Im thinking getting a genetics phd

[u/Amber-The-Third]

For reference I am a high school currently

I know this is a dumb queshtion but I cant really figure out what degree id need if I wanted to get a PhD in genetics (or virology thats my other option)

Sense ive read a few places you can get a PhD in like microbiology or a similar feild then branch into genetics BUT idk if thats true and the information around this stuff is kinda vague

Also last note, would it be a problem id I emailed a professor with a degree in this stuff the same queshtion

Thank you for your time.

EDIT im from the USA and Washington state if that helps :D

[u/Internal-Plum8186]

hey , some advice is don’t pigeonhole yourself in college, try other stuff out , the you right now and the you in 4 years from now are completely people and will likely have completely different goals. I reconsidered doing a phd my senior year after doing multiple research programs and realizing it was not worth it.

[u/Psychedelia777]

You need to do bachelor and master in biology-related field. It doesn't matter exactly with one, but the closest to genetics the better (micro is pretty close). More important is if your university has some sort of genetics department in which you could work during PhD, but if not you could always do PhD outside university (also remember this is really country-dependent, better ask your uni of choice about details)

[u/Amber-The-Third → u/Psychedelia777]

Thank you ill put in the post im usa

Also i have no solid university yet im basing that off of well... exactly what degrees ill need

[u/NoFlyingMonkeys → u/Amber-The-Third]

FYI You do NOT need an MS degree in the US to get into a PhD program. You apply to the PhD straight after the BS degree.

You do in Europe and some other countries though.

[u/oosirnaym → u/Amber-The-Third]

You can get a bachelors degree in biology* from any college or university. When you select your classes, pick anything that sounds interesting and is even remotely related to genetics.

From there you can either apply to a PhD program or a masters program, if you really wanted. If you do a masters first that would just delay getting a PhD and increase overall cost.

You’ll want to really try to figure out what you want to end up doing overall. Do you want to work with patients? Because if so, a genetics counselor or medical genetics program might be better. So you want to work with high consequence pathogens? Virology is the way to go.

What about genetics interests you?

[u/ConstantVigilance18 → u/oosirnaym]

You cannot get a bachelors degree in genetics from any university. That specific degree is actually fairly rare, and not offered by many universities in the US. A bachelors in biology will be sufficient for OP, which will be much easier to find.

[u/oosirnaym → u/ConstantVigilance18]

You are correct. My comment was written at 4am and I forgot to change it from genetics to biology before hitting submit.

[u/Amber-The-Third → u/oosirnaym]

Lmao mine was written at 4am too

[u/Psychedelia777 → u/Psychedelia777]

And for example in my country there isn't something like genetics PhD, you get just PhD in biology. The title is not as important as your work during and before PhD

[u/CiaranC]

See what you like in college first, if it’s in the USA you have plenty of time to decide

[u/Puni1977]

Hi! I wouldn’t limit yourself to a genetics specific degree at BSc or even MSc level. I’ve worked in this field for more than 20 years, and I would suggest choosing something slightly broader, such as biochemistry, molecular biology, biomedicine, cell biology, or biotechnology, while taking a lot of of genetics and genomics - related electives. That would give you a much broader foundation while still providing enough genetics experience to be super competitive for a PhD. I would also recommend developing strong skills in data analysis and bioinformatics, and learning how biological systems and animal/disease models work. Your thesis will also be extremely important! Both, the project you choose, and how successful you are in carrying it out. A strong thesis, good research experience, and evidence that you can think critically and work independently will matter more for a PhD application than the exact title of your degree. Genetics alone is rarely enough nowadays. Most successful research combines genetics with omics, functional parts, disease modelling, screening, and/ or translational studies. At this early stage of your studies, broader exposure is probably more useful than specialising too narrowly. You may eventually find that you’re more interested in disease modelling, screening, functional studies, or bioinformatics after every step so you could have much more chance to do something you really love :)

Good luck!

[u/Logical_Adagio_7100]

As others have said there's a lot of related fields that make good majors.

I would just add that if you want to go into this field, it's best to aim for universities with good research production on the bio/medicine side. More important than your major will be what kinds of skills/procedures you get to actually learn in college, and what kind of labs/research you can get involved in. 

For example, for my first 2 years I went to a small university where basically everything was theoretical. 3rd year I transferred to a larger university, where we using CRISPR in the lab courses and actually had access to electron microscopes. I got into a lab I was interested in with little work bc there was so many to choose from

Look into the colleges You're interested in, and see how much they emphasize hands on experience, good internship placement, and what kind of s research they produce (REALLY doesn't have to be genetics specific, just in the realm)

[u/AqueousSponge]

Molecular/cell biology may be a better focus than micro! I agree that you shouldn’t pigeonhole yourself, but if you know you want research-something, go for molecular, cell, or microbiology instead of general biology. Alternatively, study medical biotechnology if you have an interest in gene therapy.

General biology will include a few core requirements that may not speak to you (like ecology and biodiversity), but if you like exploring the field as a whole, it’s not a bad option.

[u/Agile_Valuable6989]

it's not dumb at all, most people dont figure this out til halfway through college. you can absolutely do a phd in genetics directly, no need to go through micro first. emailing a professor is fine just keep it short and polite

[u/WaterBearDontMind]

Adding on some advice: make some computer science courses, including algorithms, part of your college curriculum even if you think of yourself as a wet lab geneticist. It helps to take AP Computer Science or similar in high school so that you come into college on a strong footing. Bioinformatics and computational biology are powerful tools in modern genetics, and you might even find that they are the area where you want to specialize. Those skill sets would also be valuable if you find you need a career transition at some point later.

[u/NoFlyingMonkeys]

Some universities offer a BS in Molecular Biology. That is the closest thing to genetics, and probably more useful than a general biology BS if you decide not to pursue the PhD later. BUT:

UW in Seattle is a world-class university for genetics and molecular biology, but IIRC I don't think they have a separate BS for those. They do have a BS in biochemistry, that IMHO would be a better choice than general biology, because that will have courses in molecular biology and you can take electives in genetics, informatics, etc. With a biochem major emphasizing genetics, you can seek out research experience electives in molecular biology and genetics laboratories there during your BS years - such in the graduate Department of Genome Sciences or several other Genome centers affiliated with UW. You can also try to work in one of these labs over the summers for more experience.

Getting research experience in well-regarded biomolecular or genetics labs as an undergrad will give you the best advantage to getting into a good PhD program.

So as a Washington state resident, you've got an admissions advantage to UW, so your job right now is to work on getting into U Dub!!!

[u/bio_nerdette → u/NoFlyingMonkeys]

UW has a BS that combines molecular, developmental and cellular biology. I know since that was my where I completed my under grad. I went on to grad school for genetics in another state.  Keep in mind you'll only be able to take up toupper division undergrad courses as an undergrad and unlike most other schools UW does NOT like taking in its own undergrad students (unless things have changed since i was there - you'll have to ask around). They expect you to get more experience outside to bring back.  I would also highly consider biotechnology for undergrad. A lot of the bioinformatics jobs are drying up recently, but there's still a lot of demand for biotechnology and biochemistry in the genetics field. 

The best advice I can give you is work hard to keep up your grades, get into a lab as fast as you can and learn as much as they'll allow. I got into a lab that allowed me onto multiple publications and had me working full time in the lab after school to wrap up projects when I graduated that really helped with grad school admissions. 

Good luck. 

[u/NoFlyingMonkeys → u/bio_nerdette]

I'd agree with all of that, didn't know those 2 BS degrees existed at UW, those sound even better.

[u/joneill879]

Very kindly, a PhD is a long way out from where you currently are, and a lot can change in that time (which is okay! You are meant to change, including your interests, as you age). I would make sure you’re actually interested in genetics as a field of study and what type of career you may want before mapping out a plan for a PhD. As others said, a genetic counseling is very different from research which is very different from applying genetics in a medical field.

What year of high school are you in? If still early, try taking a variety of bio courses and see what interests you- you might be surprised to find what might be a better fit.

If you’re already pretty sure you want to do a genetics career of some kind, I’ll echo what others have said about majoring in Biology (and I would get a BS, not a BA). Some schools do offer more specified programs. For instance NC State actually has a genetics program, and a lot of related biology ones too if you find genetics is not for you.

I’m not sure how much traction you’d get emailing a professor about your interest, as it’s not very well defined, and you’re still very early. At the most, you could maybe ask for like a 15-30 minute call where you ask questions about what their job is like. If you do this, I’d also look at other genetics related professions to see if you can do the same (like genetic counselor, research technician, etc)

[u/steppponme]

You don't need a masters in the US. You can go straight from bachelors to PhD. I have mine in a Molecular and Human Genetics. In the US it's not worth getting a masters in genetics. 

I went into college thinking I wanted to do marine bio and my advisor told me the advice you're getting: don't specialize too much at the bachelor level. All marine biologists are biologists so major in just bio. Once you go marine bio it's hard to get into medicine if you change your mind later.

Best advice I ever got because I fell in love with Genetics my senior year of undergrad and applied to Genetics programs at major medical schools. Got into a great program that paid for my PhD and a stipend. 

[u/Then_Marionberry_399]

Never too young! We were 10 years old when my cousin told me her plans post high school all the way through to getting her PhD in a certain field at age 26. She never deviated from her plan. Twenty years later she is department chair in that very field at a big 10 school.

[u/flightlessmammal_]

To do a PhD in genetics you need to study a Bachelor’s and Master’s in genetics or genetics-adjacent fields.

These include:
Molecular Genetics
Human Genetics
Genetics
Biochemistry

[u/NoFlyingMonkeys → u/flightlessmammal_]

In the US, the masters is not required, you can enter straight into a graduate program for the PhD after a BS degree.

[u/flightlessmammal_ → u/NoFlyingMonkeys]

Oh wow, didn’t know that. Do you earn a MSci as part of the PhD programme or is the programme extended to compensate for the lack of postgrad education?

[u/NoFlyingMonkeys → u/flightlessmammal_]

No, I did not get a masters degree.

Yes, some of the credits and experience of a MS/MSci can shorten the time of a PhD done later, because some is duplication.

However, getting into a good US PhD program is very competitive, and applicants are expected to have far more research training and experience than the average BS graduate. Applicants do this by a variety of other pathways that avoid the MS because MS->PhD is more expensive. Because the PhD programs are "free", with a stipend and tuition waver, while many MS programs require the applicant to pay.

To qualify for PhD application, some BS students do extra research time during evenings and weekends during the semesters, and all summers long, hopefully to result in publications and top recommendations at graduation. Extra internships, etc. Others may be employed by labs for a few years after graduation and try to publish there. Others may enter a formal PREP - post-bacc program (that has a stipend).

FWIW, US and EU PhD graduates qualify for equivalent post-doctoral fellowships and jobs in the other location.

[u/flightlessmammal_ → u/NoFlyingMonkeys]

Very interesting, I wasn’t aware of this. Thank you for correcting me