Bulletin Year: 2023 - 2024 Graduate Bulletin | View the current NMU Catalog. | View this program in the current bulletin.

Admission Requirements

  • Comply with the regular admission requirements of the College of Graduate Studies and Research, which includes an undergraduate grade point average of 3.0.
  • have a bachelor’s degree in Clinical Laboratory Science or Biological Science. 

In cases where the undergraduate GPA is below 3.0, additional factors, including 2 years of clinical laboratory experience or performance in the last 60 hours of course work, may be weighted more heavily in the assessment for admissions.

Applicants should have coursework in genetics, hematology, microbiology, immunology, molecular biology, chemistry, and statistics.  Students may be admitted with deficient backgrounds if coursework is met in a defined period of time.

All Applicants must submit:

  1. Graduate admission application and fee.  
  2. Official transcripts from all previously attended post-secondary institutions.
  3. A statement of intent must be included which describes the applicant’s laboratory skills and experiences, and reasons for pursuing graduate education.
  4. A current resume.
  5. Three letters of recommendation from instructors or professional references addressing the applicant’s academic and professional abilities and preparation for graduate study.

Application Due Dates

Rolling admission; applications are not accepted for Summer semester.

MS in Clinical Molecular Diagnostics Curriculum - Track 1

Clinical Molecular Diagnostics: Track I offers different routes to graduation:  

  1. Students choose one of two concentrations:  Human Genetics or Infectious Disease

  2. Within the chosen concentration, students choose between two non-thesis options and a thesis option for their capstone. 

For department information or additional degree requirements, go to the Clinical Sciences department page.

Total Credits Required 34-35
Required Core Courses 24-25
     AIS 535 Using Scholarly Library Resources in Support of Graduate Research 2
     CLS 520 Principles of Clinical Molecular Diagnostics 3
     CLS 526 Clinical Molecular Diagnostic Techniques 3
     CLS 541 Clinical Applications of Genomic Medicine 3
     CLS 543 Molecular Diagnostics in Identity Testing 3
     CLS 560 Biomedical Laboratory Operations 3
     CLS 563 Research Design, Methods, and Scientific Writing 3
     CLS 570 Method Verification and Validation in Molecular Diagnostics 4
 
Concentration (choose one) 6-7
    Human Genetics Concentration  
         CLS 536 Clinical Genetics 4
         CLS 538 Molecular Identification of Somatic Mutations in Cancer 3
    Infectious Diseases Concentration  
         CLS 544 Identification of Bacterial Pathogens 3
         CLS 545 Molecular Identification of Viral and Fungal Pathogens 3
 
Capstone (choose one) 4-5
    Project  
         CLS 580 Project in Molecular Diagnostics (1 - 4 cr.) 4
    Capstone  
         CLS 590 Capstone in Clinical Applications of Genetic and Genomic Technologies (1 - 4 cr.) 4
    Thesis  
         CLS 516 Clinical Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory* 1
         CLS 599 Thesis in Clinical Molecular Diagnostics (1 - 4 cr.) 4
          

*CLS516 is a 1-week on-campus laboratory course. It is required for students who plan to perform a campus based laboratory research and thesis.

Graduation Requirements

Graduates must meet the requirements of the College of Graduate Studies as outlined in the Graduate Bulletin in addition to the following:

  • Complete the minimum number of credits for the degree 
  • Maintain a 3.0 GPA
  • Successfully complete capstone project, capstone, or thesis


Bulletin Year: 2023 - 2024 Graduate Bulletin | View the current NMU Catalog.