Students in the Biomedical Sciences major are awarded a Bachelor of Science degree upon completion of all requirements. Students choose from one of the following seven areas or submajors:

• Medical Laboratory Science
• Biomedical Science
• Cytotechnology
• Radiologic Technology
• Diagnostic Medical Sonography
• Diagnostic Imaging (degree completion program)
• Health Science (degree completion program)
• Public Health Microbiology

All students will be required to comply with a background check, drug screen, and maintain health insurance during the professional training experience.

Public Health Microbiology

Public health microbiology prepares students for a career in the laboratory disciplines of public health. Specifically, students will be educated in a broad range of sciences in order to perform investigatory and laboratory-based analyses of environmental samples for microbial contaminants of interest. Emphasis is placed on pathogenic disease and the human populations that they affect.  Graduates can work in a variety of settings, such as public health, hospital and research laboratories. Students successfully completing this program may sit for the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP-BOC) Technologist in Microbiology national certification exam.

Students must achieve the satisfactory completion of 127 credits.

Requirements

Students in the Biomedical Sciences major are awarded a Bachelor of Science degree upon completion of all requirements. All students, with the exception of students in the Diagnostic Imaging or Health Sciences degree completion program, will be required to comply with a background check and maintain health insurance during the professional training experience.

The process of application to the professional training occurs at the end of the first semester of the junior year.

The minimum degree requirement is 120 credits including the following. Entry into professional training is competitive and dependent upon completing the requirements below. The program will attempt to place all students who meet academic requirements but cannot guarantee that every student will be placed in a clinical rotation.

1. Completion of UWM's General Education Requirements (GER);
2. A cumulative UWM minimum grade point average of 2.5;
3. A cumulative minimum grade point average of 2.5 in specific, required science courses;
4. Completion of:
   1. all required courses and electives (87 credits) through the second semester of junior year for students pursuing Cytotechnology, or Medical Laboratory Science;
   2. all required courses and electives (114 credits) through the first semester of senior year for students pursuing Public Health Microbiology; and
5. A grade of C or better in all junior-level courses.

Students who meet these minimum requirements for entry into professional training will be evaluated on the basis of their science GPA for placement at one of the training sites.

To remain eligible to continue in the professional training, students must earn a grade of C or better in all senior-level courses.

Degree Requirements

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 Course counts towards a student's science GPA.

Public Health Microbiology Requirements

Students in the Public Health Microbiology submajor complete an eight-week internship with the City of Milwaukee Health Department. The process of application to the professional training occurs at the end of the first semester of the junior year.

Plan of Study

Biomedical Sciences BS: Public Health Microbiology Learning Outcomes

Students graduating from the Biomedical Sciences-Public Health Microbiology (BMS-PHM) program will be able to: 

• Apply laboratory testing theory and perform laboratory techniques across the disciplines of diagnostic microbiology laboratory testing. 
• Practice professional conduct and identify the significance of continuing professional development.
• Communicate sufficiently to serve the needs of patients, the public, and members of the healthcare team.
• Identify and apply educational methodologies and terminologies sufficient to train/educate users and providers of laboratory services.  
• Comply with the safety and governmental regulations and standards as applied to public health microbiology.
• Analyze principles and practice of research design, implementation and dissemination of results.
• Identify principles and practices of administration and supervision as applied to laboratory practice.

Honors in the Major

Honors in the major are granted to students who earn a GPA of 3.500 or above on a minimum of 30 completed credits at UWM.

College of Health Professions and Sciences Dean's Honor List

GPA of 3.500 or above, earned on a full-time student's GPA on 12 or more graded credits in a given semester.

Honors College Degree and Honors College Degree with Distinction

Granted to graduating seniors who complete Honors College requirements, as listed in the Honors College section of this site.

Commencement Honors

Students with a cumulative GPA of 3.500 or above, based on a minimum of 40 graded UWM credits earned prior to the final semester, will receive all-university commencement honors and be awarded the traditional gold cord at the December or May Honors Convocation. Please note that for honors calculation, the GPA is not rounded and is truncated at the third decimal (e.g., 3.499).

Final Honors

Earned on a minimum of 60 graded UWM credits: Cum Laude - 3.500 or above; Magna Cum Laude - 3.650 or above; Summa Cum Laude - 3.800 or above.