Overview
Clinical genetics technology trains you to investigate genetic diseases like Down syndrome and cancer. Working in hospitals and private clinics, clinical genetics technologists use sophisticated equipment and techniques to solve complex genetic problems.
About the program
BCIT’s Clinical Genetics Technology program is one of two programs of its kind in Canada, and the only one in Western Canada. Our program is taught with the small class sizes and high quality instructors for which BCIT is known.
- A 13-month, full-time advanced Diploma program
- Lectures and labs give practical experience to advance your existing BSc knowledge
- A seven-month clinical experience in clinical sites, working with the latest cytogenetic, FISH, and molecular technologies
Want the hands-on learning you need to start your career? See Program Details for more information.
Watch the Clinical Genetics program video.
Who it’s for
This program is for students who:
- Enjoy working independently and in teams
- Are interested in honing their troubleshooting and problem-solving skills
- Have a BSc with a life sciences focus (with high marks in courses in genetics, biochemistry, and molecular genetics)
Does this sound like the right program for you? Visit Entrance Requirements to learn how to apply.
What grads can do
Our grads are in demand. Students are provided the opportunity to acquire all the skills and behaviours required in the Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory Science (CSMLS) national competency profile for Clinical Genetics. Graduates leave the program fully prepared to write the CSMLS (CG) national certification exam that qualifies them to work. See Graduating and Jobs to learn what a future looks like in clinical genetics technology.
Entrance Requirements
Note: In alignment with public health orders, this program requires that students be vaccinated for a number of communicable diseases – including COVID-19.
Application processing
Applications are accepted from October 1st* to April 3rd.*
We recommend that you apply early. All supporting documents must be submitted by the application deadline.
*or next business day
Entrance requirements
Admission to this program is highly competitive. In 2022, BCIT admitted 1 in 5 applicants. Successful applicants exceeded entrance requirements. They also demonstrated a clear understanding of the profession and had related work experience.
Competitive Entry: Three-step process
Preference will be given to applicants with:
- Academic grades above the minimum
- Requirements completed within the last five years
- Related experience
- Additional post-secondary academic courses
Applicants with preferred entrance requirements are to submit transcripts and supporting documentation with their online application.
Step 1: Meet the following entrance requirements
- English language proficiency: Category 1 – English Studies 12 (73%) or equivalent
- Post-secondary: a Bachelor of Science with third and fourth year course concentrations in subjects such as:
- cell biology
- biochemistry
- molecular biology
- molecular genetics
- genetics
- cytogenetics
- human genetics
- Three letters of reference: preferably employer or academic letters. Referees are to email Admissions directly at admissions@bcit.ca and include the applicant's BCIT ID number and program name in the subject line.
- Complete the following assessment:
- Casper (Computer-Based Assessment for Sampling Personal Characteristics): Casper will send the results directly to BCIT Clinical Genetics Technology once you request that your score be distributed to the program.
Note: Please register to complete the Casper assessment as soon as possible. Registration numbers and dates are limited. - Complete the following forms for submission with your online application:
- Acknowledgement of Program Requirements [PDF]: To acknowledge the nature of this training and the physically demanding nature of this work.
- Mandatory Applicant Questionnaire [PDF]: This form will be used with other entrance requirements in the competitive selection for the program.
- Casper Confirmation Form [PDF]
Read more about how to meet BCIT’s entrance requirements
Applicants currently enrolled in the last term of their degree/diploma must be on track to complete by May. To apply, submit both of the following documents from your post-secondary institution:
- Transcript of completed courses
- Confirmation of enrolment letter verifying your current course enrolment and registration in the final term of your degree/diploma
Applicants who have completed post-secondary studies outside of Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia or New Zealand will require a comprehensive evaluation of their credentials by the International Credential Evaluation Service (ICES). Credential evaluation reports from other Canadian services may be considered. These reports must include course-by-course evaluations and GPA calculations.
Note: Due to the limited number of seats and the large number of applicants, the program accepts only the most suitable applicants. The process is competitive. First priority will be given to Canadian citizens or landed immigrants that are BC residents (minimum residency 12 months). If space in the program still remains after all applications from qualified BC residents have been considered, second priority will be given to Canadian citizens or landed immigrants from outside BC. Second priority candidates, please contact Program Head Farzad Kassam for additional information if you are interested in applying to this program.
Step 2: Department assessment
All applications will be reviewed by the program area at the application deadline. Program applicant files are assessed and scored based on completion, academic strength of listed entrance requirements, scoring of the mandatory questionnaire, and Casper test results.
Step 3: Conditionally selected applicants
If you have been conditionally accepted to BCIT you will be notified and the following information will be required in order to be accepted into the program:
Immunization Review [PDF]
Submit to Student Health Services. Immunization is a mandatory requirement for this program. For instructions and more information, visit Student Health Services’ Health Science Student Information.
Once these and any other outstanding conditions have been met, you will receive notification of your full acceptance.
Clinical requirements
Effective immediately, all health care workers who come into contact with patients at publicly-funded health care facilities or in the community, including at long-term-care facilities, will have to get the influenza vaccine or wear a mask during flu season. This policy affects all students who will be entering a clinical setting.
As such, you will be required to provide proof of your immunization or agree to wear a mask at all times through the flu season prior to being placed in your clinical studies.
International applicants
This program is not available to international students. View available programs.
Apply to program
To submit your application:
- Include proof of meeting all entrance requirements.
- Convert all transcripts and supporting documents to PDF files.
- Have a credit card ready to pay the application fee.
Apply Now
myCommunication
Within two business days of submitting your completed application, BCIT will send a message to your personal and myBCIT email addresses. All correspondence regarding your application will be posted to your online myCommunication account at my.bcit.ca. We will send you an email when a new message is posted. It is important to watch for these emails or regularly check your account online.
You can expect to receive communication concerning the status of your application within four weeks.
Costs & Supplies
Tuition fees
Use our tuition estimator to find tuition and fees for this program.
For more information on full-time tuition fees, visit Full-Time Studies Tuition & Fees.
Books & supplies
$1,160
(general estimated cost, subject to change)
Financial assistance
Financial assistance may be available for this program. For more information, please contact Student Financial Aid and Awards.
Courses
Program matrix
| Didactic Term Level 5 (15 weeks, including exam week) |
Credits | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| BHSC 6201 | Professional Practice and Communication | 1.5 | |
| CLGT 5501 | Cytogenetics Technology 1 | 5.0 | |
| CLGT 5502 | Chromosome Analysis 1 | 3.0 | |
| CLGT 5503 | Seminar Topics 1 | 1.0 | |
| CLGT 5504 | Computer Assisted Analysis and Image Reproduction 1 | 1.5 | |
| CLGT 5505 | Fluorescence in Situ Hybridization (FISH) Technology 1 | 3.0 | |
| CLGT 5506 | Molecular Technology 1 | 10.5 | |
| CLGT 5507 | Chromosome Microarray Technology 1 | 3.0 | |
| Level 6A (10 weeks, including exam week) | Credits | ||
| CLGT 6601 | Cytogenetics Technology 2 | 3.0 | |
| CLGT 6602 | Chromosome Analysis 2 | 2.0 | |
| CLGT 6603 | Seminar Topics 2 | 1.0 | |
| CLGT 6604 | Computer Assisted Analysis and Image Reproduction 2 | 1.0 | |
| CLGT 6605 | Fluorescence in Situ Hybridization (FISH) Technology 2 | 2.0 | |
| CLGT 6606 | Molecular Technology 2 | 7.0 | |
| CLGT 6609 | Chromosome Microarray Technology 2 | 2.0 | |
| Practicum Term Level 6B (30 weeks) |
Credits | ||
| CLGT 6607 | Practicum in Cytogenetics: Chromosomes, FISH and Microarray | 25.0 | |
| CLGT 6608 | Practicum in Molecular Genetics | 17.0 | |
| The practicum spans 30 weeks and is divided between cytogenetics/FISH technology and molecular technology. It exposes students to the clinical applications of cytogenetics, FISH and molecular technology, and to the pace and environment of a working genetics laboratory, while allowing for the enhancement of personal and technical skills. The practicum period requires a time commitment Monday to Friday, eight to nine hours per day. | |||
| Total Credits: | 88.5 | ||
Transfer credit
Do you have credits from another BC/Yukon post-secondary school? Do you want to know if they transfer to courses here at BCIT? Check out BCIT's Transfer Equivalency Database to find out.
Program Details
Clinical genetics technology involves the detailed analysis of the human genome by several distinct but similar technologies: chromosome analysis of banded metaphase chromosomes; fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) on interphase/metaphase chromosomes; and molecular diagnostic techniques involving DNA itself. The newest technology is called chromosome microarray, for high-resolution analysis of deletion, duplication, and single nucleotide exchanges, and uses sophisticated software and an advanced scanner. All four technologies can be used on a wide variety of human tissues.
Chromosomes are the packaged form of the human genome and are visible under the microscope. Modern clinical cytogenetics was established in the early 1970s with the use of banding techniques that allowed for the identification of individual chromosomes. Any change in the structure or number of chromosomes present may have a deleterious effect on the individual. FISH techniques allow for a more rapid examination of suspected chromosome abnormalities in living, fixed, and frozen specimens.
More recently, diagnostic molecular technology has given physicians and scientists additional tools to look further into the human genome to detect genetic diseases. Diagnosis of single-gene defects associated with diseases such as cystic fibrosis, Duchenne muscular dystrophy and the fragile X syndrome is now routine. The diagnosis and treatment of various cancers and leukemias also use chromosome analysis, FISH, molecular technology, and microarrays to determine the status of abnormal clones after treatment.
The program
The training program spans 13.5 months, and consists of three terms. The first two terms are didactic (instructional), 15 and 10 weeks in length respectively, and involve lectures and laboratory study at BCIT. The third term is a 30-week practicum spent at one or more of the practical sites affiliated with BCIT. The time spent in the practicum is divided into cytogenetics, FISH and molecular technologies. After successful completion of each of the three terms, graduates are eligible to write the Certification Examination of the Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory Science (CSMLS), which leads to the qualification of Registered Technologist (RT) in Clinical Genetics, the nationally recognized qualification for employment in the field.
Clinical site partners:
- Provincial Health Services Authority:
- BC Cancer Agency – Vancouver
- Vancouver BC Children’s and Women’s Hospital – Vancouver
- Vancouver Coastal Health Authority:
- Vancouver General Hospital
- Fraser Health Authority:
- Royal Columbian Hospital – New Westminster
- Alberta Precision Laboratories (APL), Genetics & Genomics – North (Edmonton)
- Alberta Precision Laboratories (APL), Genetics & Genomics – South (Calgary)
- Winnipeg Regional Health Authority:
- Diagnostic Services of Manitoba
- Lifelabs BC, Surrey
- Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario – Ottawa
Note: Due to space limitations, some of the practicum assignments are outside the Lower Mainland. These assignments will be made at random and must be accepted by the applicant to be admitted into the program. Student input is sought for placement to the remaining partner sites as listed above, but final selection is made by the program (end of Term 1).
Accreditation
This program is accredited by the Health Standards Organization (HSO) and its affiliate accreditation (AC) through their new EQUAL Canada program.
Program delivery
In person: This program is delivered on campus.
Program location
Burnaby Campus
3700 Willingdon Avenue
Burnaby, BC
Graduating & Jobs
Our graduates get work
Our Clinical Genetics Technology program students can complete the Certification Examination of the Canadian Society for Medical Laboratory Science (CSMLS) as soon as they graduate. Once complete, they are then qualified as registered technologists in clinical genetics.
Our grads get hired; most are employed within the first two months of graduating.
Career opportunities
Our grads can work as Medical Laboratory Technologists in clinical genetics in major hospitals, private clinics, and research labs across Canada. Salaries start at approximately $64,000 annually (up to $80,000 in six years).
Graduate employment outcomes
The BCIT student outcomes report presents summary findings from the annual survey of former students administered by BC Stats one to two years after graduation. These reports combine the last three years of available results for the 2021-2023 BCIT Outcomes Surveys of 2020-2022 graduates and for Degree 2019-2021 graduates. The reports are organized into three-page summaries containing information on graduates’ labour market experiences and opinions regarding their education. More detailed information can be accessed at the BC Student Outcomes website.
To view these results, you may need to have the Adobe Acrobat Reader installed in your Web browser.
Faculty, Advisors & Staff
Farzad Kassam, BSc, MLT
Program Head
Email: Farzad_Kassam@bcit.ca
Irene Dorocicz, PhD., MB(ASCP)cm
Instructor
Email: Irene_Dorocicz@bcit.ca
Brenda Lomax, BSc, MLT
Instructor
Email: Brenda_Lomax@bcit.ca
Phillip Son, BSc, MLT
Instructor
Email: pson@my.bcit.ca
Kathy White
Program Assistant
Email: Kathy_White@bcit.ca
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