Summary
In the third quarter of 2023 alone, the Lowcountry Graduate Center awarded $150,000 worth of Opportunity Fund Grants to six programs, covering such topics as AI Learning, a geriatric PT residency, and an executive MBA. There are more funds to award this year, says Dr. Jessica Carter, director of the LGC. The deadline to apply for program funding in the fall is September 1, 2024.
Back in 2021, the Medical University of South Carolina’s College of Health Professions saw a need for more genetic counselors in its own institution and throughout the state. The U.S. Department of Labor estimates a 67% growth in job openings for genetic counselors in SC from 2018 to 2028.
Indeed, MUSC has been feeling the pinch itself. With the use of genetic testing increasing dramatically, the hospital itself has struggled to recruit and retain from the small pool of 5,000 genetic counselors nationwide.
The only other genetic counseling program in the state is at the University of South Carolina. USC’s program gets many more applicants than it can accept. Indeed, there are seven applicants for genetic counseling master’s degrees nationwide for every two seats available. That means that for every 20 genetic counselors trained there are 50 more willing to learn and serve in that field but unable to earn entry into the educational program.
But MUSC and the Lowcountry Graduate Center (LGC) have made a small contribution to the field by establishing a new program at the Medical University. MUSC launched its new master’s degree program for genetic counselors with help of a $25,000 grant from the LGC’s Opportunity Fund. The a 58-credit hour, five-semester hybrid program balances classroom and clinical instruction, and accepts up to 20 students each year.
The Role of the Lowcountry Graduate Center
Among the services provided by the Lowcountry Graduate Center to the people of the Charleston region is support for the development of graduate educational programs indicated by local workforce imperatives and independent employment projections.
The LGC offers monetary grants to its three member institutions – the College of Charleston, the Medical University of South Carolina, and The Citadel – to subsidize the on-ramping of credit-bearing, standalone graduate programs.
These “Opportunity Fund Grants” of up to $25,000 are designed to provide the workforce necessary for three growing employment sectors in the local economy — 1) Advanced manufacturing, engineering services, and software development/IT support; 2) K-12 Teacher education and administrative leadership; and 3) Healthcare management and community wellness. All grants serve as levers to required matching dollars from the institutions.
The funds provided by these grants are allocated for expenses directly related to the establishment of the new program, such as course development, equipment purchases, and marketing and advertising. None of the grants can be used for tangentially related expenditures like consultants, travel and entertainment, non-academic activities like athletics or capital costs for new or renovated facilities.
At the time of its application, MUSC said the grant for the genetics counseling program would be used “for course development, development and coordination of clinical training materials, and the development of a matrix for clinical internships, which will be strategically embedded within the curriculum to maximize resources for clinical training.” The first cohort of that program graduated this past spring and began filling those vacancies in hospitals and other healthcare facilities desperate to provide this needed service.
Next Funding Cycle Ends Srptember
In the third quarter of 2023 alone, the Lowcountry Graduate Center awarded $150,000 worth of Opportunity Fund Grants to six programs, covering such topics as AI Learning, a geriatric PT residency, and an executive MBA. There are more funds to award this year, says Dr. Jessica Carter, director of the LGC. The deadline to apply for program funding in the fall is September 1, 2024.
The Lowcountry Graduate Center is a state-funded organization dedicated to providing Charleston-area residents with convenient access to graduate-level academic programs, certificate courses and continuing education.