Medical Laboratory Technology AAS Degree

Diagnose Diseases, Help Patients

In Medical Laboratory Technology, you learn clinical techniques, maintain equipment, handle samples, and analyze results to diagnose infections and diseases effectively. It's a pathway to discovering important medical information and helping patients receive proper care.

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Medical Laboratory Technology AAS Degree at a Glance

Degree
Associate of Applied Science
Length of Study
2 years
Course Format
Face-to-Face
Classes Meet
Daytime
Program Start
Fall, Spring
100%

Placement Rate

640

Hours Practicum

6

Practicum Levels

Your Medical Laboratory Technology Career

Graduates find employment in hospitals, clinics, and independent laboratories as medical and clinical laboratory technicians.

95%

Certification Pass Rate

94%

Average Graduation Rate

The Future of Healthcare Education

Program Overview

You will graduate with knowledge and experience in:

  • Clinical laboratory techniques
  • Lab equipment maintenance
  • Sample collection and storage procedures
  • Results reporting and record keeping

Medical Laboratory Technology students are required to complete background screenings, including a criminal background check, sex offender registry, child abuse registry, and dependent adult registry before participating in clinicals. The outcome may result in dismissal from the program and affect your opportunities to participate in the clinical setting.

You gain hands-on experience through more than 800 hours of clinical experience in 

  • Chemistry
  • Hematology
  • Microbiology
  • Urinalysis
  • Immunohematology
  • Immunology and Serology

Graduates are eligible to take the national certification exam from the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP).

See our State Licensure Google Sheet to identify the states in which Hawkeye's Medical Laboratory Technology program requirements fulfill the state guidelines for professional licensure and certification.

Licensure and Certification Disclosure

This program qualifies for the Future Ready Iowa Last-Dollar Scholarship and will pay up to 100% of your tuition.

You must apply for, be awarded, and meet the ongoing eligibility requirements for the Last-Dollar Scholarship.

Hawkeye has academic affiliate arrangements that allow you to complete the first two semesters of the Medical Laboratory Technology program at an academic affiliate college, then complete the rest of the program at Hawkeye. Academic affiliate colleges include:

  • North Iowa Area Community College (NIACC), Mason City
  • Northeast Iowa Community College (NICC), Calmar and Peosta

This program is accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Services (NAACLS), a non-profit organization that independently accredits clinical laboratory science programs.

NAACLS
5600 N. River Road, Suite 720
Rosemont, IL 60018-5119
773-714-8880

Graduation Year Graduation Rate * Certification Pass Rate Placement Rate
2022 96% 100% 100%
2023 100% 92% 100%
2024 93% 80% 100%

* Graduation Rate: The percentage of students completing the program who started the final half of the program (defined as the start of the Fall semester in the second year).

" I’ve been through Hawkeye’s Medical Laboratory Technology program, and the training is just superb. I think that is a reflection of not just the program, but the college as a whole. "
  • Alfred Oduro | Medical Laboratory Technology ‘22

How to Get Started

It’s simple! Complete these steps:

  1. Apply for admission at Hawkeye.
  2. Send official transcripts to Admissions.
  3. Demonstrate college readiness.

Check the status of your application at any time by logging into your admissions account.

Program Admission Requirements

To be eligible for acceptance into the Medical Laboratory Technology program, you need to complete at least one year of high school biology or a college-level general education biology course. You'll need to earn a grade of C- or higher.

To enroll this program, you’ll need to meet the minimum score requirements.

  ALEKS ACCUPLACER Next Generation ACCUPLACER Classic COMPASS ACT GPA
Math 14 255 Arithmetic
246 Quantitative Reasoning, Algebra, and Statistics (QAS)
63 Arithmetic 39 Pre-Algebra 16 2.25 
Literacy   239 Reading or
240 Writing
58 Reading or
64 Sentence Skills
69 Reading or
41 Writing
16 Reading or
16 English
2.25

You can take the ALEKS Placement Assessment online. If you prefer, you can take the ACCUPLACER Next Generation or ACT at Hawkeye. While ACCUPLACER Classic and COMPASS aren’t offered anymore, you can still use your scores from those tests if you took them before for program admission.

If you don’t meet the minimum score requirements, you can take success courses instead. Talk to your academic advisor to help you find the right courses to get started.

Once you’ve finished all the admissions requirements, you’ll be considered for acceptance. We’ll base your acceptance on the date you completed everything.

If a bunch of students finish their requirements on the same day, we’ll check their GPA from the prerequisite courses to help decide who gets accepted.

As a Health student at Hawkeye, you’ll need to complete the same background checks as hospital employees. This check will include fingerprinting and look into databases like the sex offender registry, child abuse and dependent adult registries, and Medicare/Medicaid fraud. Depending on the results, it could affect your ability to take part in clinical experiences.

Program Contacts

Admissions

Main Campus
Hawkeye Center 134
319-296-4000
Email Admissions

Regular Hours — Spring 2025

Monday – Friday 8 AM – 4:30 PM

Academic Advisor

Lisa Wright
Main Campus
Hawkeye Center 208
319-296-4014 ext.1068
Email Lisa Wright

Faculty Advisor and Program Director

Amy Kapanka
Main Campus
Grundy Hall 204Y
319-296-2329 ext.1357
Email Amy Kapanka