About Our Program

University of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center: The best of two worlds

Our students can take classes in biology, counseling techniques, and genetics, and walk to the hospital to meet with a couple who just learned their baby will be born with Down Syndrome. Our students have workspace and clinical rotations on the same floor of the hospital as the specialists they work with. This arrangement is only possible through UC's unique partnership with Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center--one of the top five pediatric medical centers in the nation.

A small, competitive program

As highly competitive program, we accept only eight 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. In 2002 100% of UC's graduates passed the American Board of Genetic Counseling certification exam. In 2004 92% of the program graduates passed. The national pass rate was 74% for both 2002 and 2004.

Established in 1982, ours is one of the oldest genetic counseling programs in the country. We recently won accolades and accreditation from the American Board of Genetic Counseling. Nancy Warren, the director of the genetic counseling program, recently won a grant to educate communities about the profession and to increase the number of minorities in genetic counseling--a program we call IDEA.

Our IDEA: To change the face of genetic counseling

At the University of Cincinnati, the Initiative for Diverse Enrollment and Access in genetic counseling (IDEA) wants to bring ambitious young people into a profession that values quality of life above all else. Today, the number of minority genetic counselors is far fewer than the number of minorities counselors serve. We need to change this. And we have an IDEA.

We recently received a $25,000 grant from NIH to help diversify our program and the profession, and we have scholarships for underrepresented groups—in genetic counseling, these groups include minorities and men.

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.

Employment after graduation

100% of our genetic counseling students find employment in positions of their choice immediately after graduation. And employers of UC's graduates are confident in our graduates, consistently rating their skills as excellent.

Life at the University of Cincinnati

Genetic counseling is one of 200 graduate programs offered at UC. UC has five campuses, 17 colleges and divisions, and 250 student organizations and cultural and recreational activities. So, our students can work in their clinical rotation, attend the Human Genetics Journal club, watch the nationally ranked Bearcat basketball team or see a musical produced by one of the country's best music programs.

Our mission: The mission of the Genetic Counseling Program of the University of Cincinnati and Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center is to maximize the academic, clinical, research and professional development of genetic counseling students. Our goal is to prepare program graduates to provide high quality client-centered, culturally competent care, contribute to the advancement of knowledge and improved care through research, create new interdisciplinary niches, incorporate available genomic discoveries into practice, and serve as leaders in the genetic counseling field.

Graduate Program in Genetic Counseling
College of Allied Health Sciences
University of Cincinnati
P0 Box 670394
Cincinnati, OH 45267-0394
(513) 636-8448 (phone)
(513) 636-0543 (fax)
GCPROG@CCHMC.ORG