About the Program
Following Quality Matters(™) Standards for online course design, the program delivers the curriculum fully online in an interactive learning environment. Students engage in various clinical rotations in the West and focus on professional development in interprofessional education and healthcare business while learning to engage in a culturally, economically, and diverse community.
The mission of Boise State University’s Master of Science in Genetic Counseling program is to expand access to the profession of genetic counseling by integrating the Accreditation Council for Genetic Counseling (ACGC) standards into an innovative online learning experience that will provide students with a comprehensive education to be skilled, empathetic healthcare professionals.
MSGC program enrollment is full time for 21 months over 5 semesters; first year (Fall, Spring), second year (Summer, Fall, Spring).
To learn more about genetic counseling visit the National Society of Genetic Counselors website.
2023 Open House
In this video, MSGC Program Leadership discuss the details of being a student in the program. Closed captions are available or you can access the transcript.
Statement of Diversity and Inclusion
The MSGC Program is actively committed to addressing issues of inequity and injustice, a stance in alignment with Boise State University’s Statement of Diversity and Inclusivity.
The online MSGC program was designed to expand access to accredited training programs particularly to those populations underrepresented in the field who may not otherwise be able to relocate. We welcome applicants from diverse backgrounds and strongly believe in the value of having cohorts whose race, ethnicity, culture, gender identity, sexual orientation, skills, and interests are varied and included in the educational experience.
MSGC Social Media
College of Health Sciences
The College of Health Sciences strives to provide high quality, affordable, relevant education to its students and the campus community through health-related initiatives and resources. The college believes that students can learn more from each other through interprofessional education learning opportunities to advance life-long health in global communities. Below is the list of schools, resources, and initiatives housed in the College of Health Sciences.
Video Transcript – Learn more about the MSGC Program
Genetic Counselors are master trained healthcare professionals who work with patients and families who are interested in knowing more about inherited conditions. We help guide them through the process of genetic testing and we help manage them once they get diagnosed.
[Jennifer Eichmeyer, Program Director]: The Masters of Science and Genetic Counseling program here at Boise State is based on the ACGC accreditation standards and we’ve taken the traditional face-to-face components and put that into an online platform where students will have regular and interactive sessions with each other, learning from each other, in a way that models what we’ve done in face-to-face programs. The students will also have an opportunity to have clinical field work rotations in five different states which will give them exposure to a variety of different communities and learning environments.
[Madi Bernhardt, Genetic Counselor, St. Luke’s Hospital]: My education in Genetic Counseling was extremely demanding but equally as rewarding. I made irreplaceable friendships with my classmates and wonderful connections with the faculty that I worked with that will go with me throughout my career. I think what the most fulfilling thing that Genetic Counselors do is their role in teaching. So our job is to put genetic information into easy to understand bytes which is really helpful for not only our patients, but also the healthcare providers that we work with. I really love spreading my knowledge of genetics to others.
[Jennifer Eichmeyer]: The field of genetic counseling has seen a rapid explosion in demand. Genetic Counselors today have their choice of a variety of different jobs in the clinical world as well as outside the clinical world. Genetic Counselors can work in different public health settings, they can work in research, we’ve also seen genetic counselors working in advocacy and even insurance companies.
[Madi Bernhardt]: The Boise State Genetic Counseling Program is extremely innovative and the only program of its kind. By having remote access to the didactic course work, students are free to pursue their choice of clinical experience from a wide array of choices and institutions. Boise State is really paving the way to make an education in Genetic Counseling more accessible and affordable.