Bioethics (MA)

Program Description

Founded through NYU’s Center for Bioethics, the Master of Arts in Bioethics degree at GPH is one of the first programs in the world to promote a broad conception of bioethics encompassing both medical and environmental ethics. You’ll develop concepts and analytical skills that enable you to think critically about pressing challenges in the broad field of bioethics, and you’ll also have the opportunity to focus your studies through flexible curriculum options and the one-on-one guidance of your advisor.

Admissions

The MA in Bioethics program requires that students apply to our program using SOPHAS. To be considered for review, a complete application must be submitted by the appropriate deadlines.

All applicants are required to submit the following:

• The completed SOPHAS application, including application fee
• BA, BS, RN, MD, JD, or other professional degrees, preferably with one or more courses in medical, professional, or environmental ethics; philosophy; medical anthropology; history or sociology; health care administration, law, or policy; ecology and environmental policy
• Personal statement
• Resume or CV
• Essay (roughly 10 pages double spaced) discussing an ethical issue in bioethics
• Official transcripts from each post-secondary institution attended
• Three letters of recommendation
• The GRE is optional for admissions
• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) from all applicants whose native language is not English and who did not receive the equivalent of a US bachelor’s degree at an institution where English is the primary language of instruction.

Program Requirements

Bioethics Electives

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Prior to Spring 2023, these courses were previously Topics courses under course number GPH-GU 1008.

Additional Electives

These courses do not require additional approval to be used as electives. Availability is subject to specific semester.

Law School and Philosophy Department Courses

Courses within the Philosophy Department and the Law School require additional approval between the student, their advisor, and the instructor of the course.

Law School Courses

NYU non-Law graduate students may request a Law course by submitting the Law Course Registration Request for Non-Law NYU Students form to the Law Registrar Service Desk.  The link to the Law Registrar Service Desk can be found in the lower right corner of courses.law.nyu.edu. The form requires permission from the professor and the home school before submission to the academic services office. If a request is approved, the Office of Record and Registration works with the University Registrar to register the student.

Philosophy Department Courses

Graduate courses (intended for PhD students) are by request only, and require permission of the Bioethics Center & the Philosophy course instructor. An application form is involved; be prepared to share a CV & Writing Sample. (Please plan ahead and allow plenty of time if requesting one of these courses for an upcoming semester). If you are interested in taking a Philosophy course (starting in your second semester), the form can be found here: Philosophy Course Request Form

Practicum

The culmination of your MA in Bioethics degree in your final semester is a hands-on practicum in a health or environmental organization, studying and reporting on the ethical issues that are addressed or overlooked, such as:

• Shadowing a hospital palliative care physician to examine moral and epistemic issues involving patient care
• Investigating environmental health responsibilities around a green roof promotion project in a city neighborhood
• Working with public health advocates to develop educational and policy responses to confusion about vaccines

You may choose to work in the field right here in the greater New York area, or you may choose to put your skills to work at another location across the globe. By the end of your experience, you’ll have applied experience in real-life ethical issues in medical and environmental settings, making you stand out to potential employers.

Practicum Sites

You’ll have the resources and assistance of your advisors and members of the Center for Bioethics to connect with appropriate institutions to arrange a practicum that suits your interests. Previous sites have included Doctors Without Borders, Mount Sinai Hospital, and The President's Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues.

When you begin looking for practicum opportunities, we strongly advise you to periodically consult the practicum list, as well as check our student research blog for various paid and unpaid opportunities that satisfy the practicum requirements. All sites must be approved by the practicum advisor before you can commit yourself to the work. Once the practicum site is finalized, you should complete a practicum prospectus form and submit it to their advisor.

Note: Students are allowed to participate in paid practicum positions provided that the practicum is approved by their program advisors and not within NYU.

For More Information

For more detailed information about practicum requirements, expectations, assignments, seminar, etc., please consult the Bioethics Practicum Information Sheet. If you still have questions after reviewing this information, feel free to contact us at bioethics@nyu.edu.

Practicum Been Approved?

If your practicum site has been finalized, please complete a practicum prospectus form and submit it to your adviser.

Sample Plan of Study

Fall Start

Note: This is a sample sequence; electives may vary, as will credits.

Spring Start

¹

If not already taken in the Spring.

Note: This is a sample sequence; electives may vary, as will credits.

Learning Outcomes

Students in the Bioethics program will obtain the following competencies upon completion of the program:

1. Understand the normative philosophical theories that underlie bioethics, clinical practice, research, neuroethics, the ethics of new biotechnologies, the ethics of global public health, and ethics of animals and the environment;
2. Grasp key ethical issues and questions that arise in bioethics, clinical practice, research, neuroethics, the ethics of new biotechnologies, the ethics of global public health, and ethics of animals and the environment;
3. Analyze and put forward original ideas and arguments that engage with scholarly work and public policy in bioethics;
4. Understand how ethical issues are addressed in practical, medical and environmental settings.

In addition, students will be able to:

• Identify the background literature for a particular bioethical issue;
• Understand the relevant positions, distinctions, and arguments in a particular bioethical debate;
• Analyze existing arguments;
• Put forward original ideas and arguments;
• Provide empirical and theoretical support for one’s arguments;
• Explain why the considerations put forward support one’s arguments;
• Anticipate and respond to actual or possible objections to one’s arguments;
• Write in a clear, succinct, and analytic manner
• Identify ethical issues that arise in a professional setting and communicate those issues to a general audience.

Policies

NYU Policies

University-wide policies can be found on the New York University Policy pages.

School of Global Public Health Policies

A list of related academic policies can be found on the School of Global Public Health academic policies page.