Laboratory Technician AAS

Two-Year Associate of Applied Science Degree

The Laboratory Technician Associate of Applied Science degree is offered to students seeking employment in scientific fields and laboratory environments. The degree offers options in Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technician or Biological and Biotechnology Laboratory Technician.

To earn the Laboratory Technician AAS degree, students must satisfactorily complete all the requirements of the degree. The general education requirement allows the flexibility to continue professional development later by applying the basic skills gained to more in-depth study.

Successful pursuit of this degree requires students to possess collegiate skills in reading, communication, computation, and critical thinking. To acquire that competency, it is highly recommended that students complete pre-collegiate courses to gain these skills prior to their entry into the program.

The first year of the AAS degree program offers technical emphasis coursework and completion of prerequisites. The second year covers a broad range of skills, including those necessary for diversification and upward mobility within the occupational area.

Program Learning Outcomes

Core outcomes of this degree emphasize a comprehensive skill set of theory and application. The broad scope is meant to provide the student with the most competitive tool set in this high-placement occupation. These outcomes include, but are not limited to, application of concepts in chemistry, biology, genetics, microbiology, anatomy and physiology, health and sanitation, hazardous disposal, laboratory techniques, quality assurance, research methodology, and statistical methods.

Upon completion of the AAS in Laboratory Technician degree, students will be able to:

• Explain and properly apply the scientific method.
• Prepare written and oral scientific communications that use tables, graphs, and sample calculations to report results.
• Critically evaluate contributions to science reported in all forms of media and be able to identify valid approaches to scientific inquiry, problem solving, and reporting.
• Demonstrate proficiency in basic laboratory skills common to clinical and non-clinical research laboratories.
• Design, perform, and analyze results of experiments using basic molecular biology methodologies and recombinant DNA techniques.
• Break-down, clean, set-up, and run contemporary laboratory instrumentation.
• Apply the fundamentals of molecular biology theories, methodologies, and techniques.
• Apply Geographic Information System (GIS) skills to topographical data to identify problems, monitor environmental changes, carry out forecasting, identify trends, and prioritize workloads.