Curricula
The curriculum is a balance of clinical and molecular genetics and psychosocial counseling topics. Courses are taught by faculty from the Graduate School, the Feinberg School of Medicine, and guest lecturers from area institutions with expertise in specific topics. Students have many opportunities to gain experience in public speaking and outreach to the community and health professional audiences.
The program includes coursework in:
- Classical, medical, cyto-, biochemical, and molecular genetics
- Cancer and adult genetics
- Dysmorphology
- Psychosocial aspects of genetic counseling
- Disability studies
- Risk assessment and communication
- Decision making
- Ethics
- Research methodology
- Epidemiology and statistics
The Northwestern program is designed so that classroom and clinical experience are integrated, creating the most comprehensive learning approach. Students' cases and counseling issues are frequently discussed in class, as well as in the more formal settings of case conference and journal club. In addition, students see the application of classroom principles through attendance at grand rounds, lecture series, and support groups.
