Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Medical Lab Program: Pass Rate, Jobs and Local Pay
A certificate, MLS program in Lubbock, 12 months, 35 hours. 97.0% of its graduates passed the certification exam in 2025.
The Short Version
- Its certification exam rate (97.0%) is above the Texas program median of 88.5%.
These lines are generated from the numbers on this page and change when the data does.
How Graduates Do
NAACLS requires every accredited program to publish the same outcome measures, so they can be compared program to program. 3
| Year | Certification pass rate |
|---|---|
| 2025 | 97.0% |
| 2024 | 95.0% |
| 2023 | 93.0% |
Graduates who passed a medical laboratory certification exam (usually the ASCP Board of Certification exam), as the program publishes it for NAACLS. Programs report a three-year figure or yearly rates; where only yearly rates are published we show the newest year rather than averaging them. Job placement: graduates who found jobs in the field or continued their education, as the program reports it to NAACLS.
What It Costs
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center does not publish a total cost for this program. No cost figures on the program page. Ask the program for its cost sheet; contact details are on its page.
For comparison only, not this program's price: the 6 Texas medical lab programs that publish a cost range from $845 to $29,531, with a median of $9,730.
Jobs and Pay in the Lubbock Area
About 430 clinical laboratory technologists and technicians work in the Lubbock area. The middle half earn between $44,060 and $79,380 a year; new graduates usually start toward the lower end. Texas expects about 2,450 openings a year statewide through 2034, from new positions, retirements and people changing jobs, with the number of jobs growing 15.6% (from 29,740 to 34,380).
After You Graduate: Getting to Work in Texas
Texas does not license medical laboratory technicians or scientists, so there is no state application. Employers generally expect national certification, most often from the ASCP Board of Certification (MLT for associate graduates, MLS for bachelor's graduates), with AMT certification as an alternative.
| Step | Fee |
|---|---|
| Graduate from a NAACLS- or ABHES-accredited MLT program (associate degree) within the last 5 years and pass the MLT(ASCP) exam.6 | $235 |
| Alternative: bachelor's graduates of a NAACLS-accredited MLS program take the MLS(ASCP) exam instead.7 | $260not counted |
| Alternative: take the AMT Medical Laboratory Technician (MLT) exam instead of ASCP.8 | $220not counted |
| Alternative: take the AMT Medical Laboratory Scientist (MLS) exam, which covers the role AMT once called Medical Technologist (MT).9 | $245not counted |
Typical fees to start working: $235. Counts only the MLT(ASCP) exam ($235) for associate graduates. Bachelor's graduates pay $260 for MLS(ASCP) instead, and AMT exams ($220 MLT, $245 MLS) are alternatives; Texas charges no state fee. ASCP MLT and MLS credentials renew every three years with 36 CMP points and a $110 fee; AMT requires a $110 annual fee (rising $10 from Feb 1, 2027) and 45 points every three years. Full guide: how to become a medical lab technician or scientist in Texas
Program Facts
- Credential
- Certificate, MLS
- Length
- 12 months, 35 hours
- Schedule
- Online hybrid with two six-day on-site lab sessions and a clinical preceptorship
- Starts
- Fall (applications Dec 1 to May 1)
- Before you apply
- Bachelor's degree required; prerequisites differ for the certificate and second degree and are on the admissions page.
- Entrance exam
- None stated
- Accreditation
- NAACLS, Accredited (NAACLS; dates not shown)
- Leads to
- ASCP Board of Certification (BOC) exam, MLT or MLS
Sources and Dates
- Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center program outcomes page, Second degree and certificate page; graduation 95%, 97%, 94%; employment 99%, 100%, 97% (means worked out by us). Same coursework leads to a second BS or a post-baccalaureate certificate..
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Clinical Laboratory Technologists and Technicians (29-2010), May 2025 estimates.
- National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS), checked Nov. 2026.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, Texas and metro areas (employment and wage percentiles), May 2025 estimates.
- Texas Workforce Commission, long-term occupational projections, 2024 to 2034.
- ASCP BOC MLT - Medical Laboratory Technician, checked Nov 2026.
- ASCP BOC MLS - Medical Laboratory Scientist, checked Nov 2026.
- AMT Medical Laboratory Technician (MLT), checked Nov 2026.
- AMT Get Certified, checked Nov 2026.
Every number was checked against its source on Nov. 4, 2026. Spot an error? Report it. Program Outcomes is independent and not affiliated with any school or NAACLS. Our independence policy