Bachelor of Science (Laboratory Medicine)

About offering

Laboratory medicine teaches you about pathology (the origin, nature and course of disease) and the diagnosis of disease.

If you're seeking a challenging career as a professional medical scientist, this course offers exciting opportunities.

Your first year is interprofessional and taken with students from other health sciences degrees.

The second year expands your knowledge of the cellular and tissue aspects of pathology, and the individual disciplines of laboratory medicine.

In your third and fourth years, you gain extensive field experience and focus on three of the following major disciplines: clinical biochemistry, diagnostic cytology, haematology and blood transfusion science, histopathology, immunology, and medical microbiology.

Students gain practical experience in all areas of medical science through completion of 28 weeks of full-time clinical placement.

Please refer to the handbook for additional course overview information.

What you'll learn

apply general and discipline specified knowledge to the performance of laboratory medicine
the application of knowledge critically and ethically in the laboratory medicine setting
obtain and critically appraise information from a range of resources applicable to the practice of medical science
communicate effectively specialised knowledge relevant to laboratory medicine
the selection and effective use of appropriate technologies to generate valid data
recognition of the need for on-going learning in the Medical Science profession
an awareness of global differences in disease patterns and diagnostic medicine
recognition of cultural difference and its impact on Medical Science
recognition of the necessity for probity and ethical behaviour and a professional approach to medical science

Why study Bachelor of Science (Laboratory Medicine)

Choose from six major areas of specialisation.
Learn in high-quality laboratories and facilities.
Accredited by the Australian Institute of Medical Scientists.
Includes 28-weeks of professional practice in a diagnostic pathology laboratory.

Student profile

View our student profile table to get an indication of the likely peer cohort for new students at Curtin University. This table provides data on students that commenced undergraduate study and passed the census date in the most relevant recent intake period for which data are available. It includes those admitted through all offer rounds and international students studying in Australia.

Professional recognition

Professionally recognised by the Australian Institute of Medical Scientists.

Career information

Medical Scientist

Admission criteria for Australian and New Zealand students

Australia / New Zealand students

International students

Curtin requires all applicants to demonstrate proficiency in English. Specific English requirements for this course are as outlined in the IELTS table below. Additional information on how you can meet the English requirement can be found on the English proficiency page.

IELTS Academic (International English Language Testing System)
Writing	6.0
Speaking	6.0
Reading	6.0
Listening	6.0
Overall band score	6.5

What kind of applicant are you?

Applicants with recent secondary education

Completed your secondary education in Australia within the past two years? Learn how you can apply to Curtin.

Applicants with work and life experience
(Finished secondary education more than two years ago)

See how to apply if you’ve completed a pathway program, finished secondary education more than two years ago or spent time in the workforce.

Applicants with vocational education and training (VET) study

Learn how you can gain entry with a TAFE or other vocational education training (VET) qualification.

Applicants with higher education study

Find out how to apply and what credit you may be eligible for if you have previous higher education study.

Applicants with recent secondary education

Applicants with recent secondary education are those whose admission is primarily based on the completion of Year 12 within the last two years, but also includes those who may have completed their senior secondary studies with a TAFE or other VET provider within the same time frame. This includes applicants whose secondary education was undertaken interstate or overseas.

Minimum ATAR: 73

This figure is the rank needed to be considered for entry to a course. Obtaining this rank is not a guarantee of admission.
Desirable WACE subjects: Chemistry ATAR, Mathematics Applications ATAR and Human Biology ATAR or Biology ATAR
STAT entry: Written English and either MC Verbal or Quantitative

The Special Tertiary Admissions Test (STAT) assesses competencies considered important for success at uni.
These tests are provided by the Tertiary Institutions Service Centre (TISC) to help mature age candidates apply for certain courses.

Please see our correlation comparability for previous TEE subjects, WACE courses and WACE ATAR courses.

Other admission options

Recipients of the John Curtin Undergraduate Scholarship will receive an early offer to study this course.
Successful StepUp Entry and StepUp Equity Adjustment Admission Pathway (StepUp Bonus) applicants will be eligible to be considered for admission into this course.
If you’re an indigenous applicant who hasn’t met Curtin’s minimum admissions criteria, the Centre for Aboriginal Studies offers bridging courses that are tailored to help you gain entry into this course.

Lowest ATAR to which an offer was made (exclusive of any adjustment factors such as equity or subject bonus points)

View the lowest ATAR (excluding adjustments) of an applicant who was offered a place in this course in the most relevant recent intake period for which data are available.

Selection rank adjustments (previously referred to as ATAR related adjustments)

Details of the types of adjustment factors (bonus points) commonly available to applicants can be found on our StepUp to Curtin webpage.

ATAR and selection rank profile for those offered places wholly or partly on the basis of ATAR in the most recent intake period

View data on the ATAR and selection rank profile of offers made from the most relevant recent intake period.

Applicants with work and life experience
(Finished secondary education more than two years ago)

Applicants with work and life experience are those who left secondary education more than two years ago (i.e. who are not classified as recent secondary education applicants) and have not undertaken vocational education training (VET) or higher education study since then.

‘Experience’ includes a combination of factors sufficient to demonstrate readiness for higher education such as mature-age entry, professional experience whether completion of the Special Tertiary Admission Test (STAT) is required or not, community involvement or work experience. Applicants may have undertaken non-formal programs that have helped prepare them for tertiary education or are relevant to the proposed higher education field of study.

Minimum ATAR: 73

This figure is the rank needed to be considered for entry to a course. Obtaining this rank is not a guarantee of admission.
Desirable WACE subjects: Chemistry ATAR, Mathematics Applications ATAR and Human Biology ATAR or Biology ATAR
STAT entry: Written English and either MC Verbal or Quantitative

The Special Tertiary Admissions Test (STAT) assesses competencies considered important for success at uni.
These tests are provided by the Tertiary Institutions Service Centre (TISC) to help mature age candidates apply for certain courses.

Please see our correlation comparability for previous TEE subjects, WACE courses and WACE ATAR courses.

Applicants with vocational education and training (VET) study

Applicants with vocational education and training (VET) study are those whose highest level of study since leaving secondary education is a VET course. This includes study at a public TAFE or other VET provider, whether a qualification was completed or not. Applicants with VET study may have other qualifications such as a Year 10 or Year 12 secondary school certificate.

Minimum ATAR: 73

This figure is the rank needed to be considered for entry to a course. Obtaining this rank is not a guarantee of admission.

OR
TAFE:
- AQF Certificate IV - Separate evidence of English language proficiency is required; or
- AQF Diploma; or
- AQF Advanced Diploma.
Desirable WACE subjects: Chemistry ATAR, Mathematics Applications ATAR and Human Biology ATAR or Biology ATAR
STAT entry: Written English and either MC Verbal or Quantitative

The Special Tertiary Admissions Test (STAT) assesses competencies considered important for success at uni.
These tests are provided by the Tertiary Institutions Service Centre (TISC) to help mature age candidates apply for certain courses.

Please see our correlation comparability for previous TEE subjects, WACE courses and WACE ATAR courses.

Applicants with higher education study

Applicants with higher education are those whose highest level of study since leaving secondary education is a higher education course, such as a university degree. This includes applicants who are currently studying a higher education course at another education provider and want to transfer to Curtin University, or applicants who are currently studying at Curtin but want to switch to a different course. It also includes applicants who have completed past study with university and non-university higher education providers.

Desirable WACE subjects: Chemistry ATAR, Mathematics Applications ATAR and Human Biology ATAR or Biology ATAR

Please see our correlation comparability for previous TEE subjects, WACE courses and WACE ATAR courses.

Curtin course switcher criteria

To switch into this course, you need to have:

completed 100 credits within one semester, with a semester weighted average (SWA) of 60% or higher and an academic status of Good Standing; or
completed 150 credits within one year, with a course weighted average (CWA) of 60% or higher and an academic status of Good Standing.

Higher education course switcher criteria

This course has a semester one intake only. Please refer to the TISC website for more information.

Cut-off scores

Please note: The cut-off scores below are for 2018 only.

Qualification	Score
GCE/STPM/HKALE (A-levels - best of three)	6
HKDSE	16
IB	25
Ontario Gr 12 (best of 6)	63
ATAR (including WACE/SACE/HCE/VCE)	73
WAUFP (CPS)	54
India (CBSE)	62.5%
India (HSC)	66.5%
Sri Lanka	6

Minimum academic entry requirements

Please select a country above.

Other requirements and notes for this course

In addition to the course-specific admission criteria listed above, please read our general admission criteria. Our general admission criteria apply to all courses at Curtin University.

Essential requirements for admission (including fieldwork requirements)

Many of our courses require students to comply with additional essential requirements. Failure to comply with any of the essential requirements may potentially prevent the successful completion of the course and/or achieving professional registration.

Fieldwork requirements during the course

Please refer to the following statements on the fieldwork component of this course:

Advanced standing / credit transfer / recognition of prior learning

Australia / New Zealand students

International students

At Curtin, we understand that everyone’s study journey has been different.

You may have already studied some of the units (subjects) listed in your Curtin course, or you may have work experience that matches the degree requirements.

If this applies to you, you can apply for credit for recognised learning (CRL), which means your previous study is recognised and matched against a similar unit in your intended Curtin course.

A successful CRL application exempts you from having to complete certain units within your course and means you could finish your degree in a shorter amount of time.

CRL is also known as recognition of prior learning, advanced standing and credit transfer.

Use the CRL search to find out how much CRL you qualify for, or contact us at:

Email: crl@curtin.edu.au
Tel: 1300 222 888

CRL search

At Curtin, we understand that everyone’s study journey has been different.

You may have already studied some of the units (subjects) listed in your Curtin course at another educational institution, or you may have work experience that matches the degree requirements.

A successful CRL application exempts you from having to complete certain units within your course and means you could finish your degree in a shorter amount of time.

CRL is also known as recognition of prior learning, advanced standing and credit transfer.

Use the CRL search to find out how much CRL you qualify for, or contact us at:

Email: ci-enquiries@curtin.edu.au
Tel: 1300 222 888

CRL search

Fees and charges

Australia / New Zealand students

International students

Australian and New Zealand student indicative fees for 2019

Fee year: 2019

Student type	Cost
Commonwealth supported What is a Commonwealth supported place (CSP)? A CSP is subsidised by the Australian Government. They pay part of the course fees directly to Curtin and then the student pays the remainder (referred to as the “student contribution amount”). The student can defer this fee to their HECS-HELP loan. All Australian students studying an undergraduate degree are automatically awarded a Commonwealth supported place. A limited number of Commonwealth supported places are also available for some postgraduate courses. Learn more about CSPs and whether you’re eligible by visiting the Australian Government’s StudyAssist website.	$9,560^*

Student type

Cost

$9,560^*

Fees are indicative first year only and are subject to passage of legislation.

*The indicative first-year fee is calculated on 800 credit points, which is the typical full-time study load per year, however some courses require additional study to be completed, in which case the fee will be higher than that shown.

This fee is a guide only. It may vary depending on the units you choose and does not include incidental fees (such as lab coats or art supplies) or the cost of your textbooks – visit other fees and charges for more information. For more information on fees and to determine your eligibility for HECS-HELP or FEE-HELP, please visit fee basics or the Study Assist website

If you’re not an Australian citizen, permanent resident or New Zealand citizen, please see information for international students.

International student fees for 2019

Fee year: 2019

International onshore – fee paying	Cost
Indicative essential incidental course fee	$660^*
Offer letter (100 credit) published fee	$17,600^*
Total indicative course fee	$140,900^*
Indicative year 1 fee	$35,300^*

Fee year: 2020

International onshore – fee paying	Cost
Indicative essential incidental course fee	$660^*
Offer letter (100 credit) published fee	$18,400^*
Total indicative course fee	$146,600^*
Indicative year 1 fee	$36,700^*

The fees shown above apply to international students studying on-campus in Western Australia. The tuition fee is subject to an annual tuition fee increase of up to 5 per cent per annum. For information about fees at other locations please visit Curtin International’s offshore site.

Where you can study

For start dates, please view the academic calendar.

Bentley Campus

On Campus
Semester 1 and Semester 2

Visit campus site

How to apply

Please review information on how to apply for the campus of your choice:

Please note that each campus has different application deadlines. Please view our application deadlines page for further information.

Apply now

Next steps

If you are successful in your application to study at Curtin, you will receive a letter of offer via email. You can either accept or defer your offer. To find out more about this process, view our enrolment web page.

You may also like to find out how you can obtain financial assistance or apply for a scholarship and prepare for Orientation Week (O-Week).