Biomedical Laboratory Sciences

If you have attended multiple institutions, your final GPA and credits earned are factored together to determine your overall GPA.

All of the didactic courses in the Biomedical Laboratory Science department programs are taught online. These programs also include at least one practicum course (the number of practica vary depending on the program). The practicum courses are completed in an approved hospital or diagnostic laboratory and will include some online components. Students in the Blended BSHS program will complete in-person lab courses each semester at the Virginia Science and Technology Campus in Ashburn, Va.

For the BSHS and Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in MLS, students must successfully complete Phase I (didactic courses) before becoming eligible to enter Phase II (clinical rotations). In order to successfully complete Phase I, students must complete all MLS courses with grades of C or higher and have a 2.5 MLS GPA. Students must also complete the Clinical Rotation Request form and submit any other required documents as indicated in the CRR.

For the Categorical Certificates and the clinical MSHS programs, students must complete the core clinical MLS courses to become eligible to enter their program’s rotation. Certificate students must also complete courses with grades of C- or higher and maintain a 2.5 MLS GPA; MSHS students must maintain a 3.0 GPA.

Students who fail to meet the minimum GPA requirements may be placed on academic probation, suspension, or face possible dismissal. The Regulations section of the GW Bulletin includes detailed information on academic standing. Details on the academic grievance and appeals process are included in this section as well.

GW students consistently outperform against the national average. In 2018 the GW first time pass rate was 89.39% and the GW overall pass rate was 93.93%. This is compared to a national pass rate of 79.60%.

Local students who live in the Washington, D.C. metro area can be placed in one of our affiliate hospital labs in the area. Students who live outside of the Washington, D.C. metro area are required to secure a satisfactory clinical site at the time of admission.

Applicants with clinical laboratory experience may be eligible to waive individual practicum requirements. Applicants will need to secure a clinical site for any individual areas where professional experience is lacking. Please call 202-729-9879 and speak with an online admissions advisor if you believe that you may qualify for the waiver.

Below is additional information regarding clinical waivers:

• Relevant experience must have taken place in the last five years and must be on a professional level. Other rotations as a student would not count (i.e. volunteering, internships, etc.)
• The waiver requires two signatures:
  • One from a lab manager, section supervisor, or any professional that can verify the experience.
  • One from the lab administrator, i.e., a medical director or someone in that capacity.
  • In some cases, one person can satisfy both signatures.
• There is no guarantee that the waiver will be approved. Students are merely applying to be considered for a clinical rotation waiver.
• Tuition must still be paid for the rotation course, and students will be required to complete all coursework associated with these rotations.
• As a backup, students should still plan to secure a clinical site in case the waiver is not offered.

Areas where students can apply for a waiver:

• Blood Banking
• Hematology
• Urinalysis Coagulation
• Clinical Biochemistry
• Clinical Microbiology

GW establishes an affiliation agreement with all facilities prior to the clinical practicum rotations. However, GW does not have the authority to automatically place students into these sites, since many of these affiliations are temporary and are only generated for an individual student. GW has local primary affiliates, which are the only sites that GW can use to place students for rotations. Students securing their own clinical sites must acquire permission from the clinical site to attend the rotations.

We have many clinical affiliates nationwide; please contact the GW MLS clinical coordinators (mlsclinicals@gwu.edu) for state-specific questions.

Once a clinical site is identified, the GW clinical coordinator will determine if the site performs all of the mandatory testing required. If the facility is missing tests in any area, the student may need to find an additional site to complete the requirements for the rotations. Once a site or sites are identified and approved; an affiliation agreement with each site is initiated. The student cannot begin the clinical rotations until there is an affiliation agreement in place.

Yes, you may secure your own site. However, if you are planning on securing your own clinical site, you cannot use any of our already affiliated local sites for your rotations. Students are not allowed to contact our local clinical sites to secure a spot for their clinical placement. All local clinical placements are done through your GW clinical coordinator. In addition, if you wish to secure your own site for your clinical rotation, that site must be an accredited lab with all specific lab areas required to complete your practica.

Due to a high volume of applications and the limited number of local clinical spots, we are typically unable to place non-local students in one of our primary local affiliates. Keep in mind that, it is also important for students to develop a professional relationship with a clinical site in their own geographic area to create possible future employment opportunities.