Genetic Counseling - Master's
About the Program
Genetic counseling is for those who love both science and people.
A degree in genetic counseling combines hard science, like biology, and genetics with the skills of a therapist empathizing with clients, advocating for the needs of families. Our graduates can interpret a doctor’s complex diagnosis because they understand the science behind it.
UC has a unique partnership with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, allowing students in the genetic counseling program to maximize their learning experience.
Our students can take classes in biology, counseling techniques and genetics, and then walk to the hospital to meet with a couple who just learned their baby will be born with Down Syndrome. The students also have workspace and clinical rotations on the same floor of the hospital as the specialists they work with.
From the day they walk through the hospital doors, our students are an essential part of a team of doctors, nurses, clinicians, geneticists, and researchers—the people who set standards, write policies and make discoveries.
A highly competitive program, UC only accepts only 8 to 10 students a year. This small number allows us to provide individual attention and support to develop our students' strengths and cultivate their interests.
Our graduates are well prepared for any counseling job they choose—and for the certification exams required to practice counseling. Typically, 90-100 percent of UC's graduates pass the American Board of Genetic Counseling certification exam, far higher than the nation pass rates of 74-85 percent.
Established in 1982, UC’s genetic counseling program is one of the oldest programs of its kind in the country. At the University of Cincinnati you will get a research and medical education from world class scholars and clinicians, grounded in science and the latest research. And you will be helping others—every day.