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General Genetics

Types of Degrees General Genetics Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing General Genetics have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Bachelor’s Degree	474
Master’s Degree	88
Doctor’s Degree	168

What General Genetics Majors Need to Know

Programs in General Genetics build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that General Genetics graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in General Genetics emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Biology — Importance 4.8 / 5; level 5.8 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Medicine and Dentistry — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a General Genetics program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Complex Problem Solving — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to General Genetics careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, General Genetics graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.7 / 7
Getting Information	4.6 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.6 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.4 / 7
Working with Computers	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.2 / 7
Processing Information	4.1 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.1 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by General Genetics professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Database software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Ftree	Analytical or scientific software	—
Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool	Medical software	—
CyrillicSoftware Cyrillic	Medical software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for General Genetics graduates include:

• Chromosomal Disorders Counselor
• Prenatal and Pediatric Genetic Counselor
• Genetic Coordinator
• Reproductive Genetic Counseling Coordinator
• Mitochondrial Disorders Counselor
• Medical Science Liaison
• Certified Genetic Counselor
• Cancer Program Consultant
• Prenatal Genetic Counselor
• Genetic Counselor
• Genetic Counseling Medical Specialist
• Genetics Counselor
• Pediatric Genetic Counselor
• Cancer Genetic Counselor
• Clinical Reviewer

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to General Genetics graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	81.7%
Post-doctoral training	6.6%
Doctoral degree	5.3%
Bachelor’s degree	5.0%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	0.9%
Post-master’s certificate	0.2%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	0.1%
High school diploma or equivalent	0.1%
Some college courses	0.1%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in General Genetics?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 67.7% of General Genetics degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	494	67.7%
Men	236	32.3%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of General Genetics graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	416	57.0%
Asian	70	9.6%
Hispanic or Latino	74	10.1%
Black or African American	30	4.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native	2	0.3%
Two or More Races	17	2.3%
Race Unknown	20	2.7%
International Students	101	13.8%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do General Genetics Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of General Genetics graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$43,852
4 years	$57,533
5 years	$73,410

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $73,410 — roughly 67% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Is a Degree in General Genetics Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, General Genetics graduates earn a median of $57,533 four years after completion — roughly 51% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Genetics	26.08
Animal Genetics	26.0804
Genetics, Other	26.0899
Genome Sciences/Genomics	26.0807
Human/Medical Genetics	26.0806
Microbial and Eukaryotic Genetics	26.0803
Molecular Genetics	26.0802
Plant Genetics	26.0805
Aquatic Biology/Limnology	26.1304
Biology/Biological Sciences, General	26.0101
Cell/Cellular and Molecular Biology	26.0406
Computational Biology	26.1104

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.