About the Program

Vision

The UAMS Genetic Counseling Graduate  Program develops future genetic counselors  who are innovative, adaptive, and compassionate  experts committed to making a difference  in the lives of others  both nationally and internationally and their faculty are experts in teaching, scholarship, and service to the profession.

Mission

The mission of the Genetic Counseling Graduate Program is to produce competent genetic counselors by providing rigorous, forward-thinking training through education, research and a diverse clinical experiences.

We accomplish this by:

  • offering students a rigorous, innovative, and contemporary education/training;
  • contributing to patient-centered genetic counseling both in person and via telegenetics;
  • contributing new knowledge to the profession through research and scholarship;  and
  • advocating for and serving our communities, patients and profession.

Core Values

  • Integrity
  • Respect
  • Diversity
  • Inclusion
  • Teamwork
  • Creativity
  • Excellence
  • Advocacy
  • Empathy
  • Community

Program Overview

The Genetic Counseling program offers a Master of Science degree in Genetic Counseling.  The program is a full-time, day program with one cohort of 8 students beginning each fall semester.  It consists of four, fall/spring semesters with one intervening summer semester session.  The program curriculum consists of 58 semester credits.  Students who successfully complete the program will be eligible for the American Board of Genetic Counseling (ABGC) certification examination.  Graduates are responsible for preparing for the examination, as completion of the program alone does not ensure certification.  Graduates are responsible for familiarizing themselves with the applicable certification and licensing requirements for the state in which they wish to work.

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The genetic counseling program at UAMS stands apart from other genetic counseling programs in a few important ways. First, students learn how to provide genetic counseling over interactive video (telemedicine) through the internationally renowned ANGELS program (http://angels.uams.edu/). Second, the majority of our courses are blended in that they provide live instruction along with complementary online components. None of our courses are provided solely online. Third, some students spend their second year of graduate school at one of our satellite sites. Students at a satellite site join their classes via interactive video but complete their clinical training at the satellite site. Other features of the program include:

  • Clinical Skills Center that uses standardized patients (patient actors) for video-taped role plays;
  • Service-learning;
  • Interprofessional education;
  • Faculty and guest lecturers from across the United States;
  • Diverse research opportunities; and
  • Clinical training that is based on a developmental progression, (novice, intermediate, and advanced skills).

Graduates of the UAMS program are competitive in the marketplace.  Alumni are working in diverse settings and 100% of employers surveyed state that they would hire another UAMS graduate, (Employer Survey, 2015).

Three Tracks

Students in the program can live in various locations. The program has three tracks that applicants can be matched to:

  • Track #1 (3 students) – UAMS main campus in Little Rock, AR for the first and second year. The intervening summer consists of clinical rotations that students can do outside of Arkansas.
  • Track #2 (3 students) – UAMS Northwest campus in Fayetteville, AR for the first and second year. The intervening summer consists of clinical rotations that students can do outside of Arkansas.
  • Track #3 (2 students) – UAMS main campus in Little Rock, AR for the first year and Louisville, KY for clinical training in the second year (join UAMS classes by interactive video). The intervening summer consists of clinical rotations that students can do outside of Arkansas.

For more information about the three tracks and how they compare and contrast, please click here.

Admission Factors

Admission to the program is competitive and based on the following criteria:

  • Academic achievement
  • Academic aptitude
  • Leadership and professionalism
  • Written and oral communication
  • Knowledge of the profession
  • Interpersonal skills