Overview

To be a successful genetic counselor, you need to have a thorough understanding of medical genetics and psychosocial expertise to assist individuals and families. Your curriculum will include genetic counseling fundamentals, advanced medical genetics, and counseling skills.

You will have unique clinical opportunities in pediatric, prenatal, cancer, and many other specialty clinics as well as research and laboratory genetic counseling. Finally, you will complete a plan II project, where you will design and implement a genetic counseling-related research project. With access to our many facilities here at UAB, you will have multiple options for both on-site and off-site rotations and lab experiences.

Fast Facts:

The University of Alabama at Birmingham is leading the way in bringing precision medicine into health care with the Hugh Kaul Precision Medicine Institute and the NIH "All of Us" Research Program.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 29% employment growth for genetic counselors between 2016 and 2026.

Earning a Master of Science in Genetic Counseling will help you be prepared for the high demand, rapidly evolving field of genomic medicine. A combination of classroom and clinical experiences in pediatric, prenatal, cancer, and other specialties teach you to work with patients and families who are learning about and coping with the risk genetic disease may have for themselves and their relatives.

Programme Structure

Courses:

Professional Skills Development
Survival Spanish for Health Professionals
Research Design and Statistics
Theories of Individual Counseling
Genetics in Medicine
Prenatal Genetics, Embryology and Teratology
Principles of Cancer and Adult Genetics and Counseling

Key information

Duration

Full-time
- 24 months

Start dates & application deadlines

Starting 2026-05-11 00:00:00
- Apply before 2026-05-01 00:00:00
Starting 2026-08-25 00:00:00
- Apply before 2026-08-01 00:00:00
Starting 2027-01-12 00:00:00
- Apply before 2026-12-01 00:00:00

Language

English

Duolingo English Test

120

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TOEFL^® IBT

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PTE Academic

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IELTS

6.5

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Credits

57 SCH

Delivered

On Campus

Campus Location

Birmingham, United States

Disciplines

Genetics View 203 other Masters in Genetics in United States

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Academic requirements

GPA

GRE^®

Required

English requirements

Duolingo English Test

120

Take A Free Practice Test!

TOEFL^® IBT

Schedule TOEFL®

PTE Academic

Schedule a PTE test!

IELTS

6.5

Prepare for Your English Test

Cathoven AI IELTS Preparation

Learn your IELTS Score

AI-powered IELTS feedback. Clear, actionable, and tailored to boost your writing & speaking score. No credit card or upfront payment required.

Trusted by 300k learners
98 accuracy using real exam data
4.9/5 student rating

Other requirements

General requirements

NMS registration number.
Personal Statement: A statement that highlights your motivation to become a genetic counselor, and emphasizes your prior and current experiences, and how they will benefit you in the profession. (No more than 500 words.)
Official Transcripts: Students should send official transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate institutions attended. We recommend students send transcripts that include their most recent Fall grades.
Letters of Recommendation: Three (3) letters of recommendation.
Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test scores from the Verbal, Quantitative, and Analytic sections: For the 2021 admissions cycle, the GRE is not required and will not be reviewed. It has not been determined if the GRE will be required for the 2022 admissions cycle.
A minimum cumulative undergraduate grade point average of at least 3.0 (A = 4.0).
Resume or CV

Tuition Fees

Tuition fees are shown in and the most likely applicable fee is shown based on your nationality.

International Applies to you

Applies to you

Non-residents

46597 USD / year

≈ 46597 USD / year
Out-of-State

44175 USD / year

≈ 44175 USD / year
Domestic

Applies to you

In-State

17898 USD / year

≈ 17898 USD / year

Living costs

Birmingham

United States

1019 - 1648 USD / month

The living costs include the total expenses per month, covering accommodation, public transportation, utilities (electricity, internet), books and groceries.

Financing

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Funding

Win a €10000 Scholarship! Deadline: 30 June 2020

Embark on your journey with the Studyportals Scholarship! We're giving away a total of 20,000 euros to help you achieve your dream of studying abroad.

Win a €10000 Scholarship! Deadline: 30 June 2020

Embark on your journey with the Studyportals Scholarship! We're giving away a total of 20,000 euros to help you achieve your dream of studying abroad.

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Scholarships Information

Below you will find Master's scholarship opportunities for Genetic Counseling.

Available Scholarships

You are eligible to apply for these scholarships but a selection process will still be applied by the provider.

On this page

About

Overview

Fast Facts:

Programme Structure

Key information

Duration

Start dates & application deadlines

Language

Prepare for Your English Test

Credits

Delivered

Campus Location

Disciplines

What students do after studying

Academic requirements

English requirements

Prepare for Your English Test

Other requirements

General requirements

Tuition Fees

International Applies to you

Domestic

Living costs

Birmingham

Financing

Funding

Scholarships Information

Available Scholarships

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