Medical Laboratory Science
Medical Laboratory Science is currently the "Highest Need" healthcare career field in South Dakota.
The annual national projection for employment is approximately 13,000 openings and academic programs currently graduate about 5,000 across the United States. The average pay in this region, as projected by the South Dakota Healthcare Workforce Initiative, is approximately $23 per hour for a nationally certified medical laboratory science professional.
Learn More About the MLS Program
A Medical Laboratory Science Degree that Opens Doors
According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, there is a projected 22% increase in employment for laboratory science professionals between 2012 and 2022—twice the rate of all other occupations. The salary for laboratory professionals varies with geographical location and training level; however, the American Society of Clinical Pathology (ASCP) 2013 wage survey in the United States indicates that the national average for a staff level MLS B.S. level professional is $56,430 per year and $77,113 per year at the supervisory level. Nationally salaries are considerably higher for those individuals who are lab directors or faculty members.
Medical laboratory scientists (MLS) are allied health professionals that work with other health care professionals to aid in patient care by performing laboratory tests that can help in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases. A patient's medical history may be 70-80% laboratory testing. The tests performed by medical laboratory scientists uses advanced technology to perform testing on blood and body fluids in the areas of chemistry, microbiology, hematology, immunology, toxicology, blood banking and molecular procedures.
The demand is high for a medical laboratory science graduate and the SDSU program has a 100% job placement in a variety of settings.
SDSU Graduates of the MLS program are one of the most sought after healthcare professionals! SDSU is the only university NAACLS-accredited program in South Dakota!
The SDSU Medical Laboratory Science program is fully accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Science NAACLS, 5600 N. River Rd. Suite 720, Rosemont, Illinois 60018-5119.
