Master of Science in Laboratory Medicine
The Laboratory Medicine programme delivers graduates with a specialist knowledge of the human physiology/biochemistry and the biological markers for the detection of pathological conditions. In addition, they master the methods for analysing parameters in various biological matrices. We prepare our graduates for managerial positions in the healthcare chain with a focus on medical advice and analysis.
What
Laboratory medicine is a healthcare discipline which involves lab tests on bodily fluids or biopsies to diagnose diseases, assess organ functions or the effects of a specific treatment. The Laboratory Medicine programme delivers specialist pharmacists with an in-depth knowledge of the human physiology/biochemistry and the biological markers for the detection of pathological conditions. In addition, they master methods for the analysis of parameters in various biological matrices (blood, urine, saliva, faeces, cells, tissue samples, ...). Although subspecialisation is not uncommon, Laboratory Medicine graduates must nevertheless possess an all-round proficiency in (clinical) chemistry, bacteriology, virology, molecular diagnostics, haematology... .
We prepare our graduates for a career in the healthcare chain, more specifically for positions at a managerial level with a focus on medical analysis and medical advice, at facilities for laboratory medicine. This means that you must be able to work as an accessible primary (on-call) medical consultant at a facility for laboratory medicine. The laboratory staff as well as the referring physicians rely on you for test selections, sampling instructions and test interpretations. This study programme is one of the prerequisites to apply for the title of pharmacist specialised in laboratory medicine (i.e. credentialing). The other prerequisite is a practical work placement that have been carried out at accredited facilities for laboratory medicine.
For whom
The admission requirements depend on your prior education (type of degree, country of issue etc.) or additional experience.
Structure
The Laboratory Medicine programme comprises two levels. The first level is a two-year (120 ECTS credits) academic study programme, which you take at university. The curriculum covers the foundations of the three main disciplines: clinical chemistry, haematology, and microbiology. The second level is a three-year post-academic programme, which offers an in-depth knowledge of the disciplines mentioned above. The two-year academic programme aims at consolidating your medical and bioanalytical knowledge by means of a theoretical curriculum with contact hours, as well as practicals in a lab environment. Although the academic curriculum already comprises a work placement component, it also offers various course units with an intensive focus on the acquisition of a broad range of (knowledge) competencies. Teaching activities take place at the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences as well as at Ghent University Hospital, where you take classes together with the specialist medical practitioners in training (in Dutch: arts-specialist in opleiding - ASO) in Laboratory Medicine. This second phase of the Laboratory Medicine programme almost exclusively consists of work placements, which take place at recognised facilities for laboratory medicine under the supervision of an accredited work placement supervisor.
The admission procedure for the Laboratory Medicine programme requires all candidate pharmacist-specialists to send a letter of application to the secretary of the accredited Recognition Committee by registered mail. The application must contain the study and work placement plan you aim to accomplish. The work placement plan should also list the total number of work placements of the five-year programme, with a work placement of at least twelve months in each of the main disciplines. It is within the Recognition Committee’s power to approve the work placement plan, and to monitor its realisation. Changes to the work placement plan in the course of the programme are possible but subject to approval by the Recognition Committee. Under certain conditions, the Recognition Committee may decide that obtaining a doctorate in one of the disciplines of Laboratory Medicine can count towards a (limited) exemption from the academic programme.
Admission into the programme is restricted due to the limited work placements that are available. An annual selection procedure weighs the candidates based on their curriculum and a study they write, present, and defend, the topic of which is set by the Recognition Committee. The Committee always chooses current topics in the field of Laboratory Medicine. Prior to the selection procedure, candidates should have completed a work shadowing of a number of weeks, partly at the UZ Gent Lab for Laboratory Medicine, and partly at other facilities for laboratory medicine. This, too, is part of the selection procedure. The selection process is open to last-year students (of the regular Pharmacy programmes). In principle, only two pharmacists are admitted into the Laboratory Medicine programme at Ghent University each year. The Master’s dissertation is carried out during the work placement. The dissertation topic should be in line with daily practice in one of the disciplines of Laboratory Medicine. You might, for instance, explore, analyse and discuss a new analytic method, a statistics-based comparative approach to methods, or a correlation between test results and diagnosis. A successful Master's dissertation requires at least one A1 journal article, of which you are the author. While the work placement supervisor is responsible for the daily supervision of the Master's dissertation, one of the lecturers in our programme takes on the role of academic supervisor.
Labour Market
A pharmacist specialised in laboratory medicine usually ends up at an accredited facility for laboratory medicine. These labs are either hospital-affiliated or private enterprises. The form of employment in which our graduates practice their profession – i.e. either as an employee under contract or as a self-employed professional - depends on the type of lab that employs them. In order to prevent an excess accrual of labs, the accreditation of new labs is subject to strict regulations. New accreditations are therefore rather rare nowadays.
Quality Assurance
At Ghent University, we strive to educate people who dare to think about the challenges of tomorrow. For that purpose, we provide education that is embedded in six strategic objectives: Think Broadly, Keep Researching, Cultivate Talent, Contribute, Extend Horizons, Opt for Quality.
Ghent University continuously focuses on quality assurance and quality culture. The Ghent University's quality assurance system offers information on each study programme’s unique selling points, and on its strengths and weaknesses with regard to quality assurance.
More information:
Unique Selling Points
- Theory taught by professional field experts: during the first two years of the academic Master’s programme (180 ECTS staggered across five years), students acquire the basics of the three main disciplines in laboratory medicine: laboratory chemistry, haematology, and microbiology. We achieve this through a theoretical curriculum comprising contact hours of practical and interactive teaching, complemented with work placements in specialised facilities. The post-academic programme focuses on acquiring specialised knowledge and scientific insights in a specific discipline and acquiring, exploring, and developing the role of manager, communicator, health care practitioner and scientist.
- Theory embedded through practice: in the post-academic programme, the students deepen their acquired basic knowledge in the various disciplines. The curriculum (staggered across three years) almost exclusively consists of work placements at WIV-JSP-licensed facilities for laboratory medicine headed by a work placement supervisor recognised by the Federal Public Service Health, Food Chain Safety and Environment.
- Excellent Master's dissertation: students work on their Master's dissertation during the work placement. The Master’s dissertation topic is taken from daily practice in one of the disciplines of Laboratory Medicine. To pass the Master's dissertation, students must publish at least one A1 article as the first author. Various students succeed in being the (co-)author of multiple domain-specific publications.
- Solid academic-scientific curriculum: by definition, the academic Master’s programme is founded on science. The post-academic programme focuses on professional practice grounded in evidence-based medical-pharmaceutical science. The academic-scientific aspect is part and parcel of our curriculum.
- Interaction with the professional field: high-quality and substantial work placements are essential to the academic and post-academic curriculum. To this end, we consistently and closely engage with the professional field. Evolutions in the professional field, mainly due to legal provisions, standards, and licensing, naturally impact the study programme. Various lecturers sit on the advisory boards, authorisation committees, and accreditation committees that issue these standards.
Strengths
- Student admission: our adequate pre-entry student selection assures the quality of our graduates. Admission into the programme is restricted due to the limited availability of work placements. An annual selection procedure weighs the candidates based on their curriculum and a study they write, present, and defend, the topic of which is set by the Recognition Committee. The Committee always chooses current topics in the field of Laboratory Medicine. This selection procedure is the same for the Specialist Medicine (Laboratory Medicine) programme.
- Our specialised team of lecturers oversees the quality of the curriculum content. They are deeply involved in research within their respective fields of study. Some of our lecturers are recognised clinical pathologists (in Dutch: klinisch bioloog) working at accredited facilities for laboratory medicine. The work placement supervisor and/or other work placement mentors have all been accredited by the Accreditation/Recognition Committee. Students are introduced to state-of-the-art academic research and the newest developments in the professional field. The correlation between education and research is at the heart of our study programme.
- Close interaction with the specialist practitioners in training: Ghent University Hospital is closely involved in our study programme, so our prospective clinical pathologists (pharmacists) come into contact with their peers in the Specialist Medicine programme (specialist practitioners) immediately. In the early stages of the programme, they quickly realise how the two professions complement each other. They also learn interdisciplinary dialogue as a precursor to their future professional reality.
- The study programme was recently extended to 180 ECTS. We used this opportunity to settle several content-related issues. The sequence and dependency of the course units are more logical now, and the curriculum aligns more with the Specialist Medicine programme. The study programme is tuned to professional practice and prepares students for their roles as health care practitioners, communicators, managers, and scientists.
- Our student representatives are active in the Programme Committee and collaborated on the curricular review. The Committee also has external stakeholders among its members. They help us monitor the quality of the study programme.
Challenges
- Monitoring the work placement and improving the co-ordination between work placement supervisors and the study programme. Our licensed work placement providers all use their own guidelines. As a result, the work placements they offer tend to differ in terms of content and supervision. More formal and structured quality assurance processes tailored to the size and concept of our study programme. Our small number of students makes quality assurance more informal and ad hoc. Although this informal student feedback has proven valuable in the past, we need to opt for a more structured and formal approach (including monitoring by the Programme Committee).
- More formal and structured quality assurance processes tailored to the size and concept of our study programme. Our small number of students makes quality assurance more informal and ad hoc. Although this informal student feedback has proven valuable in the past, we need to opt for a more structured and formal approach (including monitoring by the Programme Committee).
This study programme is accredited by the Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders (Dutch: NVAO). Accreditation was extended following the positive outcome of the institutional review in 2022. Programme quality was validated by a quality review, i.e. a screening of the Education Monitor by the Education Quality Board. The resulting Quality Assurance Resolution (in Dutch) can be found here.
This information was last updated on 04/02/2025.
If you have questions or suggestions about the publicly available information, please get in touch with the study programme.