Graduate Program

The Department of Human Genetics offers graduate education in modern molecular genetics. The department brings together a wide range of labs pursuing genetic studies in model organisms, such as zebrafish, Drosophila, and mice, as well as classic human genetics and epidemiology.

The Department accepts students for Ph.D. degrees in Human Genetics. Ph.D. students enter through the campus-wide Molecular Biology Program or from the Biological Chemistry Program and other related departments in the School of Medicine. Please direct inquiries about admission to the Molecular Biology Program.

The Department also accepts students for M.S. degrees in Genetic Counseling. Please direct inquiries about admission to the Graduate Program in Genetic Counseling.

Ph.D. students take an initial year of core courses and have opportunities to perform short research projects in the labs of several faculty members. Students then choose a lab for their graduate research. Ph.D. students pursue 4-5 years of independent research. Students must also fulfill additional course and teaching requirements.

An NIH-funded training grant in Developmental Biology is administered by the Human Genetics Department. Several Human Genetics faculty are members of the Human Molecular Biology and Genetics Program, and others are investigators with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Human Genetics faculty and students collaborate actively with medical faculty in the Departments of Internal Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Pediatrics, and the Division of Medical Genetics. Courses include a human genetics survey, medical genetics, advanced population genetics, developmental biology, gene mapping and linkage analysis, journal clubs, and independent study programs.