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Basic Requirements for all grades, GS-5 and above
Degree: Degree: genetics; or one of the basic biological sciences that included at least 9 semester hours in genetics. Education must have been from an accredited college or university.
Additional Experience and/or Education Requirements For GS-7 and Above
In addition to meeting the basic entry qualification requirements, applicants must have specialized experience and/or directly related education in the amounts shown in the table below:
|
Grade |
Education |
OR Specialized Experience |
|
GS-7 |
1 year of graduate-level education or superior academic achievement |
1 year equivalent to at least GS-5 |
|
GS-9 |
2 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a master's degree or master's or equivalent graduate degree (see below) |
1 year equivalent to at least GS-7 |
|
GS-11 |
3 years of progressively higher level graduate education leading to a Ph.D. degree or Ph.D. or equivalent doctoral degree (see below) |
1 year equivalent to at least GS-9 |
|
GS-12 and above |
1 year equivalent to at least next lower grade level |
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NOTE: Education and experience may be combined for all grade levels for which both education and experience are acceptable. |
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Graduate Education: Genetics, or a curriculum or pattern of training that placed major emphasis on genetics. Graduate study in related fields such as agronomy, horticulture, animal, dairy, or poultry husbandry, entomology, microbiology, plant pathology, chemistry, molecular and cellular biology, and physiology that involved cross-training in genetics is qualifying, provided it placed sufficient emphasis on genetics.
Specialized Experience: Experience that equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. To be creditable, specialized experience must have been equivalent to at least the next lower grade level in the normal line of progression for the occupation in the organization.
Evaluation of Education: Most students in the field take graduate work because specific training in genetics may be limited at the undergraduate level. Under these circumstances, it may be necessary to evaluate undergraduate course work in genetics in one of two ways, as described below, to determine whether or not it is qualifying:1. Courses dealing with genetics, some phase of genetics, or specific techniques that are applied in genetics work are acceptable. This includes courses in genetics, plant or animal genetics, molecular and cellular biology, mathematics and statistics (as they apply to genetics), population dynamics, and certain techniques such as those dealing with irradiation.
2. Course work consisting of an appropriate combination of basic courses in genetics and cytology or statistics are also acceptable.