanently close our academic programs in
Medical Laboratory Sciences.
Catalog Statement:
References to the B.S. and the M.S. in MLS will be removed.
Minority Impact Statement:
None
Budgetary Implications:
This decision is the result of three years of budget reduction
throughout the University of Illinois system.
Staff Implications:
Faculty from both these programs found employment either within the
University of Illinois itself or in other academic or business settings
Library Support:
The elimination of these programs will have no effect on library
resources.
Approval Dates:
AHS Academic Affairs Committee: October 13, 2005
Proposed Effective Date:
We propose that the program be eliminated by the end of
Spring 2006.
4
Medical Laboratory Sciences Course Drops
Department & College approval has been granted to drop the following MLS courses due to
elimination of BS and MS in Medical Laboratory Sciences.
MLS 302 Specimen Collection and Processing
MLS 306 Biologic Fluids II
MLS 320 Clinical Chemistry I
MLS 322 Clinical Chemistry II
MLS 330 Hematology I
MLS 332 Hematology II
MLS 341 Molecular and Immunology Techniques
MLS 350 Clinical Microbiology I
MLS 352 Clinical Microbiology II
MLS 361 Immunohematology I
MLS 362 Immunohematology II
MLS 413 Independent Study
MLS 417 Clinical Experience I
MLS 418 Clinical Experience II
MLS 442 Clinical Immunology
MLS 446 Current Issues in Clinical Laboratory Science
MLS 447 Clinical Correlations for Clinical Laboratory Sciences
MLS 455 Medical Mycology, Parasitology, Virology
MLS 527 Clinical Laboratory Method Evaluation
MLS 580 Practicum in Medical Laboratory Sciences
MLS 595 Seminar in Medical Laboratory Sciences
BHIS 420 Biotechnology for Laboratory Sciences
MLS 584 Forensic Drug Analysis and Toxicology (cross-listing)
(The controlling department, Biopharmaceutical Sciences, will be notified
to drop this cross-listed course.)
**The remaining approved MLS courses in CRS are Specialist in Blood Bank
Technology (SBB) Certification requirements. (9 total)
MLS 560 Blood Groups: Systems and Serology
MLS 561 Immunohematology I
MLS 562 Blood Procurement and Blood Product Manufacturing - Change Request (pending)
MLS 563 Blood Bank & Transfusion Service Management - Change Request (pending)
MLS 564 Current Trends in Immunohematology
MLS 594 Special Topics in Medical Laboratory Sciences
MLS 596 Independent Study
MLS 597 Project Research in Medical Laboratory Sciences
MLS 598 Research in Medical Laboratory Sciences
5
DEPARTMENT OF BIOMEDICAL AND HEALTH INFORMATION SCIENCES
College of Applied Health Sciences
Catalog Revision to the Curriculum for the Bachelor’s in Medical Laboratory Sciences
Proposed Effective Date – Summer 2006
Present
Proposed
Medical Laboratory Sciences
The Medical Laboratory Sciences undergraduate degree program combines the
challenges and rewards of medicine and laboratory science. Knowledge of the
biological and chemical sciences as well as current technology is applied to the
generation of scientifically valid data in the following disciplines: clinical chemistry,
hematology, immunology, immunohematology, and clinical microbiology. Clinical
laboratory scientists select and compare laboratory methods, manage the delivery of
laboratory data, advise health care personnel on the selection and interpretation of
laboratory test results, and serve as technical consultants to physicians and other
health care professionals in a variety of settings. It has been demonstrated that 70% of
all medical decisions are based on laboratory-generated data.
The job forecast for a clinical laboratory scientist is very positive. Currently, there are
numerous entry-level positions for clinical laboratory sciences graduates from
accredited programs, not only in clinical laboratories but also in other health care
settings. Employment opportunities also exist in research, education, sales, diagnostic
and biotechnology companies, and with state and national health care organizations.
Medical Laboratory Sciences
Delete
Bachelor of Science in Medical Laboratory Sciences
The curriculum is full time (two years in length) and begins with the fall
semester. The National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences
(NAACLS) accredits the Medical Laboratory Sciences program. Medical
laboratory sciences graduates receive a bachelor of science degree and are
eligible to apply for national credentialing examinations offered by the
National Certifying Agency for Medical Laboratory Personnel (NCA) and the
Board of Registry of the American Society of Clinical Pathologists (ASCP).
The medical laboratory sciences curriculum is comprised of course work in
clinical chemistry, hematology, immunohematology, clinical immunology, and
clinical microbiology. Additional courses focus on management, education,
biotechnology, and current topics in health care. In the senior year, academic
course work is integrated with clinical practice experience at affiliated health
care facilities in Chicago and the metropolitan area.
Bachelor of Science in Medical Laboratory Sciences
Delete
6
Traditional Two-Year Program
The traditional Medical Laboratory Sciences program is full time and begins
every year in the fall semester; spring semester admission is not available.
The course of study is two years in length (including one summer session)
and occurs in the final two years of the baccalaureate degree program.
Traditional Two-Year Program
Delete
Career Mobility Option
The Medical Laboratory Sciences program also offers a special option for
medical laboratory technicians (MLT) wishing to advance to medical
technologists (MT) with minimal loss of time and credit. The Career Mobility
option is a 12-month series of courses available as a modification of the
traditional two-year professional program.
There are two possible routes of entry into the Career Mobility Program:
1. The Illinois Articulation Agreement (IAI) requires a minimum of two years
of preprofessional course work at an accredited college, graduation from an
accredited MLT program within the state of Illinois after 2000, and
certification at the MLT level by an acceptable national certification agency
(ASCP or NCA) before entrance into the program. MLT credits with a
grade of "C" or better will transfer to UIC.
2. Requires a minimum of two years of preprofessional course work at an
accredited college and completion of an approved associate degree program
(or the equivalent) in Medical Laboratory Technology (MLT). Applicants
must also be certified or eligible for certification as a Medical Laboratory
Technologist, have clinical work experience, and obtain passing scores on a
required validation examination administered by the school.
Career Mobility Option
Delete
Admission Requirements
Students seeking admission must meet these minimum requirements:
 Junior standing with 60 semester or 90 quarter credit hours of acceptable
preprofessional course work completed at an accredited college/university;
 science courses taken more than five years ago are not acceptable as
prerequisite requirements;
 successful completion of required courses equivalent to the academic
prerequisites listed before enrollment;
 cumulative and science grade point average of 3.00 on a 5.00 scale (2.00 on
a 4.00 scale) for all completed undergraduate studies;
 international students must have a Test of English as a Foreign Language
(TOEFL) score of 550, or 213 on the Computer-Based Testing (CBT), or
above;
 demonstrated reading, writing, and verbal proficiency; ability to convey
maturity; desire to work with people, and ability to direct work of others.
 completion of application process, including a personal interview with
school faculty and submission of three references; and
 thorough understanding of the professional health information manager's
role and responsibilities.
Admission Requirements
Delete
Students with international course work should present original transcripts by
November 15 - or an evaluation conducted by the Education Credential
Evaluators by February 1 - to the Office of Admissions and Records.
Application forms and credentials (i.e., transcripts and letters of
recommendation) must be complete and postmarked by March 31 in the year
of intended enrollment. Because UIC is a state-supported institution,
admission of non-Illinois residents is generally limited to 10 percent of the
incoming class. All applicants who meet the admission requirements and
have complete applicant files are considered for admission. However, not all
students who meet the minimum qualifications will gain admissions due to the
limited class size in this program. Application files are used to determine the
position of each applicant in a uniform ranking system. This uniform ranking
scale is based on both academic and nonacademic criteria.
Degree Requirements
Degree Requirements
Prerequisite Courses
Prerequisite Courses
7
Hours
6
10
5
10
5
English 160, 161
BioS 100, 101
BioS 350, 351 a
Chem 112, 114; or 116, 118
One of the following two options:
Chem 130 (5)
Chem 232 and 233 a (5)
Kine 251 and 252
Math 118 or a higher level
Humanities b
Delete
10
5
6
Two courses selected from the Humanities Course Distribution
Requirement Chart in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences .
Social sciences b
2
One course selected from the Social Sciences Course Distribution
Requirement Chart in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
Ling 201 --Classical Etymology in the Life Sciences a
Psch 100 --Introduction to Psychology
Psch 242 --Introduction to Research in Psychology
Electives to complete a minimum of 60 semester hours
3
4
3
Recommended are courses in genetics, cell biology, statistics, and
education.
Total Hours
_______
64
[a]
Not included in the Course Distribution Requirement Chart.
All students must take one course in Cultural Diversity. This requirement
may be met by selecting a Social Sciences or Humanities CDC course that
also fulfills the Cultural Diversity requirement as indicated on the Cultural
Diversity List in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
[b]
Required Courses
Required Courses
Delete
Hours
MLS 306--Biologic Fluids II c
MLS 320--Clinical Chemistry I
MLS 322--Clinical Chemistry II c
MLS 330--Hematology I
MLS 332--Hematology II c
MLS 341--Molecular and Immunology Techniques c
MLS 350--Clinical Microbiology I
MLS 352--Clinical Microbiology II c
MLS 361--Immunohematology I
MLS 362--Immunohematology II c
MLS 417--Clinical Experience I
1
4
4
3
4
2
4
3
2
4
3-10
Minimum of 7 hours in MLS 417 required.
MLS 418--Clinical Experience II
3-10
Minimum of 7 hours in MLS 418 required.
MLS 442--Clinical Immunology c
MLS 446--Current Issues c
MLS 447--Clinical Correlations c
MLS 455--Mycology-Parasitology-Virology c
Bche 307--Biochemistry c
BHIS 405--Medical Sciences and Human Pathophysiology
BHIS 420--Biotechnology for Laboratory Sciences c
2
2
3
2
3
3
2-3
Career Mobility students register for 2 credit hours; Two-Year
students register for 3 credit hours.
BHIS 460--Introduction to Health Informatics c
BHIS 480--Management and Business Practices c
BHIS 495--Seminar in Biomedical and Health Information
Sciences c
Total Hours -- Two-Year Program
Total Hours -- Career Mobility
[c]
1
3
1
_______
68
_______
37
Career Mobility and Two-Year courses
8
Electives
Electives
Hours
1
1
1-3
Delete
Delete
Delete
For additional information on graduation requirements and academic
regulations in the college, see College of Applied Health Sciences.
Delete
MLS 334--Hematology Clinical Morphology
MLS 351--Issues in Clinical Microbiology
MLS 413--Independent Study
9
DEPARTMENT OF BIOMEDICAL AND HEALTH INFORMATION SCIENCES
College of Applied Health Sciences
Catalog Revision to the Curriculum for the Master’s in Medical Laboratory Sciences
Proposed Effective Date – Summer 2006
Present
Medical Laboratory Sciences
Mailing Address: School of Biomedical and Health
Information Sciences, Medical Laboratory Sciences, Office
of Graduate Programs (MC 520), 1919 West Taylor Street,
Chicago, Illinois 60612-7249
Campus Location: 811 HHDSB
Curriculum Code: 9848
Telephone: (312) 996-6317
E-mail: gradbhi@uic.edu
Web site: www.sbhis.uic.edu
Director of Graduate Studies: Annette L. Valenta
Proposed
ALREADY REMOVED FROM CATALOG
The School of Biomedical and Health Information
Sciences (SBHIS) offers a program leading to a Master of
Science degree in medical laboratory sciences. Coursework
and research is available in the areas of immunohematology,
health informatics, and biomedical science. Students
successfully completing this program will be prepared to
assume positions in supervision/management, clinical
research, or teaching in a hospital, blood center, university or
health care related industry. Students may elect, with faculty
approval, to perform thesis research or project research. A
Specialist in Blood Bank Technology (SSB) certificate is
available which may be integrated with the MS degree.
SBHIS also offers the MAMS in biomedical visualization,
the MS in health informatics and the certificate in health
information management.
Admission Requirements
In addition to the Graduate College minimum
requirements, applicants must meet the following program
requirements:
Admission Requirements
ALREADY REMOVED FROM CATALOG
Baccalaureate Field: Medical technology, clinical
laboratory science, or a life science degree acceptable to the
program.
Grade Point Average: At least 4.00 (A=5.00) for the final
60 semester (90 quarter) hours of undergraduate study and
for all cumulative graduate work previously taken.
Tests Required: GRE general required for applicants who
do not possess current certification by a recognized clinical
laboratory science certification agency. Applicants should
have a combined verbal and quantitative score of at least
1000.
Minimum TOEFL Score: If the applicant has taken the
paper-based TOEFL, minimum scores in the range of 585–
600 will be considered; in addition, the applicant must take
the test of written English and submit scores in the range of
5–6. If the applicant has taken the computer-based TOEFL,
minimum scores in the range of 240–250 will be considered.
In this case the test of written English is not required.
Letters of Recommendation: For SBB, three required from
professional associates.
Personal Statement: Required; the statement should
address the applicant's goals for graduate study and career
development.
Other Requirements: Applicants must possess current
Baccalaureate Field: ALREADY REMOVED FROM
CATALOG
Grade Point Average: ALREADY REMOVED FROM
CATALOG
Tests Required: ALREADY REMOVED FROM CATALOG
Minimum TOEFL Score: ALREADY REMOVED FROM
CATALOG
Letters of Recommendation: ALREADY REMOVED FROM
CATALOG
Personal Statement and Resume: ALREADY REMOVED
FROM CATALOG
Other requirements: ALREADY REMOVED FROM CATALOG
10
certification by a recognized clinical laboratory science
certification agency or be eligible for certification or have at
least one year of full-time experience in an area relevant to
medical laboratory sciences. They must have an interview
with and be recommended by a member of the graduate
faculty of the department.
Degree Requirements
In addition to the Graduate College minimum
requirements, students must meet the following program
requirements:
Degree Requirements
ALREADY REMOVED FROM CATALOG
Minimum Semester Hours Required: 36.
Minimum Semester Hours Required: ALREADY REMOVED
FROM CATALOG
Coursework
Required Courses: AHS 510; Bstt 400; (ALREADY REMOVED
FROM CATALOG)
MLS 570 (ALREADY DROPPED) and 595 (DROP)
Comprehensive Examination
ALREADY REMOVED FROM CATALOG
Coursework
Required Courses: AHS 510; Bstt 400; 3 hours of MLS
570 and 595.
Comprehensive Examination
None.
Thesis, Project, or Coursework-only options
Thesis or project required. No other options available.
Thesis: Students must earn at least 7 hours in MLS 598.
Project: Students must take at least 4, but no more than 8
hours, in MLS 597.
Thesis, Project, or Coursework-only options
Thesis or project required. No other options available.
Thesis: ALREADY REMOVED FROM CATALOG
Project: ALREADY REMOVED FROM CATALOG
Other Requirements
Each graduate student in the program is required to teach
undergraduate students about an aspect, concept, or issue
within medical laboratory sciences. Most graduate students
choose to teach about a topic related to their area of interest
and/or research.
Continuous registration: Students who have completed all
degree requirements except the thesis/project must register
for zero credit hours to maintain continuous registration.
Other Requirements
ALREADY REMOVED FROM CATALOG
Continuous registration: ALREADY REMOVED FROM
CATALOG
11