Studies & Degrees in Genetics
Genetics Study Programs
Genetics is the branch of biology that studies inheritance: how genes, variation in DNA and the environment together shape the traits of living things. Genes are the units of heredity and carry the instructions for making proteins, which direct the activity of cells. The related field of genomics studies all of an organism's genes at once, the genome, and how they interact with each other and with the environment.
Students learn how traits pass from one generation to the next, how DNA is copied, read and regulated, how mutations arise and how populations evolve. They also learn laboratory and computing skills: extracting and sequencing DNA, working with model organisms and analysing large data sets with statistics and bioinformatics. The same principles apply to human disease, to plant and animal breeding and to conservation.
Qualifications and levels
- Bachelor's degrees. In the United Kingdom, a BSc in Genetics normally takes three years. At the University of York, for example, the BSc in Genetics lasts three years full-time, with the option of an additional year in industry or abroad, and the first year consists of core bioscience modules. In the United States, genetics is a major within a four-year bachelor's degree. At the University of Wisconsin-Madison, students of the Genetics and Genomics major take a two-semester general genetics sequence and then specialised courses such as human genetics, epigenetics, cancer genetics and population genetics, after prerequisite courses in biology, chemistry, physics, calculus and statistics.
- Spain. Bachelor's degrees (grados) have 240 ECTS credits, which is four years, and genetics is most often studied within degrees such as biology, biochemistry, biotechnology or biomedical sciences. Specialisation usually comes at master's level: official master's degrees have 60, 90 or 120 ECTS credits. One example is the Máster Universitario en Genética y Biología Celular, a one-year, 60-credit programme taught in Spanish and run jointly by the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, the Universidad Complutense de Madrid and the Universidad de Alcalá. In October 2026 the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid lists an approximate price of €2,736 for a first enrolment, and €5,079 for non-EU students who are not resident in Spain.
- Doctorate. Research careers normally require a PhD. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, medical scientists typically need a PhD or a medical degree.
- Clinical routes. Genetic counsellors in the United States typically need a master's degree in genetic counselling. In England, genomic counsellors complete the NHS Scientist Training Programme. Doctors who specialise in clinical genetics in the United Kingdom complete medical school, a two-year foundation programme and specialty training of at least six years.
Where to study it
The directory lists 51 schools for this subject. The United States has the most (19), followed by the United Kingdom (8), Spain (7), Australia (3) and India (3), with further schools in Denmark, Ireland, Mexico, Finland, China, Ukraine and Peru, among other countries. Almost all are universities. Examples include the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Yale University and Stanford University in the United States, the University of York and The University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom, University College Cork in Ireland, and the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, the Universidad de Alcalá, the Universidad de Almería and the Universidad de Extremadura in Spain.
Teaching is in English in the United States, the United Kingdom, Ireland and Australia, and mainly in Spanish at Spanish and Latin American universities. Programmes differ in emphasis: some sit in a medical school and focus on human genetics, others belong to biology or agriculture faculties and give more room to plants, animals and evolution. Check the course list and how much laboratory or research work is included.
Careers
Genetics graduates work in university and hospital research, diagnostic laboratories, the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, plant and animal breeding, and science teaching and communication. The University of Wisconsin-Madison describes its programme as a foundation for careers in research, medicine, education, agriculture, biotechnology and science policy. Many graduates continue to a master's degree, a PhD or a health professional degree.
Official figures exist for two related occupations in the United States. The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment of genetic counsellors to grow 10 percent from 2025 to 2035, from a small base of 4,200 jobs in 2025, and employment of medical scientists to grow 13 percent over the same period. In England, NHS Health Careers counts 147 clinical geneticists working in the NHS.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between genetics and genomics?
Genetics studies genes and how traits are inherited. Genomics studies the whole set of an organism's genes, the genome, and how the genes interact with each other and with the environment.
How long does a genetics degree take?
A BSc in Genetics in the United Kingdom usually takes three years; a bachelor's degree with a genetics major in the United States takes four. In Spain a bachelor's degree has 240 ECTS credits (four years), and a specialised master's degree adds one or two years.
Do I need a medical degree to work in genetics?
Only to become a clinical geneticist, who is a doctor. Researchers, laboratory scientists and genetic counsellors follow science degrees and postgraduate training instead.
Which school subjects do I need?
Universities normally ask for biology and another science. Chemistry, mathematics and statistics are useful because the degree includes them; check each university's entry requirements.