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public health genetics

What public health genetics Majors Need to Know

Programs in public health genetics emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that public health genetics graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing public health genetics emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Biology — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• Medicine and Dentistry — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Therapy and Counseling — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills developed in a public health 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 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Complex Problem Solving — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to public health genetics careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, public health 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	4.5 / 7
Working with Computers	4.3 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.3 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.1 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.1 / 7
Assisting and Caring for Others	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by public health genetics professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
FileMaker Pro	Data base user interface and query software	—
Database software	Data base user interface and query software	—
PedHunter	Medical software	—
Benetech PRA	Medical software	—
Word processing software	Word processing software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for public health genetics graduates include:

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

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	76.1%
Bachelor’s degree	7.3%
Doctoral degree	6.7%
Post-doctoral training	5.4%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	2.2%
Postsecondary certificate	1.4%
First professional degree	0.3%
High school diploma or equivalent	0.3%
Some college courses	0.3%

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

How Much Do public health genetics Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of public health genetics graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$50,939
4 years	$60,432
5 years	$70,561

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $70,561 — roughly 39% above the 1-year mark.

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

Is a Degree in public health genetics Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, public health genetics graduates earn a median of $60,432 four years after completion — roughly 59% 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
Public Health	51.22
Behavioral Aspects of Health	51.2212
Community Health and Preventive Medicine	51.2208
Environmental Health	51.2202
Health Services Administration	51.2211
Health/Medical Physics	51.2205
International Public Health/International Health	51.2210
Maternal and Child Health	51.2209
Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene	51.2206
Patient Safety and Healthcare Quality	51.2213
Public Health Education and Promotion	51.2207
Public Health, General	51.2201

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.