Prerequisites

Degree and Coursework

You must have a bachelor's degree by the time you start the graduate program, with undergraduate course work including at least one semester/quarter each of:

• General or human genetics
• Biochemistry
• Molecular biology or cell biology
• Psychology (e.g., Intro to Psychology, Abnormal Psychology, Developmental Psychology)
• Statistics: An introductory statistics or biostatistics course that includes content on statistical methodology is acceptable.

Science Courses: Most biochemistry, genetics, etc. courses that are required for biology majors are accepted. Courses at this level are often taken by students on the pre-med track. None of the prerequisite courses require a laboratory component.

We are unable to offer waivers for any prerequisite course. Prerequisites do not need to be completed before the application is sent in, but they must be completed before the start of the program. You should indicate your specific plan to complete any prerequisite courses on your supplemental form. If you are missing two or more prerequisites at the time of application, it will impact the scoring of your application.

Please consult your institutional academic advising office for help in identifying acceptable prerequisite courses. In general, courses should fulfill requirements for the undergraduate degree.

Please see our FAQ page for more information about pre-requisite courses.

Other Required Experiences

• Genetic counseling exposure: Shadowing a genetic counselor or having a genetic counseling internship are both valuable experiences; however, we understand these may be difficult to arrange. Speaking with a genetic counselor about the field is also a valuable experience. You may also attend online webinars or career fairs to learn more about the field.
• Advocacy experience: initiating or participating in existing efforts to create improvements for areas of need.
• Applicants are strongly encouraged to have counseling experience, which may be obtained in many ways, including work in crisis counseling, peer counseling, domestic abuse, or certain work experiences, such as customer service positions.
• Volunteer or work experiences that provide you with skills that are transferable to genetic counseling. We accept any experience with the understanding that it’s not always about what you did, but instead, what you learned from that experience.

Grade Point Average (GPA)

• Undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or above
• If extenuating circumstances impacted your GPA, you will be provided an opportunity to discuss this in an optional statement within the application.
• Applicants with a GPA less than 3.0 are strongly encouraged to have post-degree coursework demonstrating higher grades or another graduate degree with a GPA of 3.0 or higher.

Graduate Record Examination (GRE)

The Graduate Program in Genetic Counseling does not require the GRE and will not consider GRE scores in application review.

International Applicants

Nonresident applicants whose native language is not English must submit scores of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS).

Scores are not required of international applicants who are attending/completed an undergraduate degree from a university within the United States. Applicants may request a waiver if they earned an undergraduate or graduate degree from an institution outside of the United States that instructs primarily in English. Please email geneticcounseling@northwestern.edu for more information. 

Applicants submitting scores must meet the following criteria:

• The minimum acceptable paper-based TOEFL score is 600
• The minimum acceptable computer-based TOEFL is 100
• The minimum acceptable IELTS score is 8.0 overall and 8.0 on each of the sections

More information for international applicants can be found on The Graduate School Internal Applicants page.