Science and Research
Geneticist
What Does a Professional in this Career Do?
Studies genes and the role that genes and heredity play in health and disease or in populations. May diagnose, counsel and treat patients with genetic diseases and disorders, or conduct research to identify genetic disorders. May research genetic interactions with environmental factors or research and develop genetic modification in plant populations.
Job Outlook
There were 23 Geneticist job postings in North Carolina in the past year and 1295 in the United States.
In combination with other careers in the Biologist industry, which includes the Geneticist career, the following graph shows the number of people employed for each year since 2012:
Salary
Many new Geneticist jobs have salaries estimated to be in the following ranges, based on the requirements and responsibilities listed in job postings from the past year.
National
The average estimated salary in the United States for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $76,861.
State
The average estimated salary in North Carolina for this career, based on job postings in the past year, is $74,261.
Percentiles represent the percentage that is lower than the value. For example, 25% of estimated salaries for Geneticist postings in the United States in the past year were lower than $63,959.
Education and Experience
Posted Geneticist jobs typically require the following level of education. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list education requirements.
| Education Level | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Associate's Degree | 0% |
| Bachelor's Degree | 15% |
| Master's Degree | 44% |
| Doctoral Degree | 39% |
| Other | 1% |
Posted Geneticist jobs typically require the following number of years of experience. The numbers below are based on job postings in the United States from the past year. Not all job postings list experience requirements.
| Years of Experience | Percentage |
|---|---|
| 0 to 2 years | 28% |
| 3 to 5 years | 42% |
| 6 to 8 years | 19% |
| 9+ years | 11% |
Skills
Below are listings of the most common general and specialized skills Geneticist positions expect applicants to have as well as the most common skills that distinguish individuals from their peers. The percentage of job postings that specifically mention each skill is also listed.
Baseline Skills
A skill that is required across a broad range of occupations, including this one.
- Research (69%)
- Communication Skills (45%)
- Teamwork / Collaboration (42%)
- Troubleshooting (26%)
- Detail-Oriented (21%)
Defining Skills
A core skill for this occupation, it occurs frequently in job postings.
- Biology (50%)
- Molecular Biology (47%)
- Genomics (45%)
- Experiments (38%)
- Genetics (34%)
Necessary Skills
A skill that is requested frequently in this occupation but isn’t specific to it.
- Experimental Design (13%)
- Quality Assurance and Control (12%)
- Python (12%)
- Biomarkers (11%)
- Chemistry (10%)
Distinguishing Skills
A skill that may distinguish a subset of the occupation.
- Mammalian Cell Culture (7%)
- Genome Sequencing (6%)
- Proteomics (5%)
- DNA Analysis (5%)
- Human Genetics (5%)
Alternative Job Titles
Sometimes employers post jobs with Geneticist skills but a different job title. Some common alternative job titles include:
- Research Scientist
- Associate Scientist
- Biologist
- Clinical Geneticist
Similar Occupations
If you are interested in exploring occupations with similar skills, you may want to research the following job titles. Note that we only list occupations that have at least one corresponding NC State Online and Distance Education program.
- Molecular Biologist
- Biology Research Scientist
- Cell Biologist
- Computational Biologist
- Biologist
- Physiologist
- Biochemist
- Bioinformatician
- Research Scientist
- Pharmacology Research Scientist
Common Employers
Here are the employers that have posted the most Geneticist jobs in the past year along with how many they have posted.
United States
- Exact Sciences Corporation (25)
- Johnson & Johnson (23)
- Biogen (22)
- Sanofi Aventis (21)
- Ptc Therapeutics Incorporated (21)
North Carolina
- Syngenta (2)
- Mission Hospitals (2)
- Duke University (2)
- Almac Group (2)
- North Carolina State University (1)
NC State Programs Relevant to this Career
If you are interested in preparing for a career in this field, the following NC State Online and Distance Education programs offer a great place to start!
All wages, job posting statistics, employment trend projections, and information about skill desirability on this page represents historical data and does not guarantee future conditions. Data is provided by and downloaded regularly from EMSI Burning Glass (now Lightcast). For more information about how they gather data and what it represents, see Emsi Burning Glass Data Basic Overview.