Undergraduate Summer Internships for Aspiring Genetic Counselors

The Genetic Counseling Summer Internship Program at the University of Pennsylvania is designed for undergraduate students who are interested in careers in genetic counseling. 

It is coordinated with the summer internships at the four other MSGC programs participating in the Alliance to Increase Diversity in Genetic Counseling (AID-GC): Boston University, Sarah Lawrence College, Rutgers University and the University of Maryland.

Summer 2024 Internships

• Full-time, paid summer internships (40 hours per week @ $17/hour for six weeks = $4,080)
• From Monday, June 10 through Friday, July 19
• Shadowing with genetic counselors at Penn Medicine and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
• Exposure to a broad range of clinical genetics specialties
• Seminars, conferences, and case conferences
• Research and laboratory work
• One-on-one interactions with genetic counselors and current students
• Networking opportunities with genetic counseling interns at the five AID-GC schools

2024 Summer Internship Timeline

For more on the 2024 Genetic Counseling Summer Internships, click here.

Applicant Qualifications

Applicants must:

• Be undergraduate students (rising juniors and seniors)
• Have a keen interest in health professions and genetics.
• Have a GPA of at least 3.0 and have completed some college-level coursework in biology, chemistry and genetics.
• Be able to successfully complete criminal background checks and provide the immunization records (including for COVID-19) that will be required for clearance by the clinical sites.
• Have access to housing in Philadelphia for the in-person components of the internship.

Internship Application

Four parts are required:

1.  An online application form 

You can view the application at any time, but you will need to have all three attachments ready to upload when you complete and submit the form.  Throughout the application there are boxes to drop/upload your attachments.

2.  Response prompt  

Please explain your interest in a career in genetic counseling.  How would participation in this internship be impactful to you?  (500 word maximum)  

3.  A current résumé or CV

4.  An unofficial transcript from your college or university

The Undergraduate Summer Internships are a project of the Alliance to Increase Diversity in Genetic Counseling which is funded by a grant from the Warren Alpert Foundation.