University of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Children’s: The Best of Two Worlds
Our students take advantage of opportunities at both the University of Cincinnati (UC) and Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. Classes take place at Cincinnati Children’s and the adjacent UC medical campus. Students have workspace and many of their clinical rotations on the same floor of the hospital as the specialists they work with. This arrangement is possible only through UC's unique partnership with Cincinnati Children's − one of the top three pediatric medical centers in the nation.
The Genetic Counseling Graduate Program is a good choice for students who value an academically challenging curriculum that is well balanced in the major areas of genomic sciences, counseling skills and research. Our program values diversity, critical thinking, and teamwork. We strive to provide opportunities for students to develop the tools to pursue diverse professional paths and explore their individual interests.
A Unique and Competitive Program
- The Genetic Counseling Graduate Program is a comprehensive program that allows us to provide individual attention and support to develop our students' strengths and cultivate their interests.
- Established in 1982, it is one of the oldest genetic counseling programs in the country. We are accredited through 2029 by the Accreditation Council for Genetic Counseling (ACGC).
- In just two years, you could have a master of science degree in medical genetics and begin practicing, earning money, and the respect of those around you.
- Over the past three years, our program retention rate has been over 97%.
- 100 percent of our genetic counseling students find employment nationally and internationally in a wide variety of settings after graduation. Employers are confident in our graduates, consistently rating their skills as excellent.
Curriculum
The Genetic Counseling Graduate Program incorporates elements of didactic coursework, clinical rotations and research throughout the course of study.
- From the beginning, students are involved in clinic. The first clinical rotation starts the sixth week of classes. Clinical rotations during the academic year are five weeks, allowing students to take advantage of the great diversity of clinical rotations available. A seven-week clinical internship is completed during the summer after the first year.
- Research / thesis projects begin during the fall semester of the first year and continue all the way through the program.
- Graduates of the program are eligible and well-prepared to take the American Board of Genetic Counselors Certification Exam. Ninety-four percent of individuals who graduated since 2020 and took the exam passed it on their first attempt, and 97% who took the exam are currently certified.
- Each semester, students take approximately 15 credit hours. Students take science courses such as human genetics, embryology, epidemiology, teratology and clinical genomics as well as courses in ethics and counseling.
