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About Genetics, BA (Hons) - at Trinity College Dublin

What is genetics?

Genetics is the science of heredity. It is central to biology, and is increasingly important in modern medicine. Reflecting this, the genetics course covers a wide field and all major groups of organisms.

What will you study?

Courses cover the molecular genetics of bacteria and viruses, man, and other animals and plants.

• Developmental genetics: investigates how different genes in different cells control growth in an organism.


• Population genetics: deals with genetic variation in population and the role of this variation in evolution.


• Quantitative genetics: the study of characteristics that vary continuously across populations, such as height or weight, which are affected by many genes.

Other areas you will study include bioinformatics, evolutionary genetics and medical genetics, where molecular and analytical approaches are used to understand the basis of genetically determined human diseases such as hereditary blindness, cystic fibrosis, and certain types of cancers.

In the Senior Sophister (fourth) year, you will be able to specialise in areas of particular interest, and will carry out an original research project in an area being investigated in the department such as: hereditary blindness, cell death, bacterial stress responses or plant genetics. Specialist lecture courses include cancer genetics, genetics of vision, behavioural genetics and human evolutionary genetics.

Career opportunities

Many genetics graduates go on to study for higher degrees and careers in research. Opportunities also exist in biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, agricultural organisations, medical diagnostic laboratories, public health and epidemiology programmes, and in teaching. Genetic counselling is a rapidly expanding field that might also interest you. Alternatively, you may go straight into a career where you can apply your analytical and computing skills, such as accounting or banking.

Entry requirements for this course

Contact Trinity College Dublin to find course entry requirements.

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