Medical Laboratory Sciences

The primary aim of this course is to provide well-educated students with sufficient knowledge and understanding of Medical laboratory sciences (ML) such as clinical biochemistry, hematology, microbiology, immunology, physiology, pathology, oncology and genetics. The students also learn the basis and techniques of various clinical laboratory analyses that are prerequisite for the diagnosis of diseases. Students who complete the ML course are qualified to take the examination for the License of Clinical Laboratory Technician authorized by the Japanese government. The students of this course also have the chance to take the examination, an additional license for Cytotechnologists, authorized by the Japanese Society of Clinical Cytology, if they choose and complete the Cytotechnologist Course in their 4th year. Graduates of the ML course work as specialists in a wide variety of medical fields including hospitals, blood centers, health centers and medicine-related companies. Some students enter graduate schools and study more advanced medical sciences to become researchers and/or teachers of universities, other educational organizations and research institutes of medicine-related companies.

The educational philosophy of the ML course is to develop diverse talented professionals with a high ability and individuality to execute leadership in various medical fields not only in Japan but also internationally. The curriculums of this course are designed to achieve this objective. In particular, the Clinical (bed-side) Practice operated at the Kitasato University Hospitals in the third and fourth years and the Medical Technology (research for thesis) performed by participating in one of the research activities shown below in the fourth year offer a good opportunity for students to actively raise their awareness of medical science, intellectual capacity and presentation and discussion abilities.

The following are the main subjects of the ML course. The majority consists of both lectures and laboratory practice.
Biochemistry / Histochemistry / Public Health / Medical Informatics / Welfare Medicine / Medical Electronics / Laboratory Animal Science / Analytical Chemistry / Pharmacology / Hematology / Parasitology / Clinical Chemistry / Radiation Science / Medical Technology / Molecular Diagnostics / Microbiology / Immunology / Clinical Physiology / Clinical Pathology / Laboratory Management / Laboratory Apparatus / Clinical Cytology Clinical Practice (training at hospital laboratory)

To complete the Medical Laboratory Sciences subjects in the fourth year, students select one of the following research activities for their graduation thesis. Under the supervision of the instructor responsible for each research activity, they learn how to design and accomplish research work.