Courses

The listing of a course description here does not guarantee a course’s being offered in a particular semester. Please refer to the published schedule of classes on the MyBU Student Portal for confirmation a class is actually being taught and for specific course meeting dates and times.

  • GMS GC 605: Clinical Applications in Human Genetics
    This course will introduce students to the basic concepts and principles of human genetics and their clinical applications. Topics include the chromosomal, molecular, and biochemical basis of disease, prenatal diagnosis, genetic counseling, bioinformatics, and congenital anomalies. 4 cr, Fall sem.
  • GMS GC 606: GC Seminar 1
    The objectives of this Seminar series include teaching students how to critique the medical and social science literature, orienting students to the complexities involved with case presentations, and enabling students to reflect and think critically about their clinical experiences. Also included are case conference presentations from BU faculty, alums, or other area genetic counselors or professionals on interesting, challenging, or unique genetic counseling related cases or topics, 2 cr each, Fall & Spring sem.
  • GMS GC 607: GC Seminar 2
    The objectives of this Seminar series include teaching students how to critique the medical and social science literature, orienting students to the complexities involved with case presentations, and enabling students to reflect and think critically about their clinical experiences. Also included are case conference presentations from BU faculty, alums, or other area genetic counselors or professionals on interesting, challenging, or unique genetic counseling related cases or topics, 2 cr each, Fall & Spring sem.
  • GMS GC 700: Genetic Counseling Fieldwork I
    The clinical and non-clinical fieldwork will provide student interaction with a wide array of genetic specialists. Direct patient contact in prenatal, pediatric, adult, cancer, and specialty genetics clinics will allow students to acquire cases for ABGC certification. 2 cr each, Summer, Fall & Spring sem.
  • GMS GC 702: Genetic Counseling Fieldwork II
    The clinical and non-clinical fieldwork will provide student interaction with a wide array of genetic specialists. Direct patient contact in prenatal, pediatric, adult, cancer, and specialty genetics clinics will allow students to acquire cases for ABGC certification. 2 cr each, Summer, Fall & Spring sem.
  • GMS GC 703: Genetic Counseling Fieldwork III
    The clinical and non-clinical fieldwork will provide student interaction with a wide array of genetic specialists. Direct patient contact in prenatal, pediatric, adult, cancer, and specialty genetics clinics will allow students to acquire cases for ABGC certification. 2 cr each, Summer, Fall & Spring sem.
  • GMS GC 704: Genetic Counseling Fieldwork IV
    The clinical and non-clinical fieldwork will provide student interaction with a wide array of genetic specialists. Direct patient contact in prenatal, pediatric, adult, cancer, and specialty genetics clinics will allow students to acquire cases for ABGC certification. 2 cr each, Summer, Fall & Spring sem.
  • GMS GC 711: Advanced Genetic Counseling
    This two-semester course will cover advanced topics in genetic counseling, including research project design and implementation, personal growth, and professional development. It will build upon the students' previous course work and clinical training to enhance their growing skill set as genetic counselors. 4 cr, Fall & Spring sem.
  • GMS GC 712: Metabolic Genetics/Advanced Risk Assessment
    Section A covers screening, prevention, diagnosis, recurrence risk, treatment and prognosis for biochemical genetic disorders. Section B emphasizes mathematical techniques necessary for accurate genetic counseling, including empiric risk, probability, linkage, mapping and Bayesian analysis. 3 cr, Fall sem.
  • GMS GC 714: Advanced Topics in Medical Genetics
    This course will build from the basic genetic concepts covered in GMS GC 605. Some of the topics addressed include autism spectrum disorders, direct to consumer testing, , complex genetic mechanisms, chronic conditions, screening programs, pharmacogenetics, and emerging genetics specialties. 3 cr, Spring sem.
  • GMS GC 716: Social, Cultural, and Ethical Issues in Genetics
    This course will address the social, cultural, and ethical issues encountered in genetics and genetic counseling. We will review the basic principles of biomedical ethics and discuss different scenarios that a genetic counselor may encounter, as well as legal cases that have impacted the field of genetic counseling and the ethics of emerging genetic technologies and practices including direct-to-consumer testing and gene therapy. Social and cultural issues in genetic counseling will be explored through case studies, addressing gender, race, religion, social class, disability, and sexual orientation. 3 cr, Spring sem.
  • GMS GE 701: Principles of Genetics and Genomics
    Graduate Prerequisites: consent of instructor
    This course will serve as a foundation for understanding the heritable basis of numerous biological traits, the relationships among genes, and the regulation of their expression. Focus on the ability to use genetic systems to probe these problems, and therefore will heavily explore the experimental aspects of these investigations. Includes discussion of the impact of the genome sequences' availability on the practice of modern science. Use of case study approach to investigate the rich variety of scientific insights gained through genetic studies of aging, addiction, obesity, and others. 4 cr, Fall sem.
  • GMS GE 703: Genetics and Genomics Colloquium I
    Graduate Prerequisites: consent of instructor
    The Genetics and Genomics Colloquium will be a highly participatory journal club where the students will be asked to give presentations on cutting edge research with the focus on communication skills rather than scientific content. This approach will allow students to become more comfortable with public speaking while developing the skills necessary for effective communication of scientific ideas. 2 cr, Fall sem.
  • GMS GE 704: Genetics Col 2
    Graduate Prerequisites: consent of instructor
    This course description is currently under construction.
  • GMS GE 706: Deconstructing Systemic Bias: Where Biology Ends and Bias Begins
    This course will help students explore the relationship between race, ethnicity, ancestry, sex, gender, ability status, and identity. Students will also gain understanding of the fundamentals of human population variation at the genetic level and will demonstrate how this information has been misused in the form of "scientific racism." These principles will be used to examine the impact of underrepresentation in scientific studies and cases in which scientific racism and bias have caused harm to marginalized groups. To integrate this knowledge, students will debunk misapplication of these concepts in examples of racism and other forms of bias where biological principles are misrepresented. 2 cr, Spring sem.
  • GMS GE 901: Research in Genetics and Genomics
    Var cr, Fall & Spring sem.
  • GMS HS 701: Health Prof ED1
    This course description is currently under construction.
  • GMS HS 702: Health Prof ED2
    This course description is currently under construction.
  • GMS HS 704: Lrn & Tch Modal
    This course description is currently under construction.
  • GMS HS 706: Introduction to Research Methods in Health Professions Education
    Introduction to Research Methods in Health Professions Education (HS 706) is designed to introduce health professions education (HSE) students to the fundamentals of research design for education. The goal of the course is to familiarize HSE students with the process of identifying research problems, forming research questions, reviewing, critiquing, and summarizing research as a tool for better understanding and influencing HSE practice and policy. We will explore the fundamentals of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods research, how to interpret and present data, how to adhere to ethical principles that guide educational research, and how to develop a small-scale research proposal of your own. In short, this course is about learning to become a good consumer and producer of educational research. Course instructor approval needed. Sum2 semester.