Education
Stanford's curriculum operates on the quarter system, with genetic counseling students taking six academic quarters of work, including fieldwork rotations and research project development starting in the winter of their first year.
- The clinical content is taught through online courses in prenatal, pediatrics, metabolic, cancer, cardiogenetics, neurogenetics, and variant interpretation. Students complete these courses concurrently with their corresponding rotations, allowing for just-in-time learning.
- Each student will take at least two electives (one in research and one in a topic of their choice). Popular elective courses include medical Spanish, cancer biology, pediatric and reproductive health issues, business, leadership, public speaking, law, and biomedical ethics.
- For course descriptions, please see the Stanford Bulletin.
Curriculum
Total units: 84
First year, Autumn (full-time status, total required units: 18**):
Course Number/Title | Instructor(s) | Units | Grading Basis |
SURG 201: Clinical Embryology |
Salmi | 1 | Letter grade |
Med 255: Responsible Conduct of Research |
SCBE Staff | 1 | S/NC |
GENE 271: Human Molecular Genetics |
Hanson-Kahn |
3 |
Letter grade |
GENE 272: Intro to Molecular Genetics | Tise |
2 | Letter grade |
GENE 273: Intro to Clinical Genetic Testing |
Hanson-Kahn | 2 | Letter grade |
GENE 275: Role Play and GC Observations |
Hanson-Kahn | 2 |
S/NC |
GENE 284: Medical Genetics Seminar |
Campion | 1 | S/NC |
GENE 285A: Genetic Counseling Seminar |
Campion | 3 | Letter grade |
GENE 280: Metabolic Genetic Counseling |
Hanson-Kahn | 1 | S/NC |
GENE 289: Variant Interpretation |
Hanson-Kahn | 1 | S/NC |
GENE 299: Directed Readings |
Naik | 1 | S/NC |
**If you register for >18 units, extra tuition fees will apply.
First year, Winter (full-time status, total required units: 18**):
Course Number/Title | Instructor(s) | Units | Grading Basis |
HumBio 174: Foundations in Biomedical Ethics |
Magnus |
3 | Letter grade |
GENE 274A: Case Based Approach to Clinical Genetics I |
Hanson-Kahn and Tise | 2 | Letter grade |
GENE 276: Genetic Counseling Fieldwork |
Hanson-Kahn | 5 | S/NC |
GENE 282A: Genetic Counseling Research Seminar |
Naik | 1 | Letter grade |
GENE 284: Medical Genetics Seminar |
Campion | 1 | S/NC |
GENE 285B: Genetic Counseling Seminar |
Campion | 3 | Letter grade |
3 remaining credits: Sign up for any additional electives. If you have remaining credits, please enroll in GENE 299 (Directed Readings). There are multiple sections; you should sign up under Naik, S/NC, in order to reach a total of 18 units.
**If you register for >18 units, extra tuition fees will apply.
First year, Spring (full-time status, total required units: 18**):
Course Number/Title | Instructor(s) | Units | Grading Basis |
GENE 274B: Case Based Approach to Clinical Genetics II |
Hanson-Kahn and Tise | 2 | Letter grade |
GENE 276: Genetic Counseling Fieldwork |
Hanson-Kahn | 5 | S/NC |
GENE 282B: Genetic Counseling Research Seminar |
Naik | 1 | S/NC |
GENE 284: Medical Genetics Seminar |
Campion | 1 | S/NC |
GENE 285C: Genetic Counseling Seminar |
Campion | 3 | Letter grade |
GENE 278: Prenatal Genetics |
Campion | 1 | S/NC |
GENE 279: Pediatric and Adult Genetic Counseling | Hanson-Kahn | 1 | S/NC |
GENE 281: Cancer Genetics |
Hanson-Kahn | 1 | S/NC |
-3 remaining units: Sign up for any additional electives (this is a great quarter to take a research elective if you can). If you have remaining credits, please enroll in GENE 299 (Directed Readings).
**If you register for >18 units, extra tuition fees will apply.
First year, Summer
Students will complete clinical rotations on a full time (~40 hour/week) basis, and work on their research projects. Students will not sign up for any academic credits during this time.
Second year, Autumn (full-time status, total required units: 10**):
Course Number/Title | Instructor(s) | Units | Grading Basis |
GENE 284: Medical Genetics Seminar | Campion | 1 | S/NC |
GENE 286: Advanced Genetic Counseling Seminar | Campion | 2 | Letter grade |
GENE 276: Genetic Counseling Fieldwork | Hanson-Kahn |
2 |
S/NC |
GENE 283: Genetic Counseling Research |
Naik | 3 | S/NC |
GENE 287: Cardiovasular Genetics |
Campion | 1 | S/NC |
GENE 288: Neurogenetics | Campion | 1 | S/NC |
If you would like to take an elective for 1 unit, reduce GENE 276 to 1. If you take an elective for 2-3 units, reduce 276 to 1 unit and 283 to 1-2 units to reach 10 total.
**If you register for >10 units, extra tuition fees will apply.
Second year, Winter & Spring (full-time status, total required units: 10**):
Course Number/Title | Instructor(s) | Units | Grading Basis |
GENE 284: Medical Genetics Seminar | Campion | 1 | S/NC |
GENE 286: Advanced Genetic Counseling Seminar | Campion | 2 | Letter grade |
GENE 276: Genetic Counseling Fieldwork | Hanson-Kahn |
3 |
S/NC |
GENE 283: Genetic Counseling Research |
Naik | 3 | S/NC |
*Remaining 1 unit: Sign up for any additional elective or increase GENE 276 to 4 units. If you take one or more electives for 2-3 units, reduce 276 to 1 unit first, followed by reducing 283 to 1-2 units to reach 10 total.
**If you register for >10 units, extra tuition fees will apply.
Notes:
- GENE 278, 279, 280, 281, 287, 288, 289 are online courses in prenatal, pediatrics, metabolic, cancer, cardiogenetics, neurogenetics, and variant interpretation that will be taken concurrently with the relevant rotations. If you are not assigned a rotation in one/some of those specialties, then you can complete the remaining online courses at your convenience. Both Metabolic and Variant interpretation courses need to be completed no later than the end of the intervening summer; all other courses are required by completion of the second year.
- Given the rigorous curriculum listed, students should expect that classes and fieldwork will fill their days during regular business hours (typically 8:30-5pm, with some exceptions of required classes going until 6pm). Infrequently, required events will be scheduled on weekends or into the evenings, generally with significant advance notice.
Educational Activities
Students are required to give formal presentations during their second year in Medical Genetics Grand Rounds and Human Genetics Journal Club