Medical Laboratory Technician

This program at Houston City College use a selective admissions process and requires an additional application beyond applying. Enrollment is limited, and not all qualified applicants may be offered placement. Please review the admission dates below carefully to ensure you complete all required steps by the required deadlines.

Student Success Course

Required only if new to college or transferring to HCC with less than 12 college-level credits.

Cumulative GPA

minimum 2.0 or above

Prerequisite Courses

Completion of the following courses is mandatory with a minimum grade of ‘C’ by the application deadline. 

Academic Courses

Academic courses are highly encouraged to be taken in advance but are not required for the application. These courses will go towards the completion of the program/degree plan and will give you additional points on your application score.

Recommended Courses

Recommended courses are Highly Encouraged to be taken in advance but are not required for the application and will give you additional points on your application score.

Advanced Degree Completion

Applicants with a bachelor's or higher degree in STEM-related fields will be awarded additional points on the admission rubric.

If You Are Offered Admissions

If you are offered admission you will need to complete the following pre-enrollment requirements by a specific due date to maintain eligible status.

• Complete the letter of Intent form by the deadline stated in the admission acceptance offer email that will be sent to your submitted email address with the program application.
  Please note the Program Director will be in contact with you once your Letter of Intent has been received to provide you the information on the process of following requirements. Please check your email regularly for updates and information.
• Proof of personal health insurance: If you need to purchase health insurance please visit the Student Health Insurance webpage for a list of health care insurance providers that HCC has compiled as a courtesy to students who wish to contact a potential provider to meet their personal health insurance needs. Students are advised to contact more than one company and compare offerings.
• Attend mandatory student services and program orientation on the date provided in your admission offer email. (Please clear your calendar so you are available to attend the mandatory orientations if you are offered admission. Fall Term – plan to attend orientations between July and August.)

The following must be completed while in the program, deadlines will be provided during the program orientation. Failure to meet the deadlines provided during program orientation will mean that student is unable to attend clinical rotations. 

• Passing drug screen
• Physical examination
• Immunization record showing: Completion of Hepatitis B immunization series (may take up to 6 months), MMR – 2 shots or titer, Tdap – every 10 years, TB – every year, Varicella – 2 shots or titer, Meningitis (required for students 22 years or younger) and Influenza – after September 1st. Vaccine deadlines will be provided during Program orientation.
• Cleared Criminal Background

HCC Coleman College Grading Scale

To best prepare students for success in their chosen fields, Health Sciences Programs have high standards for progression. Unlike other HCC programs, the Medical Laboratory Technician program requires a C (75%) or better to progress to the next course or semester in the program. For specific questions about grades, grading, and progression within Health Science programs, please contact Coleman College at co.medlabtech@hccs.edu. 

Medical Laboratory Technician Program Grading Scale:

• A = 100 – 90%
• B = 89 – 80%
• C = 79 – 75%*
• D = 74 – 60%
• F = 59 – 0%

*A grade of C (75%) or better must be achieved to progress to the next course or semester. 

Clinical Requirements for Program Progression & Completion

To provide students with the most robust clinical educational experience and to ensure that students’ progress and graduate as scheduled, applicants are strongly encouraged to weigh all options before accepting a conditional acceptance into their desired health science program. To facilitate this decision-making, students should understand all the requirements of their program, including clinical education.

To be placed in a clinical educational experience, students must comply with the guidelines and requirements of HCC clinical sites, including health and wellness directives. Most clinical sites require background checks, health testing, drug screens, and immunizations.

Students are required to provide proof to HCC that they meet all immunization, testing, and other health requirements necessary for clinical placement. These requirements are determined by the healthcare facilities with which HCC partners for clinical education.

Many healthcare facilities require specific immunizations as a condition of employment, volunteering, or student clinical placement. If a student chooses not to receive or provide proof of required immunizations, HCC may be unable to place the student in clinical rotations. HCC will make reasonable efforts to place such students in a clinical site that does not require immunization(s), provided an appropriate site is available, and HCC has an active affiliation agreement that meets the necessary conditions to support the student’s learning outcomes. Though HCC cannot guarantee that such sites will be available at the time clinical placement is needed.

If a student cannot be placed in a qualifying clinical site due to unmet immunization requirements, the student’s progression in the program and ability to graduate may be delayed or prevented. Our affiliate partners’ expectations for student trainees reflect the same standards applied to individuals employed in their respective professional settings.

Students with questions about clinical requirements or placement should contact the program director of their program of interest.

HB 1508 requires the following information be given to students:

This program may lead to an occupational license for which a prior criminal history may make a student ineligible. For more information please visit:  HB 1508 Licensing Requirements.

The MLT Program is accredited with the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS), 5600 N. River Rd., Suite 720, Rosemont, IL 60018. Their phone number is (773) 714-8880.

2023-2024 Third-Party Licensure/Certification Exam Results 

Occupational licensure and/or certification pass rates reported by academic calendar year (Sept. 1–Aug. 31). Results for the 2022 and 2023  academic years are provided for comparison.

Graduates & Retention