Online Graduate Certificate - Microbiology (in Medical Lab Science)
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An online graduate certificate in microbiology equips students with the knowledge and practical experience to work in various healthcare settings, including hospitals, physician offices, research labs, pharmaceutical firms, government, and public offices. This type of certificate also allows students to sit for the microbiology exams offered by national certifying agencies.
While most of the online certificates covered in this guide are available online, some of them require students to attend a clinical laboratory. The curriculum for these programs typically includes courses in clinical bacteriology, mycology and parasitology, molecular diagnostics, and immunology and serology. The credits earned in these certificate programs can also be applied to a master’s degree.
Along with certificates in microbiology, this article also lists related certificates, such as those in biohazardous threat agents and emerging infectious diseases. These related curricula cover clinical microbiology, hematology, and molecular pathology.
Check out online certificate programs in microbiology (and related topics) and three exceptional faculty members teaching these certificate programs.
Featured Online Graduate Certificates in Microbiology and Related Fields
George Washington University offers an online post-baccalaureate certificate in microbiology for medical laboratory science (MLS). All courses can be completed online, and the program requires no campus visits. While the program is available online, it may require students to attend a clinical laboratory. Clinical practicum waivers are available for applicants who have clinical laboratory experience. The certificate provides students with broad-based knowledge in medical and basic sciences to pursue a career of their choice.
This 20-credit certificate program includes courses in immunology and serology; clinical bacteriology; parasitology, mycology, and virology; lab management and operations; molecular diagnostics; and clinical microbiology practicum. Students also develop fundamental skills such as critical thinking and problem-solving to become future leaders in laboratory science.
Graduates can pursue opportunities in different types of healthcare settings such as hospital laboratories, physician offices, clinics, pharmaceutical and biotechnology firms, and commercial and research laboratories, as well as government and public health facilities. Graduates of this program are also prepared to take the technologist in microbiology examination.
To apply, students must have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university and a minimum cumulative and science GPA of 2.5, among other requirements.
- Location: Washington, D.C.
- Accreditation: Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools; National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS)
- Format: Online
- Expected Time to Completion: 12 months
- Estimated Tuition: $661 per credit
Georgetown University (Related Program)
The Department of Microbiology and Immunology of Georgetown University offers an online graduate certificate in biohazardous threat agents and emerging infectious diseases. The fully online program has both full-time and part-time options. All students have access to the Georgetown library and other campus resources.
The 12-credit program focuses on emerging infectious diseases and biohazardous threat agents. The curriculum involves classes in microbiology of biological threat agents and emerging infectious diseases; community resilience; bioterrorism; homeland security; and preparedness and response to CBRNE threats.
Students better understand biological threat agents, which can be utilized as biological weapons. They also examine the use of biological and other weapons and discuss techniques to combat these weapons. Graduates receive an official Georgetown certificate and transcript and can transfer their credits into master’s and doctorate programs offered by the Department of Microbiology and Immunology.
Admission requirements include sending official transcripts, three letters of recommendation, a statement of purpose, and proof of a minimum 3.0 GPA.
- Location: Washington, D.C.
- Accreditation: Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
- Format: Online
- Expected Time to Completion: Full-time (two semesters); part-time (four to six semesters)
- Estimated Tuition: $2,360 per credit
University of Massachusetts, Lowell (Related Program)
UMass Lowell offers an online graduate certificate in clinical pathology, a specialty that involves the diagnosis of disease and analysis of blood and urine using chemistry, clinical microbiology, hematology, and molecular pathology. The program is ideal for medical professionals, medical laboratory personnel, nurses, and working professionals in the pharmaceutical industry.
The curriculum includes four courses: two core and two electives. The core courses focus on clinical pathophysiology and molecular pathology. The elective courses include healthcare information systems, health informatics, and healthcare management. Students learn about the pathophysiologic basis of common diseases and disease processes, as well as the management problems in healthcare institutions and how such bodies are governed.
Graduates can take up roles such as cytogenetic technologists, cytotechnologists, histotechnologists and histologic technicians, and medical and clinical laboratory technicians. The credits earned in this certificate can be applied towards an on-campus master’s degree in applied biomedical sciences.
The program requires applicants to have a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university and a minimum GPA of 3.0, among other documents. GRE scores are not required for admission.
- Location: Lowell, MA
- Accreditation: New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE)
- Format: Online
- Expected Time to Completion: Nine months
- Estimated Tuition: $585 per credit
Washington State University (Related Program)
Washington State University offers an online graduate certificate in molecular biosciences, with all online courses taught and developed by the school’s renowned faculty. The program helps students develop a broad understanding of science.
The 12-credit program comprises classes in molecular biology; cell biology; bioethics; bioinformatics; general biochemistry; and medical genetics. The courses studied in this program can be valuable to students if they choose to pursue a master’s degree in science.
To apply, students must have a bachelor’s degree in microbiology, biology, chemistry, biochemistry, genetics, cell biology, or a related discipline, as well as a minimum GPA of 3.0, among other requirements.
- Location: Pullman, WA
- Accreditation: Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU)
- Format: Online
- Expected Time to Completion: 6 to 12 months
- Estimated Tuition: $636.95 per credit
University of Tennessee Health Science Center
The University of Tennessee Health Science Center’s College of Health Professions offers a certificate in clinical microbiology for medical laboratory science ideal for students with a bachelor of science degree. Biology, chemistry, or microbiology majors are preferred. Courses in this program are offered in a combination of online, on-campus, and clinical practicums performed in an accredited clinical laboratory.
Graduates of this certificate program will be eligible to take the Technologist in Microbiology examination offered by the ASCP Board of Certification (BOC). Upon passing this exam, they would qualify for employment in microbiology laboratories.
Made up of 22 credits, the program includes courses such as clinical microbiology; parasitology and virology; an introduction to laboratory sciences; molecular diagnostics; and basic and clinical immunology, among others.
- Location: Memphis, TN
- Accreditation: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)
- Format: Hybrid
- Expected Time to Completion: 12 months
- Estimated Tuition: Contact the university for a customized assessment
Weber State University’s Dumke College of Health Professions offers an online certificate program in microbiology in partnership with the American Society for Microbiology (ASM) for students looking to advance their careers in medical laboratory professions. This program will provide students with a bachelor’s degree in a qualifying field, such as chemistry or biological science, with the opportunity to take the Technologist in Microbiology M(ASCP) certification examination from the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP).
This program comprises four courses designed for those who have previously graduated with a qualifying degree. Classes include clinical microbiology; applied laboratory mathematics and operations; and supervised clinical experience. Students in the supervised clinical experience course will attend a four-week rotation at a clinical affiliate of the Medical Laboratory Science (MLS) Program at Weber State University.
Notably, this program is available only for students in the United States. New York and California residents are not eligible to apply.
- Location: Ogden, UT
- Accreditation: Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU)
- Format: Hybrid
- Expected Time to Completion: 12 months
- Estimated Tuition: $4,500
Andrews University offers an online technologist in microbiology certificate preparing students for the Technologist in Microbiology (M) Categorical Certification through the American Society of Clinical Pathologists (ASCP).
Applicants to the program must have a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university with a chemistry or biological science major OR 30 semester hours in chemistry or biology. They must have completed a structured microbiology program through a NAACLS-accredited medical laboratory scientist program within the last five years.
This 17- to 20-credit program includes courses such as fundamentals of clinical microbiology; fundamentals of immunology; clinical immunology, virology, and molecular diagnostics; clinical bacteriology; specialized clinical microbiology; clinical microbiology practicum; and laboratory operations & best practices.
- Location: Berrien Springs, MI
- Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
- Format: Interactive online
- Expected Time to Completion: 12 months
- Estimated Tuition: $450 per credit
Professors to Know in Microbiology and MLS
Dr. Richard Calderone has been working at Georgetown University since 1974. He is currently chairman of the microbiology and immunology department at the Georgetown University Medical Center. As an expert in microbiology and biomedical science policy,
Dr. Calderone’s research explores two of the most common fungal pathogens of immunocompromised patients: Candida Albicans and Aspergillus Fumigatus. He has written about mitochondrial proteomics and fungal identification for several prominent journals, such as the Journal of Clinical and Translational Science, Mitochondrion, and PLOS One. Dr. Calderone completed his doctorate at West Virginia University.
Dr. Marcia Firmani serves as the director of the medical laboratory sciences (MLS) program at George Washington University, where she also teaches courses in clinical bacteriology; molecular diagnostics; plagues, pandemics & epidemics; and molecular epidemiology. Her teaching and research career spans 20 years and currently focuses on comparing fitness among clinical Mycobacterium tuberculosis, identifying and comparing Mycobacterium tuberculosis strain types, and identifying and characterizing Mycobacterium tuberculosis virulence factors.
Dr. Firmani has published her research in influential peer-reviewed journals such as Infection and Immunity and the Journal of Clinical Microbiology. She also has authored several chapters in textbooks focused on infectious diseases. Dr. Firmani completed her doctorate in microbiology from the University of California, her master’s in public health and tropical medicine from Tulane University, and her bachelor’s in medical technology from Marist College.
Dr. Jennifer Watts is a professor and associate director for graduate programs in the School of Molecular Biosciences at Washington State University. She uses the roundworm C. elegans to study the functions of polyunsaturated fatty acids and fat metabolism in diseases such as cancer and obesity.
Dr. Watts teaches a hands-on genetics lab to undergraduate cell biology and genetics undergraduate students. Her research interests include lipid metabolism; manipulating lipid metabolism to control plant parasitic nematodes; ferroptosis, cell death caused by metabolic imbalances; and functions of polyunsaturated fatty acids. Her research has been published in prominent journals such as Nature chemical biology, Nature communications, and the Journal of Biological Chemistry. She completed her PhD at Cornell University in 1996.
