How to become a genetic counsellor
Official title: Genetic counsellor
Also called: Certified genetic counsellor, Associate genetic counsellor, Senior genetic counsellor
Genetic counsellors assess an individual or family risk for genetic disorders, illness and defects. They advise and support family members at risk.
Main tasks
- Develop medical treatment plans
- Collect patients' personal and family medical history
- Educate people about genetic conditions
- Give emotional support to patients and whānau
- Help people understand complex medical information
- Counsel and advise expecting parents
- Work with other medical professionals
- Help people live with genetic conditions
How to become one
You need more than one qualification to become a genetic counsellor. You need University Entrance to do the study or training for this job. Required: a bachelor's degree in genetics; a Master of Genetic Counselling from the University of Technology Sydney or University of Melbourne; to be certified with the Australasian Society of Genetic Counsellors; to be a member of Australasian Society of Genetic Counsellors. Other requirements: to be a fellow of the Human Genetics Society of Australasia. Registration body: Australasian Society of Genetic Counsellors.
Ways in
- University: Science degrees, Offered by 6 universities in New Zealand
- Registration or licence: Registration body: Australasian Society of Genetic Counsellors (https://asgc.org.au/).
Pay · Past change · AI and this job
- Most common pay: $76,000 to $105,000 a year (median $95,000), a TEC estimate before tax.
- Lower: $71,034 a year · Upper: $127,814 a year
- TEC's pay figures are estimates only. TEC says they must not be used to set pay, in pay negotiations or in visa applications.
- Change in the number of people doing this job between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses: Strong increase (TEC). This is past change, not a forecast.
- Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.
Who does this work
- About 45 people did this job at the 2023 Census (TEC).
- In the group Other Health Diagnostic and Promotion Professionals, 74% of workers are female (sex at birth, 2023 Census).
- Where people in the group Other Health Diagnostic and Promotion Professionals work (2023 Census): Auckland 30.6%, Canterbury 12.1%, and Waikato 10.5%.
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Questions people ask
How do I become a genetic counsellor?
You need more than one qualification to become a genetic counsellor. You need University Entrance to do the study or training for this job. Required: a bachelor's degree in genetics; a Master of Genetic Counselling from the University of Technology Sydney or University of Melbourne; to be certified with the Australasian Society of Genetic Counsellors; to be a member of Australasian Society of Genetic Counsellors. Other requirements: to be a fellow of the Human Genetics Society of Australasia. Registration body: Australasian Society of Genetic Counsellors.
How much does a genetic counsellor earn in New Zealand?
The Tertiary Education Commission estimates median pay at $95,000 a year, before tax. Most common pay is $76,000 to $105,000 a year.
Has the number of people working as a genetic counsellor grown in New Zealand?
It has grown strongly: TEC records a strong increase in the number of people doing this job between the 2018 and 2023 Censuses. This is past change, not a forecast.
Will AI change the work of a genetic counsellor?
Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.
Sources
- Tertiary Education Commission (Tahatu Career Navigator): Tahatu career ideas: descriptions, tasks, pay estimates, people employed, employment change 2018 to 2023, entry requirements, registration, interest scores (Site scrape 2026-10 (816 career ideas, sitemap lastmod 2026-10-01)), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
- Stats NZ (via Figure.NZ): Census 2023: employed by regional council, occupation (ANZSCO V1.3 unit group) and sex at birth (2023 Census), CC BY 4.0 (Stats NZ), CC BY 3.0 NZ (Figure.NZ), retrieved 4 October 2026
- International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
This content is sourced from the Tertiary Education Commission through the Tahatū Career Navigator website (www.tahatu.govt.nz) and used under the CC BY 4.0 licence. All or some of the information has been modified by Peernovo. TEC has not approved, endorsed or tested these modifications. TEC will not be held accountable for any errors within this content.
Qualification information from NZQA, used under CC BY 3.0 NZ.
This work is based on/includes Stats NZ's data which are licensed by Stats NZ for reuse under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence. Census data via Figure.NZ.
Includes information from O*NET OnLine by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.
Sources: Tertiary Education Commission, Tahatū Career Navigator (career ideas, pay estimates, entry requirements and study options, CC BY 4.0, modified by Peernovo); Stats NZ, 2023 Census (via Figure.NZ) and the National Occupation List (CC BY 4.0); NZQA qualification information (CC BY 3.0 NZ); O*NET interest scores (CC BY 4.0); ILO global generative AI exposure index (CC BY 4.0). Links between career ideas and ANZSCO groups, degree fields and broad job groups are Peernovo's.
These results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.
Graduate outcomes: these results are not official statistics. They have been created for research purposes from the Integrated Data Infrastructure (IDI), which is carefully managed by Stats NZ.
Updated 4 October 2026