Medical laboratory testing plays an important role in the detection, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases. Medical Laboratory Science practitioners are multi-skilled health care providers who perform various tests for different diagnostic and purposes. Through the use of precise methodologies and technologies, medical laboratory Science practitioners generate data on blood, urine, body fluids and other specimens, which help to diagnose and treat diseases and assess general health

The expanding and intensifying health services and programs at the national, regional and district levels and impact of globalization on health are demanding better qualified professionals. The shortage of trained MLS professionals in the country has no doubt contributed to the rampant public health problems seen today. If Ethiopia is to address the public health problems, break the intergenerational effect of communicable and non communicable diseases and seek sustainable human and economic development, greater attention must be paid to capacity building in the field of medical laboratory  science.

Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Ethiopia have embarked on major reform since last decade. For the reform to take effect, the institutions have used Business Process Reengineering (BPR) as a tool. In the reengineering of the Learning-teaching Core Process, modularization was proposed as a best way for the implementation of curricula and the production of competent global graduates. Currently with the aim of producing competent and capable graduates to address the current social and economic dynamics, there is an initiation to modularize the existing curricula for MLS undergraduate programs throughout the country. There are a number of reasons why modularization is needed in HEs:

Ø  The existing curricula are discipline based and the courses are fragmented. They are not organized around competences. As a result, the curricula do not enable HEIs to produce competent graduates. Students who drop out from universities are simply wastage because they cannot be certified in any of the competences as a result of the fragmented courses.

Ø  The existing curriculum does indicate about student work load which is very important for students’ success in their academic life; only the contact hour that the instructor uses for the classroom is mentioned. Hence student workload is one of the central points in the modularization.

Ø  There is a loose connection between the world of education and the world of work because of the inherent problem of the existing curriculum. Furthermore, the traditional curriculum focused on the teacher rather than the learner. However, in recent years there has been a paradigm shift taking place, moving the emphasis from teaching to learning and a more student-centered curriculum. This change has impacted on the curriculum design process with a greater emphasis on the learning in terms of knowledge, skills and competencies within courses and modules. The focus is on how learners learn and the design of effective learning environments.

In general, modularization is believed to increase degree comparability and compatibility, curriculum flexibility, and student mobility. It also strengthens the relationship between the world of education and the world of work.