MA in Bioethics and Medical Law
MA in Bioethics and Medical Law
MA in Bioethics and Medical Law
Postgraduate Diploma in Bioethics and Medical Law
Postgraduate Certificate in Bioethics and Medical Law
Start Month: September. One entry point only each year.
Mode of Study: Full-time, part-time. On site or distance learning. The programme is offered both part-time over three years and full-time over one year for the full MA, with possible options of a certificate (after one year part-time)and a diploma (after two years part-time).
Length of Course: 1 year full-time; 3 years part-time, as explained in previous section.
Overview
At a time when both individuals and institutions in healthcare are increasingly being called to account for their decisions and procedures, reflection on the ethical principles that underlie medical and allied practice is an important part of continuing professional development for healthcare professionals.
Every day, it seems some new dilemma in medical ethics appears in the news; whether to do with stem cell research, assisted suicide, resource allocation, nanotechnologies, human cloning or health and climate change. There is an obvious need for people, especially healthcare professionals and teachers, to be informed about these issues.
To address this need St Mary’s University has a well-established Postgraduate Programme in Bioethics which addresses ethical aspects of medicine, life sciences and associated technologies as they apply to human beings, taking into account their social, legal, environmental and spiritual dimensions.
Why this course is different
The primary aim of the programme is to promote respect for human dignity and respect for the life of human beings through the provision of a thorough academic understanding of the major issues and competing schools of contemporary bioethics. The perspective of the course is strongly influenced by the Hippocratic Oath. This corresponds closely to the traditional stance of Judaism and Christianity on medical ethics.
The programme also draws on international declarations such as the Declaration of Geneva (1947), the Declaration of Helsinki (1964) and the Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights (2005).
"This is an excellent programme in which the highest confidence can be placed. Its aim of giving a grounding in the ethical principles of medicine as understood in the Hippocratic/Judaeo-Christian tradition make it unique in the United Kingdom."
Dr Robert Song, Durham University
