The Department of Clinical Microbiology offers one undergraduate programme:

• BSc., Medical Laboratory Science (MLS)

and Two graduate programmes:

• MPhil., Infectious Diseases and Immunology and
• PhD., Infectious Diseases and Immunology.

Bachelor of Science (BSc.,) Medical Laboratory Sciences (MLS)

The BSc., Medical Laboratory Science programme is a 4-year programme implemented in four levels leading to the award of a Bachelor of Science degree in Medical Laboratory Science (BSc, MLS.) at the end of the 4^th year.

The programme runs for 4 years (i.e., 8 semesters) and for a cumulative of 153 credit hours.

Uniqueness of the MLS Programme

The programme is uniquely designed to emphasise the acquisition of skills and competencies through rigorous practical training sessions in three core areas:

1. From year 1 to 3, all practical-based courses are allocated adequate credit hours to cater for laboratory practical training to ensure that students acquire the requisite skills and competencies in laboratory practice.
2. The Hospital-Based Education and Service (HOBES) implemented during the long vacations of years 1, 2 and the programme, will provide students with extensive practical experience in laboratory practice.
3. The programme makes provision for mandatory clinical laboratory rotations in the year 4 of the programme. The rotations will take place in designated hospital diagnostic, research and industrial laboratories to ensure students acquire the needed skills and competencies at completion to practice as biomedical scientists.
4. The programme design emphasizes on the study of the French language using the UNESCO recommended syllabus for the teaching of French. The French language course will particularly ensure that students are able to understand and communicate in basic French to patients and to the scientific world at completion.

Programme Aims

Overall, the programme is designed to train skilled human resource in the area of laboratory science, equipped with the ability to work at all levels of the health care system from the primary to the tertiary level, to promote research and to improve health care delivery in Ghana and beyond.

Programme Objectives

Specifically, by the end of the programme, students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate knowledge and understand the principles of medical laboratory sciences with emphasis on hands-on practical experience
2. Apply the principles and scientific knowledge required to make accurate diagnoses of diseases to improve patients’ management and research
3. Critically assess, select and apply appropriate research methods to investigate medical conditions
4. Introduce and impart standard practical education with new modern diagnostic techniques, within the fields of laboratory practice
5. Acquire the requisite skills in the French language to facilitate medical communication in French 

Programme Intended/Expected Outcomes

Upon completion of the programme, graduates would be able to:

1. Work independently as biomedical scientists and to conduct accurate and reliable laboratory diagnoses to support patients’ care at all levels of the healthcare delivery
2. Demonstrate in-depth synthesis of theoretical principles in biomedical science and develop the capacity for independent thinking
3. Effectively present and communicate academic and/or professional work, catering for interdisciplinary clinical and academic audiences
4. Exhibit professional competencies of independent self-guided learning, problem-solving, innovation, responsibility, accountability, and general ethics in medical laboratory practice
5. Produce thesis that represents an original contribution to the body of knowledge in the area of biomedical science, using an interdisciplinary approach

Students’ Admission Requirement

1. Applicants must have WASSCE credit passes (A1-C6) or SSSCE (A-D) in three core subjects including, English, Core Mathematics, and Integrated Science and three elective subjects including Physics, Chemistry and Biology or Elective Mathematics.
2. Applicants from GCE A-level background must have credit passes (A-D) in three subjects including Physics, Chemistry and Biology or Mathematics and a pass in General paper in addition to credit passes in GCE O-level (grades 1-6) in six subjects including English, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology or Additional Mathematics and other related subjects.
3. Applicants with a first degree in the allied disciplines such as Biochemistry, Anatomy, Physiology, Microbiology etc. may enter the Programme in Year 2.
4. Holders of Medical Laboratory Technician (MLT) certificate/diploma duly accredited by a recognized regulatory body and with credit passes in GCE O-level (grades 1-6) in six subjects including English, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology or Additional Mathematics and other related subjects, may enter the Programme in Year two.

Students’ Progression

The BSc., MLS programme is a full-time programme for four (4) years with multiple entry points at levels 100, 200 and 300 as shown by table C.3.

1. Applicants with Senior High School (SHS) certificate or its equivalence shall be admitted to level 100 of the programme (Year 1) and satisfy the mandatory 185 credits hours to qualify for graduation at the end of the fourth year of the programme.
2. Applicants with a certificate in medical laboratory science or its equivalence shall be admitted to level 200 (Year 2) and will be expected to do a minimum of 146 credit hours to qualify for graduation at the end of the fourth year of the programme. Such applicants shall spend a minimum of 3 years on the programme.
3. Applicants with diploma in medical laboratory science or its equivalence shall be admitted to level 300 (Year 3) and shall be expected to do a minimum of 105 credit hours to qualify for graduation by the end of the fourth year of the programme. Such applicants shall spend a minimum of 2 years on the programme.
4. Eligibility for entry into level 200 and or level 300 of the programme will be determined at a pre-selection interview where such applicants shall be required to provide documentary evidence of having earlier secured the recommended credits points to qualify them for the particular level of entry. If necessary, such applicants may be required to audit some earlier course (s) before progression to higher levels.
5. Irrespective of the level of entry, all candidates who pass through the programme shall be required to do the 4^th year mandatory clinical laboratory rotations and conduct an independent thesis research project, present and pass the thesis to qualify for graduation.

6. Irrespective of the entry level, applicants shall take and passed all courses at a particular level before progressing to higher levels of the programme.
7. Applicants shall take and pass each level French course before progressing to the next level.

Programme Outline and Entry Point Qualifications

Structure of the B.Sc., MLS Programme

CKT-UTAS’ medical laboratory programme is a 4-year programme (i.e., 8 semesters and for a cumulative of 153 credit hours) to be implemented in four levels leading to the award of Bachelor of Science degree in Medical Laboratory Science (BSc, Med. Lab. Sci.) at the end of the 4^th year.

The year-by-year structure of the programme is presented below:

Year 1 or Level 100

The level 100 courses is taken in two (2) semesters of the year 1 of the programme (for a cumulative of 39 credit hours), the details of which is presented in table C. 4.

The courses include foundation- and university-wide mandatory courses, designed to assist students attain the required knowledge, attitude and skills required to pursue degree programmes at the CKT-UTAS.

Thematically, the level 100 programme focusses on courses of the natural sciences, languages and African studies. The natural science courses include biology, physics, chemistry, mathematics, genetics and introduction to computer technology, the contents of which are designed to equip students with the requisite knowledge needed to understand the normal human body functions & life processes in relation to medical laboratory science.

The language aspects include basic communication skills in the English and French languages, designed to ensure that students acquire acceptable levels of the written and spoken English and French language functions.

The French language course particularly introduces students to the French Language course required for the French Language course in subsequent years. The courses on African and general studies ensures that students appreciate the practice of laboratory science in the African context.

Courses for Year 1 (Level 100) of the Programme

Year 2 (Level 200)

The level 200 courses is implemented in the year 2 of the programme. The thematic area of the programme covers courses on the normal human body functions & life processes.

The programme introduces students to human anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, pharmacology, biostatistics, basic medical microbiology and general pathology to ensure that students understand the disease processes and medical laboratory practice.

The courses for level 200 of the programme are listed in table C. 5 and are all compulsory to be delivered in two semesters for a cumulative 41-credit hours.

Courses for Year 2 (Level 200) of the Programme

Year 3 (Level 300)

The level 300 courses are implemented in the 3^rd year of the programme. The thematic area of the programme covers courses on the pathological processes of the human body in relations to laboratory medicine.

There are theoretical course and practical work in the area of bacteriology, haematology, chemical pathology, toxicology and haematology to be covered in the first semester.

The second-semester courses include virology, molecular technology, parasitology, mycology, immunology/serology, and histotechnology/cytology.

The level 300 courses of the programme are listed in Table C. 6 and are all compulsory and are delivered in two semesters for a cumulative 37 credit hours.

Courses for Year 3 (Level 300) of the Programme

Year (Level 400):

The level 400 courses are implemented in the year 4 (final year) of the programme and in a number of hospitals resourced for the purpose of clinical laboratory training to offer students the opportunity to come into contact with real patients.

Students are given the opportunities to be mentored directly by medical laboratory specialists and other medical professionals.

To address the issues of logistics in the proposed hospitals and to ensure hands-on-training, the students are put into smaller groups and placed in the various laboratory departments in the hospitals for a period of 4 weeks at a time, after which they are rotated to other departments.

Rotation in the disciplines of haematology, transfusion medicine, bacteriology, virology, parasitology, mycology, immunology/serology, clinical chemistry and molecular technology is mandatory.

During the clinical rotations, each student has the opportunity to interact with patients to observe, assist, and perform various laboratory investigations pertaining to the discipline.

They will participate in the preparation of laboratory reagents, calibrating and maintaining laboratory equipment.

Their day-to-day activities are supervised by preceptors recruited at the various hospitals/laboratories, while lecturers conduct periodic supervisory visits to the training sites.

All students’ activities; observations, assistance and hands-on performance are recorded in the students’ logbook for monitoring purposes. Additionally, each student is expected to undertake an independent research project towards the final thesis, required to graduate.

There are lectures on laboratory management and entrepreneurship to equip students with management and entrepreneurial skills.

Year 4 courses as listed in table C. 7 are delivered in two semesters at a cumulative 74 credit hours, bulk of which constitutes clinical rotations. The format of clinical rotations is presented by tables 6 and 7.

Courses for Year 4 (Level 400) of the Programme

 Year 4, Semester 1: Clinical Laboratory Rotations (18 weeks)

 Year 4, Semester 2: Clinical Laboratory Rotations (24 weeks)

 Students’ Graduation

A candidate shall qualify for the award of BSc MLS degree if he/she has:

1. Taken and passed all mandatory courses outlined in the curriculum
2. Satisfactorily completed all clinical laboratory rotations in the designated clinical training sites
3. Undertaken an independent research project leading to the preparation of an undergraduate thesis
4. Submitted an undergraduate thesis and passed the thesis assessments in line with the CKT-UTAS undergraduate thesis assessment guidelines

Assessment of students’ performance and achievements

1. Courses taken for a particular semester shall normally be completed by the end of the semester. For each course, there shall be:
2. An end-of-semester examination and the examination schedule showing the venue and time of the examination for each course shall be published each semester.
3. A continuous Assessment (CA) as part of every course during the semester in which the course is taken, and the number of CA shall not exceed 4 assessments.
4. For all courses, the CA shall constitute 70% and the end-of-semester examination 30% of the total course mark. Overall, 50% will be required to pass.

5. Each student shall be required to carry out an independent research and shall be required to produce and present a bound thesis at the end of the 4^th The thesis shall be assessed in accordance with CKT-UTAS’ regulations for assessing undergraduate theses. The pass mark for the thesis is 60% and this shall be required to qualify for graduation.

Assessment Type and Marks allocated

Grading System

Based on the above table C.10, the pass mark is 50%. The grade, Incomplete (IC), shall be awarded to a student when he/she misses one or more components of the assessment.

A candidate who obtains a total mark of below 50% in any of the assessment shall be considered to have failed that assessment. Such a student shall need to re-take that assessment and pass it before progressing to the next level.

Candidates will be graded according to the table below

Hospital-Based Education and Services (HOBES) Programme

In Ghana, primary and secondary level of health care form a major part of the country’s health care system and is usually delivered at the district and regional administrative levels.

The Hospital-Based Education and Services (HOBES) is designed for the CKT-UTAS’ BSc Medical Laboratory Science (MLS) programme.

The objective is to deploy part of the MLS educational programme to primary and secondary hospitals where students are given the opportunity to learn laboratory practice through formal and informal approaches and at the same time provide basic laboratory services to patients.

The HOBES programme is expected to expose MLS students early to practical experience at the end-of-year one holidays with numerous advantages.

Through HOBES, CKT-UTAS, will establish strong links with hospitals within its catchment area and beyond by using them as suitable teaching platforms for students at various level of the study programme.

HOBES also offers students the opportunity to provide limited but useful diagnostic services to the patients. Finally, it is expected that HOBES serves as a conduit to eventually provide well-trained laboratory staff to the health facilities as it is expected to prepare and acclimatise these professionals to work in these facilities and consequently bring about equity in the distribution of laboratory professionals to benefit the deprived hospitals in line with the overall objectives programme and the mandate of CKT-UTAS.

Structure of the HOBES programme

HOBES programmes is structured to run in three (3) phases in at the end of year 1, 2 and 3 of the MLS programme.

MLS 130 HOBES I

This programme will take place during the end-of-year one holidays of the MLS programme with the focus of exposing students to the organizational and functional structures of diagnostic laboratories in the context of primary and secondary health care set-up in Ghana.

Students are posted to a primary or secondary hospital laboratory for a minimum of 6 weeks.

MLS 230 HOBES II

Students are posted to the diagnostic laboratory of primary and secondary health facility for a minimum of 6 weeks.

The focus is for them to appreciate the functional roles of diagnostic laboratories at the primary and secondary health care levels.

The students are expected contribute to improved quality, safety, performance and accountability in laboratory service delivery in host health facilities.

MLS 330 HOBES III

This programme implemented for a minimum of 6 weeks duration and takes place at the end of the 3^rd year of the programme.

Students are expected to further consolidate on the gains of HOBES II and per their level of training improved laboratory human resource. Note that there is no HOBES after year 4 of the programme.

Overview of the HOBES programme

Students Enrolment Statistics

Students’ enrolment for the BSc., Medical Laboratory Sciences

M.Phil., Infectious Diseases, and Immunology Programme

M.Phil., Infectious Diseases, and Immunology was accredited by the GTEC in 2024. The programme was developed to address global health challenges, particularly in the context of infectious diseases and immunology.

This programme was developed in response to the Global Security Agenda, which highlights the importance of addressing infectious diseases as a global security concern.

Key features of the MPhil in infectious diseases and immunology programme at CKT-UTAS include:

1. Applied Science and Global Health Perspective: The CKT-UTAS’ programme emphasises an applied science approach to infectious diseases, focusing on practical solutions to global health challenges. It seeks to equip students with the knowledge and skills needed to address real-world health issues.
2. Epidemic Modeling: The programme includes coursework related to epidemic modeling, which is crucial for understanding the spread and control of infectious diseases. This knowledge is invaluable in responding to outbreaks and pandemics.
3. Emergency Management: The programme trains skilled personnel expected to be well-prepared for emergency management in the context of infectious disease outbreaks. This training is vital for responding effectively to public health crises.
4. Workforce Development: The programme aims to contribute to the development of a skilled workforce in the healthcare sector and beyond. This is essential for improving healthcare delivery and addressing health system challenges in Ghana and beyond.
5. Health facilities Management and Control: The programme includes training in hospital and laboratory management, an integral part of infectious disease diagnoses and control. Proper management and control are also essential for preventing and mitigating the spread of infectious diseases.
6. Applied Technologies: The programme has incorporated the use of applied technologies in infectious disease control and management. This is in line with the modernisation of healthcare practices and the use of innovative solutions to addressing health challenges.

Programme Aims

Overall aim of the programme is to develop skilled human resources to build capacity in applied research in the field of infectious diseases and immunology for the benefit of Ghana and beyond.

Programme Objectives

Specifically, by the end of the MPhil programme, students will be able to:

1. Know the principles of infections and host immunity against the wide range of human-related pathogens
2. Know the application of the knowledge of infectious diseases and immunity to a range of practical skills and techniques, in particular, modern molecular and cellular techniques for assessing immune responses to pathogens
3. Assess, select, and apply appropriate research methods to investigate infectious diseases and the immunology of infections
4. Evaluate scientific data and present it at an advanced level, both verbally and in written form
5. Develop a sound base for prospective terminal degree (PhD) in infectious diseases and Immunology

Programme Intended/Expected Outcomes

Upon completion of the MPhil Infectious Diseases and Immunology programme, graduates should be:

1. Equipped with a solid foundation in the principles of infections and host immunity, enabling them to contribute to the fields of medicine, research, and public health in addressing the challenges posed by the wide range of human-related pathogens.
2. Well-prepared to contribute to the ongoing efforts to address the challenges of infectious diseases through cutting-edge research and application of modern molecular and cellular methods.
3. Develop the ability to critically examine information, make informed judgments on research methods, and apply these skills specifically to the investigation of infectious diseases and the immunology of infections.
4. Well-prepared to engage with the scientific community, contribute to ongoing research, and effectively communicate their knowledge to various audiences.
5. Develop a solid foundation for pursuing a terminal degree (PhD) in infectious diseases and immunology.

Structure of the MPhil Programme

The MPhil programme in Infectious Disease and Immunology is a 2-year programme (i.e., 4 semesters and for a cumulative of 63 credit hours) to be implemented in levels 600 and 700.

The two-year programme is structured into a year’s course work in level 600 and research work for a least 12 months in level 700. The course work is structured to offer students the opportunity to take some courses in research methodology, statistics and some foundation courses in infectious diseases and immunology.

During the period of the course work, students are expected to start writing the research proposal for implementation in year 2 of the programme. In year one students are expected to make 2 seminar presentations: MPhil Seminar I in the first semester and Semester II in the second semester.

Seminar I will offer students the opportunity to make a presentation of the literature review of his/her research topic and Seminar 2 will be a presentation of his/her research thesis proposal.

The whole of year 2 (level 700) will be devoted for the thesis research work, thesis write-up and defense. Preceding the thesis defense, students are expected to make their last seminar presentation (MPhil seminar III).

In this seminar, they will show a summary of their thesis work and findings.

Year 1 (Level 600), Semester One and Two

 Year 2 (Level 700), Semester One & Two 

Assessment of students’ performance and achievements

Students shall be assessed as prescribed by the postgraduate handbook of CKT-UTAS. In short, the final grade of a student shall be based on the scores obtained for the course work, the MPhil seminar series (I, II, III), Internal and External thesis assessment.

The pass mark for each assessment is 60% and above. If a student fails one particular MPhil seminar presentation, the student shall reappear in the next seminar to present the updated results.

For the avoidance of doubt, any failed seminar shall not be counted to qualify the candidate to proceed to the next higher seminar.

If a thesis fails the external assessment (i.e., scores less than 60%), irrespective of the internal assessment score, the thesis shall be deemed to have technically failed.

 Assessment Type and Marks Allocated

Students Enrolment Statistics

The students’ enrolment statistics for the programmes are shown by tables C. 17.

Students’ enrolment for the M.Phil., Infectious Diseases, and Immunology Programme

Ph.D., Infectious Diseases, and Immunology

This programme was developed in response to the Global Security Agenda, which highlights the importance of addressing infectious diseases as a global security concern.

The Key distinctive features of the PhD, Infectious Diseases and Immunology programme include the fact the that, the programme:

1. Is designed with focus on finding practical solutions to address the numerous problems of infectious and immune diseases in Ghana. It is expected to equip students with advanced knowledge and skills needed to address these health issues.
2. Includes coursework related to epidemic modeling, which is crucial for understanding the spread and control of infectious diseases. This knowledge will be invaluable in responding to outbreaks and pandemics.
3. Will train skilled personnel Graduates of the programme are expected to be well-prepared for emergency management in the context of infectious disease outbreaks. This training is vital for responding effectively to public health crises.
4. Aims to contribute to the development of a skilled workforce in the healthcare sector and beyond. This is essential for improving healthcare delivery and addressing health system challenges in Ghana and beyond.
5. Includes training in hospital and laboratory management, an integral part of infectious disease diagnoses and control. Proper management and control are also essential for preventing and mitigating the spread of infectious diseases.
6. Has incorporated the use of applied technologies in infectious disease control and management. This is in line with the modernisation of healthcare practices and the use of innovative solutions to address health challenges.

Programme Aims

The overall aim of the programme is to develop and produce skilled human resources in the area of Infectious diseases and immunology, equipped with the ability to innovate, conceptualise, develop and implement applied multidisciplinary research that will contribute to the development of Ghana and beyond.

Programme Objectives

Specifically, in the area of infectious diseases and immunology, the PhD programme is designed to:

1. Apply the knowledge of infectious diseases and immunity to a range of practical skills and techniques, in particular modern molecular and cellular techniques for assessing immune responses to pathogens, and leveraging on that to address challenges of infectious diseases
2. Demonstrate theoretical, conceptual, and technical knowledge of the principles of infections and host immunity against the wide range of human related pathogens at advanced level
3. Critically evaluate scientific data and present it at an advanced level, both verbally and in written form
4. Critically assess, select and apply appropriate research methods to investigate infectious diseases and the immunology of infections at advanced level

Programme Intended/Expected Outcomes

Upon completion of the PhD Infectious Diseases and Immunology programme:

1. Application of the knowledge of infectious diseases and immunity to practical skills in molecular and cellular techniques for assessing immune responses to pathogens will be achieved
2. Demonstration of theoretical, conceptual, and technical knowledge of the principles of infections and host immunity against the wide range of human related pathogens will be delivered
3. The ability and capacity of graduates to critically evaluate scientific data and present it in both verbal and written form at an advanced level will be achieved
4. Graduates’ skills in the examination of information and making judgements on appropriate research methods to investigate infectious diseases and the immunology of infections will be obtained

Students Admission

Applicants may be considered for admission into the PhD, Infectious Diseases and Immunology programme, if in possession of a master’s degree or its equivalence from CKT-UTAS and other recognized institutions in the following areas:

• Infectious Diseases and Immunology
• Immunology
• Biological Sciences
• Laboratory Medicine
• Microbiology
• Bacteriology
• Parasitology
• Mycology
• Biochemistry
• Veterinary Medicine
• Health/Medical sciences or related fields/sub-fields and
• Other relevant areas of study

Furthermore, in order to provide evidence of having conducted supervised research, each applicant shall be required to submit a concept paper on his/her proposed research topic and shall be required to attend a pre‐selection interview for the school board to ascertain their competencies for independent research in this specialised area of biomedical sciences and its applications. Conditions such as recognition of prior learning, industrial experience and faculty motivations may be considered to facilitate entry into the programme.

Registration prior to the approval of the research proposal will be provisional and made official only when the proposal is approved by the board of the School of Medical Sciences and that of the Graduate Studies and Research.

These procedures will be fully explained to all prospective applicants during the selection interview.

In addition, the PhD applicant shall be required to submit two (2) reference letters from two academic referees and must demonstrate the ability to fund the programme. The applicant should also demonstrate an excellent understanding and comprehension of the English language.

Admission into the PhD programme will be based on the faculty’s internal capacity for supervision.