Curriculum

The program provides general content areas to support the development of practice-based competencies in genetic counseling. Most course work is completed in the first academic year. The clinical rotations begin in May and continue through March of the second year. Most students see approximately 100 to 150 cases during their clinical rotations.

The theory and application of counseling and interviewing including areas such as individual psychosocial development and dynamics; family dynamics; crisis intervention; psychosocial assessment and referral; grief/bereavement counseling; and cross cultural issues are incorporated throughout the curriculum. The social, ethical and legal issues as they pertain to the delivery of genetic services with review of health care delivery systems and principles of public health are provided in the Principles of Genetic Counseling course and the Intervention Skills for Genetic Counselors course.

The curriculum also includes principles and applications of human genetics and related sciences: cytogenetics; biochemical genetics; molecular genetics; population and quantitative genetics; human variation and disease susceptibility; embryology; and teratology.

Courses also address principles and practice of clinical/medical genetics: clinical features and natural history of a broad range of genetic diseases; indications for and methods of genetic diagnosis, including physical assessment, dysmorphology, laboratory and other diagnostic studies; indications for and methods of prenatal diagnosis including obstetric and genetic techniques; family history and pedigree analysis; use of the genetic literature; and case management skills.

The methods of genetic testing including indications, limitations, and methodology of tests used in cytogenetic, biochemical genetic, and molecular genetic laboratories are covered.

Teaching skills for presentations are reviewed in several classes and all students must present multiple cases at clinical case conference and at the rotation sites.

Research methods are reviewed in the biostatistics and epidemiology classes and are applied in the preparation of the Master's project proposal.

1st Year

Fall Term

• Principles of Genetic Counseling
• Human Genetics Seminar
• Chromosomes and Human Disease
• Molecular Basis of Human Inherited Disease
• Clinical Case Conference
• Ethics Case Conference
• Introduction to Statistical Methods I
• Principles of Epidemiology
• Embryology (offered in alternating years)
• [combined first and second year students]
• Biochemistry (for those not completing prior to admission)

Spring Term

• Human Population Genetics
• Human Genetics Seminar
• Genetic Techniques
• Molecular Genetics of Common Disease
• Clinical Case Conference
• Ethics Case Conference
• Environmental Causes of Reproductive Failure

Summer Term

• Risk Calculation for Genetic Counseling
• Genetic Counseling students are expected to begin their internship in the Summer Term (May 1)

2nd Year

Fall Term

• Genetic Counseling Internship
• Special Studies (Thesis credits)Human Genetics Seminar
• Clinical Case Conference
• Ethics Case Conference
• Embryology (offered in alternating years) [combined first and second year students]

Spring Term

• Genetic Counseling Internship
• Special Studies (Thesis credits)
• Human Genetics Seminar
• Clinical Case Conference
• Ethics Case Conference