Medical Genetics and Molecular Diagnostics

Medical genetics and Molecular Diagnostics is an educational bachelor's program focused on non-medical healthcare professions, taught at the Faculty of Science and the Faculty of Medicine at Masaryk University. The program provides students with the basic knowledge and practical skills necessary to prepare qualified professionals for regulated healthcare professions, specifically as specialists in laboratory methods with a focus on genetic and molecular biological laboratory diagnostics. This bachelor's program is a precursor to the directly related master's program Bioanalytical Laboratory Diagnostics in Healthcare - Medical Genetics and Molecular Diagnostics, which was designed to meet the growing demand of a wide range of healthcare facilities (especially genetic, cytogenetic, molecular biological, and microbiological laboratories) for professionals with a background in natural sciences who are proficient in modern methods of medical genetics, molecular biology, and molecular diagnostics and who also have the practical skills to apply them directly in healthcare in the field of laboratory medicine.

The study plans for this bachelor's and follow-up master's program have therefore been designed so that, after completing the follow-up master's program accredited by the Czech Ministry of Health, graduates obtain professional competence to practice a non-medical healthcare profession as a specialist in laboratory methods with the title of Mgr.

The bachelor's program provides comprehensive training in the fields that form the basis for the provision of healthcare laboratory services. During their bachelor's studies, graduates gradually acquire knowledge and skills through lectures and exercises in basic preparatory subjects (mathematics, medical biophysics, chemistry, biochemistry) and preclinical disciplines (anatomy, pharmacology, physiology, cytology, histology, hematology, microbiology, pathology), specialized genetic and molecular biology subjects, and related fields (communication skills, biostatistics), which are necessary for the profession of a specialist in laboratory methods. Due to its medical focus, this program emphasizes practical exercises. Students complete practical exercises where they acquire skills in working in chemical, cytological, and histological laboratories, working with microbial material, working with microscopes, processing biological data on computers, and become familiar with the basic methods of molecular biology and the operation of instruments most commonly used in genetic and molecular biology laboratories. The theoretical and practical skills acquired will optimally prepare students for the directly related master's program in Bioanalytical Laboratory Diagnostics in Healthcare - Medical Genetics and Molecular Diagnostics.

Practical training

With regard to its focus on healthcare, this bachelor's program has an increased number of hours allocated to practical exercises, which are compulsory for students. Overall, during the bachelor's program, which consists of 13-week semesters, students complete approximately 440 hours of practical laboratory exercises throughout the entire bachelor's program.

The primary objective of the bachelor's program is to prepare graduates for further study in a directly related master's program. After successfully completing the state bachelor's examination, graduates are expected to continue in a two-year master's program in healthcare Bioanalytical Laboratory Diagnostics in Healthcare - Medical Genetics and Molecular Diagnostics, after which they will have acquired sufficient knowledge and skills of the required quality in accordance with the requirements of the Czech Ministry of Health for the regulated healthcare profession of "Specialist in Laboratory Methods." At the same time, thanks to the number of practical exercises, graduates of the bachelor's program should be sufficiently prepared, both professionally and practically, to perform basic laboratory work in cytogenetic, molecular biology, and other laboratories in the public and private sectors.

The part of admission test is written test, which inclides: Learning Potential Test (every Learning Potential Test on any faculty of MU), special test of biology with basics of chemistry. The level of special test corresponds with curriculum of grammar schools. Illustrations of special tests are available on http://www.sci.muni.cz (Czech only)

Criteria for evaluation

The hole classification includes the results of Learning Potential Test and special test of biology with basics of chemistry.

Recommended literature

Succes in Learning Potential Test is not based on study of literature. For succesful passing of the test is enough to have knowledges of grammar school curriculum of the subject.

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Minimum score and numbers of accepted applicants in past years

Follow-up master's program in Bioanalytical Laboratory Diagnostics in Healthcare - Medical Genetics and Molecular Diagnostics.