Associate Degree in Medical Science (Laboratory Medicine)

Become job-ready, faster. Equip yourself with practical knowledge and skills to broaden opportunities for a career in diagnostic pathology as a Medical Laboratory Technician. This course has been designed to produce graduates who are knowledgeable in the biomedical and medical sciences and who have developed the practical laboratory skills and abilities to work in diagnostic pathology laboratories. Medical Laboratory Technicians work as part of a team with doctors, scientists and lab assistants. They conduct tests and other procedures used to diagnose and treat diseases. This degree provides options for students interested in a wide range of careers in the medical and health sciences. Your workplaces can vary between hospitals, community health centres, research institutes, the government or private industry.

This degree requires 2 years of full-time study (or the equivalent part-time) and includes core topics that provide fundamental understanding of a wide range of biomedical and medical science disciplines including Physiology, Haematology & Transfusion Science, Immunology, Genetics, Virology. It further provides scaffolded opportunities for the development of essential practical laboratory skills.

Option topics provide students with the opportunity to choose how to extend their knowledge through topics relating to indigenous studies, public health, communication, organisational and interpersonal skills.

The Associate Degree in Medical Science (Laboratory Medicine) additionally prepares graduates for further study in medical science related areas in the Bachelor of Medical Science (Laboratory Medicine) (SATAC code 244581), which is a 4-year program that meets the requirements in the SA Health Allied Professional credentials.