Standards for Program

Required Criteria

(Adopted January 25, 1996 and revised periodically)

The Required Criteria are the minimum standards of quality used by the American Board of Genetic Counseling (ABGC) to accredit master´s degree-granting programs that prepare individuals to enter the genetic counseling profession. The extent to which a program complies with these standards determines its accreditation status. The Required Criteria therefore constitute the minimum requirements to which an accredited program is held accountable. The Required Criteria are to be used for external and internal evaluation of existing graduate programs in genetic counseling and should provide guidance for the development of new graduate programs. The glossary at the end of this document defines the terminology used herein.

Download the Required Criteria (Standards) for Program

The Board of Directors revised the Required Criteria at its March 2010 Board meeting.  A summary of these revisions is enclosed in this memo

Please note: All new programs applying for Provisional Accreditation status must have an Advisory Board in place at the time of application effective April 1, 2010.

Practice Based Competencies

The Practice Based Competencies are a foundation for the curriculum included in the Required Criteria. The Practice Based Competencies were originally developed by a selected and varied group of experts from key stakeholders and are periodically reviewed.

Practice Based Competencies (PDF)

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