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Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Science (BMLS) - BMedLabSc

QTAC code (Australian and New Zealand applicants): Toowoomba campus: 906131; External: 906135

CRICOS code (International applicants): 098992M

You are currently viewing the 2023 Handbook. For study in 2024, please refer to the .

 On-campus~External@
Start:Trimester 1 (January)
Trimester 2 (May)
Trimester 1 (January)
Trimester 2 (May)
Campus:Toowoomba -
Fees:Commonwealth supported place
Domestic full fee paying place
International full fee paying place
Commonwealth supported place
Domestic full fee paying place
International full fee paying place
Standard duration:3 years full-time, 6 years part-time 
Program articulation:

From: Associate Degree of Medical Laboratory Science

Notes

In 2023 the programs follows the Semester calendar. The Academic Calendar and Important Dates webpage will allow you to view and download a copy of the important dates for the Semester calendar.

Footnotes
~Not all offerings of all courses are available on-campus.
@The external offering is available to international students residing in Australia but there are mandatory and highly recommended residential schools at a UniSQ campus and block clinical placement in Australia.

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Contact us

Future Australian and New Zealand students  Future International students  Current students 

Freecall (within Australia): 1800 269 500
Phone (from outside Australia): +61 7 4631 5315
Email: study@usq.edu.au  

Phone: +61 7 4631 5543
Email: international@usq.edu.au 

Freecall (within Australia): 1800 007 252
Phone (from outside Australia): +61 7 4631 2285
Email: usq.support@usq.edu.au  

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Professional accreditation

The Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Sciences program at UniSQ has been accredited by the Australian Institute of Medical and Clinical Scientists (AIMS).

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Program aims

The Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Science aims to provide education, training professional practice experience for medical scientists to service the public and private pathology laboratory industry. A secondary aim is to provide graduates who will be equipped with the knowledge and skills required to play a role in the biomedical field including research, technical, advisory and commercial roles.

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Program objectives

On completion of this program, students should be able to:

  • apply a broad and coherent body of theoretical knowledge and medical laboratory competencies and skills.

  • collect, organise, analyse and interpret medical laboratory science literature and laboratory data using appropriate experimental, computational, statistical and technological approaches.

  • exhibit scientific literacy and oral, written and digital communication skills to explain medical laboratory science concepts to a range of audiences.

  • apply practical laboratory and technical skills to generate accurate clinical and scientific data.

  • work independently or collaboratively in teams to critically and creatively analyse issues and develop appropriate solutions to complex problems across a range of clinical, cultural, institutional, national and global contexts.

  • apply ethical, professional and workplace health and safety standards in clinical and research laboratories.


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Australian Qualifications Framework

The Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) is a single national, comprehensive system of qualifications offered by higher education institutions (including universities), vocational education and training institutions and secondary schools. Each AQF qualification has a set of descriptors which define the type and complexity of knowledge, skills and application of knowledge and skills that a graduate who has been awarded that qualification has attained, and the typical volume of learning associated with that qualification type.

This program is at AQF Qualification Level 07. Graduates at this level will have broad and coherent knowledge and skills for professional work and/or further learning.

The full set of levels criteria and qualification type descriptors can be found by visiting .

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Program Information Set

View UniSQ’s admission criteria, student profiles and a summary of all offers made under via the QTAC website.

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Admission requirements

To be eligible for admission, applicants must satisfy the following requirements:

  • Have achieved a minimum Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) of 65.6, or equivalent qualification.^
  • English Language Proficiency requirements for Category 3.


Applicants are advised to also address the following:

  • expectations: English; General Mathematics

  • Recommended Prior ¾«¶«´«Ã½app: One of Biological Science or Chemistry (Units 3 & 4, C) or equivalent.


All students are required to satisfy the applicable .

If students do not meet the English language requirements they may apply to study a ¾«¶«´«Ã½app-approved . On successful completion of the English language program, students may be admitted to an award program.

^

These are determined by the ¾«¶«´«Ã½app for specific programs each Semester. The 2023 ATAR and tertiary entrance ranks are based on agreed QTAC schedules which assess formal study at Year 12 or , tertiary, preparatory, professional or vocational qualifications or work experience, as detailed in the QTAC Assessment of Qualifications Manual and QTAC Assessor Guidelines.

Adjustment factors may help you get into the program of your choice by increasing your entrance rank. The additional points don't apply to all applicants or all programs. Please read the information about UniSQ's carefully to find out what you may be eligible for.

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Inherent requirements

There are inherent requirements for this program that must be met in order to complete the program and graduate. Make sure you read and understand the for this program online.

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Requirements for professional experience placements

Practical experience is an integral component of the program and each student is required to undertake and satisfactorily complete 80 days of practical experience in NATA accredited laboratories. Every effort is made to accommodate student preferences in terms of the location and timing of placements. However, students should be prepared for potential work/family inconveniences and the expense of travel and accommodation associated with professional placements outside of their preferred location. (Queensland-based students will not be expected to travel interstate).

Progression into practical courses is dependent upon a pass grade in theoretical and other practical courses that have been set as prerequisites.

Applicants must be willing to undertake and submit the requirements of the ¾«¶«´«Ã½app of Southern Queensland, Queensland Health and private pathology providers for practical placement. Please refer to the applicable for Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Science students.

Mandatory documents required prior to commencing ANY clinical placements in the program:

  • UniSQ Student Declaration

  • UniSQ Vaccine Preventable Disease (VPD) form

  • Queensland Health Student Orientation Checklist

  • Queensland Health Student Deed Poll

  • Queensland Health iLearn Modules

  • Pathology QLD Visitor Confidentiality Protocol

  • AUSLAB Clinical WILS Student Access

  • QML Online Induction Certificate

  • Tuberculosis Risk Assessment Form for Students


All students must also provide the following immunisation evidence prior to commencing clinical placements:

  • Hepatitis B seroconversion

  • Measles, Mumps, and Rubella immunisation evidence

  • Varicella immunisation evidence

  • Pertussis immunisation evidence

  • Covid-19 immunisation evidence


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Program fees

Commonwealth supported place

A Commonwealth supported place is where the Australian Government makes a contribution towards the cost of a students' higher education and students pay a , which varies depending on the courses undertaken. Students are able to calculate the fees for a particular course via the .

Commonwealth Supported students may be eligible to defer their fees through a Government loan called .

Domestic full fee paying place

Domestic full fee paying places are funded entirely through the full fees paid by the student. Full fees vary depending on the courses that are taken. Students are able to calculate the fees for a particular course via the

Domestic full fee paying students may be eligible to defer their fees through a Government loan called provided they meet the residency and citizenship requirements.

Australian citizens, Permanent Humanitarian Visa holders, Permanent Resident visa holders and New Zealand citizens who will be resident outside Australia for the duration of their program pay full tuition fees and are not eligible for .

International full fee paying place

International students pay full fees. Full fees vary depending on the courses that are taken and whether they are studied on-campus, external or online. Students are able to calculate the fees for a particular course via the .

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Program structure

This program comprises 24 core courses.

Course  Semester(s) offered  Mode 
BIO1203 Human Anatomy and Physiology 1£+  1,3  ONC, EXT (Semester 3 EXT only) 
BIO1103 Pathology Studies~  1,2  ONC, EXT (Semester 2 EXT only) 
CHE1110 Chemistry 1*  ONC, EXT 
BIO1204 Introduction to Biomedical Sciences**  1,2  ONC, EXT 
BIO1104 Medical Microbiology and Immunology 1+  ONC, EXT 
CHE2120 Chemistry 2*  ONC, EXT 
STA1003 Fundamental Statistics†  1,2,3  ONC, ONL (Semester 3 ONL only) 
BIO1205 Pathology Clinical Placement 1^  2,3  ONC 
BIO2104 Molecular Diagnostics 1~  ONC, EXT 
BIO2105 Pathology Clinical Placement 2^  ONC 
BIO2106 Medical Microbiology and Immunology 2~  ONC, EXT 
BIO2108 Haematology 1~  ONC, EXT 
BIO2214 Pathology Clinical Placement 3^  2,3  ONC 
BIO2215 Clinical Biochemistry 1~  ONC, EXT 
BIO2216 Histopathology and Cytology 1~  ONC, EXT 
BIO2217 Transfusion Science~  ONC, EXT 
BIO3105 Pathology Clinical Placement 4^  ONC 
BIO3107 Haematology 2~  ONC, EXT 
BIO3108 Histopathology and Cytology 2~  ONC, EXT 
BIO3109 Integrative Pathology  ONC, ONL 
BIO3204 Molecular Diagnostics 2~  ONC, EXT 
BIO3216 Immunopathology and Clinical Microbiology~  ONC, EXT 
BIO3205 Pathology Clinical Placement 5^  ONC 
BIO3215 Clinical Biochemistry 2~  ONC, EXT 

Footnotes
£In Semester 3, 2023 this course will be delivered as a Transition (9 week) semester, commencing on 13 November 2023 and concluding on 12 January 2024
+Mandatory residential school for external students
~Mandatory residential school for external and on-campus students
*Highly recommended residential school for external students
**Semester 1: External students attend mandatory residential school, on-campus students attend mandatory lab classes. Semester 2: External and on-campus students attend mandatory residential school.
†Unavailable online in S3 2023
^Clinical placement

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Required time limits

Students have a maximum of 8 years to complete this program.

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IT requirements

For information technology requirements please refer to the .

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Exit points

Students who have successfully completed the first 16 units of the Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Science in accordance with the recommended enrolment pattern may exit with the AMLS Associate Degree of Medical Laboratory Science. Students wishing to undertake this option should consult the Program Director in the School of Health and Wellbeing, Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences.

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Credit

Exemptions/credit will be assessed based on the .

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Enrolment

Progression

Students are advised to consult with student support usq.support@usq.edu.au in situations where their progression is affected either by failure in pre-requisite courses, or where they choose a part-time study pattern.

Recommended enrolment patterns

In this section:

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Recommended enrolment pattern - Semester 1 entry


CourseYear of program and semester in which course is normally studiedResidential schoolEnrolment requirements
On-campus
(ONC)
External
(EXT)
Online
(ONL)
YearSemYearSemYearSem

Year 1

BIO1203 Human Anatomy and Physiology 1£+1111,3M
CHE1110 Chemistry 1*1111HR
BIO1103 Pathology Studies~1111,2M
BIO1204 Introduction to Biomedical Sciences**11,211,2M
BIO1104 Medical Microbiology and Immunology 1+1212M
CHE2120 Chemistry 2*1212HRPre-requisite: CHE1110
BIO1205 Pathology Clinical Placement 1^12,3Pre-requisite: BIO1103 Pre-requisite or Co-requisite: BIO1104
STA1003 Fundamental Statistics†11,211,2,3Enrolment is not permitted in STA1003 if STA2300 or STA8170 or STA6200 or STA1004 has been previously completed. Students enrolled in the BACT, or undertaking the Accounting Major in the BBCM, are not eligible for enrolment.

Year 2

BIO2215 Clinical Biochemistry 1~2121MPre-requisite: BIO1103 and CHE2120
BIO2105 Pathology Clinical Placement 2^21Pre-requisite: BIO1205
BIO2104 Molecular Diagnostics 1~2121MPre-requisite: BIO1103 and BIO1203 and BIO1204
BIO2108 Haematology 1~2121MPre-requisite: BIO1103 and BIO1104
BIO2214 Pathology Clinical Placement 3^22,3Pre-requisite: BIO2105
BIO2216 Histopathology and Cytology 1~2222MPre-requisite: BIO1103
BIO2106 Medical Microbiology and Immunology 2~2222MPre-requisite: BIO1104
BIO2217 Transfusion Science~2222MPre-requisite: BIO1103 and BIO1104 and BIO2108

Year 3

BIO3105 Pathology Clinical Placement 4^31Pre-requisite: BIO2105 and BIO2214
BIO3109 Integrative Pathology3131Pre-requisite: BIO2106 or BIO2108 or BIO2215 or BIO2216
BIO3107 Haematology 2~3131MPre-requisite: BIO2108 and BIO2217
BIO3108 Histopathology and Cytology 2~3131MPre-requisite: BIO2216
BIO3216 Immunopathology and Clinical Microbiology~3232MPre-requisite: BIO2106
BIO3204 Molecular Diagnostics 2~3232MPre-requisite: BIO2104 and BIO2108 and BIO2106
BIO3205 Pathology Clinical Placement 5^32Pre-requisite: BIO2214
BIO3215 Clinical Biochemistry 2~3232MPre-requisite: BIO2215

Footnotes
£In Semester 3, 2023 this course will be delivered as a Transition (9 week) semester, commencing on 13 November 2023 and concluding on 12 January 2024
+Mandatory Residential school for external students
*If studied externally, residential school attendance on-campus in Toowoomba is highly recommended. Candidates with evidence of Recognised Prior Learning (RPL) may seek exemption from some courses and/or residential schools in the 1st year of the major.
~Mandatory residential school for external and on-campus students
**Semester 1: External students attend mandatory residential school, on-campus students attend mandatory lab classes. Semester 2: External and on-campus students attend mandatory residential school.
^Current employees of pathology service providers with a minimum of 2 years full-time or equivalent relevant technical experience may seek exemption from Pathology Clinical Placements courses 1 to 4 on the basis of approved industry experience. However, for candidates to be eligible for the award of Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Science and who are seeking course credits by exemption must satisfactorily complete a minimum of 8 courses of the BMLS.
†Unavailable online in S3 2023

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Recommended enrolment pattern - Semester 2 entry


CourseYear of program and semester in which course is normally studiedResidential schoolEnrolment requirements
On-campus
(ONC)
External
(EXT)
Online
(ONL)
YearSemYearSemYearSem

Year 1

BIO1103 Pathology Studies~12M
BIO1204 Introduction to Biomedical Sciences**1212M
BIO1104 Medical Microbiology and Immunology 1+1212M
STA1003 Fundamental Statistics†1212,3Enrolment is not permitted in STA1003 if STA2300 or STA8170 or STA6200 or STA1004 has been previously completed. Students enrolled in the BACT, or undertaking the Accounting Major in the BBCM, are not eligible for enrolment.
BIO1205 Pathology Clinical Placement 1^13Pre-requisite: BIO1103 Pre-requisite or Co-requisite: BIO1104
CHE1110 Chemistry 1*1111HR
BIO2108 Haematology 1~1111MPre-requisite: BIO1103 and BIO1104
BIO1203 Human Anatomy and Physiology 1£+1111M
BIO2105 Pathology Clinical Placement 2^11Pre-requisite: BIO1205

Year 2

CHE2120 Chemistry 2*2222HRPre-requisite: CHE1110
BIO2216 Histopathology and Cytology 1~2222MPre-requisite: BIO1103
BIO2106 Medical Microbiology and Immunology 2~2222MPre-requisite: BIO1104
BIO2217 Transfusion Science~2222MPre-requisite: BIO1103 and BIO1104 and BIO2108
BIO2214 Pathology Clinical Placement 3^23Pre-requisite: BIO2105
BIO2215 Clinical Biochemistry 1~2121MPre-requisite: BIO1103 and CHE2120
BIO2104 Molecular Diagnostics 1~2121MPre-requisite: BIO1103 and BIO1203 and BIO1204
BIO3105 Pathology Clinical Placement 4^21Pre-requisite: BIO2105 and BIO2214

Year 3

BIO3216 Immunopathology and Clinical Microbiology~3232MPre-requisite: BIO2106
BIO3215 Clinical Biochemistry 2~3232MPre-requisite: BIO2215
BIO3204 Molecular Diagnostics 2~3232MPre-requisite: BIO2104 and BIO2108 and BIO2106
BIO3205 Pathology Clinical Placement 5^32Pre-requisite: BIO2214
BIO3107 Haematology 2~3131MPre-requisite: BIO2108 and BIO2217
BIO3108 Histopathology and Cytology 2~3131MPre-requisite: BIO2216
BIO3109 Integrative Pathology3131Pre-requisite: BIO2106 or BIO2108 or BIO2215 or BIO2216

Footnotes
~Mandatory residential school for external and on-campus students
**Semester 1: External students attend mandatory residential school, on-campus students attend mandatory lab classes. Semester 2: External and on-campus students attend mandatory residential school.
+Mandatory Residential school for external students
†Unavailable online in S3 2023
^Current employees of pathology service providers with a minimum of 2 years full-time or equivalent relevant technical experience may seek exemption from Pathology Clinical Placements courses 1 to 4 on the basis of approved industry experience. However, for candidates to be eligible for the award of Bachelor of Medical Laboratory Science and who are seeking course credits by exemption must satisfactorily complete a minimum of 8 courses of the BMLS.
*If studied externally, residential school attendance on-campus in Toowoomba is highly recommended. Candidates with evidence of Recognised Prior Learning (RPL) may seek exemption from some courses and/or residential schools in the 1st year of the major.
£In Semester 3, 2023 this course will be delivered as a Transition (9 week) semester, commencing on 13 November 2023 and concluding on 12 January 2024