FAQ | School of Public Health

GPA and Transcripts

My GPA is below 3.0, can I still apply?: Yes. Application materials are reviewed as a whole, so allowances can be made for otherwise strong candidates who do not quite meet this criteria. Although we look for GPA to be 3.0 or higher, the Admissions Committee for the Genetic Counseling Program evaluates the entire application and does not only consider the GPA when making offers of interviews. Successful applicants will demonstrate how any deficiencies in one area are counterbalanced by superb qualifications in other areas. Other areas such as experience related to genetic counseling, the personal statement and letters of recommendation are important elements of the application. For applicants who have a lower GPA, we often recommend that the applicant consider taking additional courses at the graduate level to demonstrate their ability to successfully complete graduate work.
What transcripts do I need to submit with my application?: Applicants should submit a transcript for each college or university attended. If credits were transferred and appear on the new school's transcript, the original transcript from the school where the credits were taken is still needed.
I have taken a course where I have gotten a certificate/letter of completion (i.e. the online embryology course at University of Cincinnati). How should I submit that?: Applicants should email the certificate or letter to PHadmissions@pitt.edu so that it can be included in your application. Applicants should also include that the course was taken on their resume.

Personal Statement

What topic should I address in the personal statement?

Applicants should use the personal statement to discuss their interest in becoming a genetic counselor at the University of Pittsburgh Genetic Counseling Program. Drawing upon your lived and professional experiences, please elaborate on how these have shaped your journey to becoming a genetic counselor with an emphasis on how this will inform your practice as a future genetic counselor.

How long should my personal statement be?

Personal statements should be approximately 1-2 pages in length (single or double spaced).

How should the personal statement be formatted?

The accepted file formats are MSWord (.doc, .docx), JPEG (.jpeg, .jpg), PNG (.png), Rich Text Format (.rtf), Portable Document Format (.pdf), and ASCII Text file (.txt). The size limit for each file upload is 15MB.

Macintosh Users: Please be sure that the appropriate extension (e.g., .doc, .docx, .pdf) is at the end of the file name you select.

IMPORTANT: Having problems uploading a PDF? With a wide variety of PDF creation software in use, it is possible that the PDF you are trying to upload is in a format that we cannot read. Upload works best with PDF files conforming to the 'Acrobat 5.0 (PDF 1.4)' standard

Prerequisite Courses

I have not met the prerequisite course requirements, can I still apply?: An applicant does not necessarily need to complete all prerequisites by the time they submit their application. However, if accepted to the program, a student must complete all prerequisites prior to enrollment with an official transcript sent to the Student Affairs Office. Applicants may wish to include in their application their plans for completing prerequisite courses.
I received AP credits for one of the prerequisite courses. Does this count as meeting the prerequisite?: For certain prerequisites, credit for AP courses are accepted as long as official documentation is available (typically on a transcript).
What counts as a social/behavioral science course?: There are number of courses that can be counted towards the social/behavioral science prerequisite course requirement. These include, but are not limited to, courses in psychology, sociology, anthropology, family studies, social work, public health, economics, and political science. Applicants with questions about whether a course counts for this prerequisite should contact program leadership.
Do the prerequisite courses need to be done at a four year college or university?: No, the prerequisite courses required for the Genetic Counseling program do not need to be completed at a four year college or university. These can also be completed at a community college. Applicants will need to receive and submit a grade on an official transcript for all prerequisite courses. If there is a question about whether a course meets the prerequisite requirement, the applicant can send the course syllabus to the program leadership for review so that it can be determined if the course does in fact meet the prerequisite.
Are online courses acceptable for prerequisites?: Yes, an online course from an accredited university for which you receive a grade and official transcript can be accepted for a prerequisite. We recommend that an applicant sends the course syllabus to the program leadership for review so that it can be determined that the course does in fact meet the prerequisite.
Is a lab component required for the organic chemistry, biochemistry, or genetics courses?: A lecture-based course is sufficient to meet the prerequisite requirement for these courses. A lab component is not required.

SOPHAS Express Application

Does the Genetic Counseling Program require that the Supporting Information Section (Experiences) be completed?: Yes, the Genetic Counseling Program requires this section of the application to be completed. This is an important piece of the application review, and it is highly recommended that applicants include all relevant experiences (work, shadowing, advocacy, research, related events, etc.) here or somewhere in their application so that the admissions committee has this information when reviewing the application.
I have applied to the Genetic Counseling Program in a previous application cycle. Do I need to resubmit my transcripts and letters of recommendation?: As applicants upload unofficial transcripts in SOPHAS Express, they must be uploaded again to the new application. New letters of recommendation must be submitted each application cycle.

International Applicants

I attended a university outside of the US. Do I need to submit a WES evaluation?: Please see the following website for information about when a WES evaluation is required. Of note, a WES evaluation is not required when a person has attended an English-speaking institution in Canada. Applicants who are required to submit a WES evaluation should begin this process as early as possible, as it can take a significant amount of time for the WES evaluation process to be completed. If the WES evaluation is not completed by the application deadline, the application will not be reviewed.
International Applicants

Interview Process

How does the interview process work?: Applicants will be notified by the Genetic Counseling Program about an offer for an interview. In general, notifications of interviews take place on a rolling basis from late January through early March, and interviews take place from the end of February through April.

Financial Information

Does the program offer any graduate teaching assistantships or research assistantships for students?: The Graduate School of Public Health does not offer traditional teaching or research assistantships that would include a stipend and tuition remission to any master's level students (these are reserved for our doctoral level students). However, many students are able to secure hourly work positions where they can work up to 20 hours a week with a faculty member or clinical team for an hourly wage. The program is often notified of these positions, and passes the information on to students. Many positions are also posted on Pitt Source. Students are often able to use their hourly work positions to develop and carry out their thesis projects.
What is the NMS program track for the Pitt Genetic Counseling Program that includes a scholarship?: Each year the Pitt Genetic Counseling Program has 1 to 2 scholarships to offer applicants to the genetic counseling program at the time of admission. These are the C.C. and Clara Li Endowed Scholarships, which you can read more about. The scholarships have typically been between $1400-$1500, but can vary each year. There is nothing additional that applicants need to do to apply for the scholarships. Applicants interested in receiving the scholarship should rank the Pitt scholarship track and the regular Pitt track (if you would attend Pitt regardless of receiving the scholarship).

General Admission Questions

Can I apply after the admissions deadline?: Given the structure of the admissions process for programs that are members of the Association of Genetic Counseling Program Directors, we cannot accept applications after the admissions deadline. At times, there are applicants who are missing a specific piece of their application. Applicants will be contacted by the Student Affairs Office regarding their incomplete application and should work with the Student Affairs Office to complete their application as soon as possible.
Can the Genetic Counseling Program be completed part time?: Students in the Pitt Genetic Counseling Program complete the majority of their coursework during the first year and focus on clinical rotations in the second year. While it is possible to complete the coursework on a part time basis, students must be able to devote a full time schedule to their clinical rotations once they are started due to scheduling and clinic availability.

Student Life

Do genetic counseling students take classes with students in other programs?: There are classes specific to the genetic counseling students, and there are classes that are comprised of genetic counseling students and other graduate students from the Department of Human Genetics, the Graduate School of Public Health, and others. We have found this to be a particularly successful approach as some content is delivered most effectively when the class is made up of only the genetic counseling students. However, we feel it would be limiting to have all the classes solely comprised of the genetic counseling students since we want the students to be a part of the broader Pitt community. Moreover, genetic counselors often work in multidisciplinary settings, and we want the students to start learning from other disciplines while in training.
Are students assigned advisers and/or mentors?: Yes, students are assigned mentors at the beginning of the program. Students will also identify a research mentor for their thesis projects. We have found that providing students with several mentors allows them to develop a strong mentoring/support network in training.