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