Bioethics

Graduate Certificate in Bioethics

Graduate Diploma in Bioethics

Master of Bioethics

Overview

Bioethics is concerned with ethical issues that arise in health, healthcare and research in the biological and clinical sciences and the public sphere. Recent advances in biomedical technology have generated enormous social concern about such issues. This is evident in contemporary debates about issues such as public health interventions, provision of reproductive technologies, genomics and how the law should engage with health (to name but a few examples). Established topics of research and debate in bioethics include abortion, euthanasia, relationships between healthcare providers and patients, research involving humans and non-human animals, and justice in the distribution of healthcare resources. The Sydney Bioethics Program also engages with issues and methodologies in the health humanities.

Bioethics is an inherently interdisciplinary field of inquiry that exists at the crossroads of ethical theory and philosophy, sociology, law, the humanities and science, and this is clearly reflected in our program of study. Graduates of our program will gain an understanding of bioethics that is unique in its breadth and depth. Our courses are designed to provide ethics education for scientists, researchers, and health professionals working in medicine, nursing, public health, health policy/administration, public policy, and science communication. They will also be attractive to students with a background in health law, the social sciences and/or the humanities. Teaching is provided by an inter-disciplinary team, with expertise across bioethics, sociology, philosophy, clinical practice and law.

All study programs build on a core unit of study (BETH5101) that provides a basic grounding in philosophical ethics. The master's degree culminates in a capstone unit (BETH5000) that provides a critical survey of bioethics. By providing contrasting but complementary perspectives on bioethics, units of study ensure that students gain a broad understanding that covers philosophical (BETH5102), social (BETH5103), and either legal (BETH5104) or creative (BETH5207) approaches. Elective units of study allow students to pursue their own particular interests.

Students can also elect to structure their studies according to one of five optional pathways : public health ethics; research ethics; clinical ethics; health humanities; or research. More information about the pathways can be found under course structure.

The Master of Bioethics degree can be completed in one year of full-time study or over two to five years by part-time study.

Course Learning outcomes

The learning outcomes for the degrees offered within the Sydney Bioethics Program are as follows:

Graduate Certificate in Bioethics

On completion of the Graduate Certificate in Bioethics, students will be able to:

1. Define and compare key theories in ethics
2. Synthesise scholarship in bioethics, medical sociology, philosophy of medicine and either health humanities or medical law as it relates to issues and problems in health and the biosciences
3. Apply the concepts, literature and theories from bioethics, the humanities and health social sciences to issues and problems in health and the biosciences, including animal and environmental ethics, for example to issues arising in health care, bioscience research or health and biology in society
4. Define, describe, apply, analyse, synthesise and critically appraise the work of scholars in bioethics, medical sociology, philosophy of medicine, health humanities or medical law

Graduate Diploma in Bioethics

On completion of the Graduate Diploma in Bioethics, students will be able to:

1. Define and compare key theories in ethics
2. Synthesise scholarship in bioethics, medical sociology, philosophy of medicine and either health humanities or medical law as it relates to issues and problems in health and the biosciences
3. Apply the concepts, literature and theories from bioethics, the humanities and health social sciences to issues and problems in health and the biosciences, including animal and environmental ethics, for example to issues arising in health care, bioscience research or health and biology in society
4. Define, describe, apply, analyse, synthesise and critically appraise the work of scholars in bioethics, medical sociology, philosophy of medicine, health humanities or medical law
5. Demonstrate sophisticated abilities to gather, synthesise, and integrate data to address a range of issues in bioethics such as health care, health policy, biotechnology, and research with humans and animals
6. Extend the appraisal of scholarship in bioethics to critically evaluate the field of bioethics, including appraising various approaches within this field of study

Master of Bioethics

On completion of the Graduate Certificate in Bioethics, students will be able to:

1. Define and compare key theories in ethics
2. Synthesise scholarship in bioethics, medical sociology, philosophy of medicine and either health humanities or medical law as it relates to issues and problems in health and the biosciences
3. Apply the concepts, literature and theories from bioethics, the humanities and health social sciences to issues and problems in health and the biosciences, including animal and environmental ethics, for example to issues arising in health care, bioscience research or health and biology in society
4. Define, describe, apply, analyse, synthesise and critically appraise the work of scholars in bioethics, medical sociology, philosophy of medicine, health humanities or medical law
5. Demonstrate sophisticated abilities to gather, synthesise, and integrate data to address a range of issues in bioethics such as health care, health policy, biotechnology, and research with humans and animals
6. Extend the appraisal of scholarship in bioethics to critically evaluate the field of bioethics, including appraising various approaches within this field of study
7. Develop and refine analytic and critical thinking and writing skills to independently plan and implement high-quality academic writing, showing initiative in communicating original arguments and complex reasoning to academic and lay audiences; achieving a level of competence to progress to further study in bioethics if desired

Further enquiries

Program Administrator
Phone: +61 2 9036 3405
Fax: +61 2 9036 3436
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