CSN offers new bachelor’s degree for fall semester
As CSN students flooded the college's three campuses for the start of the fall 2012 semester, the College of Southern Nevada welcomed students to a new four-year degree program. The CSN Bachelor of Applied Science in Medical Laboratory Science is available only at CSN in Nevada and is the second four-year degree program at the college, following the start of the Bachelor of Applied Science in Dental Hygiene in fall 2003.
"We have state-of-art equipment, highly trained faculty and solid clinical partnerships ready to provide students in our new program with a world-class education," Clinical Laboratory Science Program Director Heidi Schneiter said. "We need the community to know that we are now offering this degree and that there are well-paying jobs available in this field, awaiting qualified graduates that pass their national certification exams."
Medical laboratory scientists, who conduct lab testing and often serve in supervisory positions, are in high demand.
There were more than 40 positions open locally in 2011 with a statewide expected growth rate of 9.4 percent between 2011 and 2015, according to CSN Division of Workforce & Economic Development data. The median wage is $31.85 per hour.
The initial class of 10 students is expected to graduate in December 2013. Entering students must have completed a two-year medical laboratory technician program from accredited institutions.
The 120-credit Bachelor of Applied Science in Medical Laboratory Science Program includes 16 weeks of clinical work at local hospitals and labs, high-level philosophy, English and statistics courses in addition to clinical laboratory science course work. To prepare for the new bachelor's degree, CSN expanded and remodeled laboratory space on the Charleston campus.
The Board of Regents approved the new CSN Bachelor of Applied Science in Medical Laboratory Science Program in fall 2010, after University of Nevada, Las Vegas officials announced the closure of its program. The UNLV program's last students graduated this spring.
