| |  | | Bioethics | Link to a list of faculty for this program.
Contact Information—Center for Bioethics, University of
Minnesota, N504 Boynton, 410 Church Street S.E., Minneapolis, MN 55455 (612-624-9440;
fax 612-624-9108; bthxed@umn.edu; www.bioethics.umn.edu).
Along with the program-specific requirements listed below, please read the General
Information section of this catalog for Graduate School requirements that apply
to all major fields.
Curriculum—The Center for Bioethics offers a master's degree and a graduate minor in bioethics. Although bioethics has deep roots in the discipline of philosophy and maintains strong ties to that discipline, it has grown to be an essentially interdisciplinary field. Similarly, over its 20-plus year history, the Center for Bioethics has become a well-established and internationally recognized interdisciplinary center. This truly interdisciplinary approach is endorsed by the University, since the Center is a program that spans the Academic Health Center and interacts throughout the University. The Center's faculty represents a broad array of fields, with backgrounds in philosophy, medicine, nursing, public health, health policy, law, education, family social science, and religious studies. The faculty has expertise in clinical ethics, research ethics, and ethics in health policy. The Center embraces a robust mission of public engagement. Its faculty influences policy nationally and internationally on a number of issues including decision-making at end of life, research on human subjects, ethics and genetic technologies, and public health preparedness.
Prerequisites for Admission—A bachelor's degree is required for admission. Students are encouraged to link their degree in bioethics to a degree in a related field (either before entering the bioethics M.A. program or at the same time). Given the fundamentally interdisciplinary nature of bioethics, prospective students are advised against viewing the bioethics M.A. as a stand-alone degree that prepares them for career placement. This model prompts students to acquire a firm disciplinary grounding as well as interdisciplinary bioethics expertise—a practice that best prepares students for bioethics-related career placement. Thus, the admissions process will give preference to students who have already earned or are in the process of earning an advanced degree in a related field, although this will not strictly be required for admission.
Special Application Requirements—The M.A. program in bioethics admits students only for matriculation in the fall semester. Applications will begin to be reviewed November 1, with offers of admission being extended on a rolling basis. Preference will be given to early applicants. Applications will close April 30.
Applicants must submit scores from the GRE General Test. LSAT or MCAT scores may be submitted in lieu of GRE scores. Standardized test scores will not be required from applicants who have completed a doctoral-level degree at a U.S. institution of higher learning. Applicants without such a degree but with significant professional experience (e.g. experienced RNs) may petition to have the standardized test requirement waived. Applicants for whom English is a second language should supply TOEFL scores. The Center for Bioethics may also require an interview to verify English fluency. Transcripts of all postsecondary academic work, a personal statement, a writing sample (preferably on a topic in bioethics), a description of research or relevant work experience, a C.V. or résumé, and at least three letters of reference are required.
Key to test abbreviations (GRE, TOEFL, GMAT, MELAB).
 For an online application or for more information about Graduate School admissions, see the General Information section in this catalog, or visit the Graduate School Web site.
Use of 4xxx Courses—No 4xxx courses may be included in degree programs
for the bioethics M.A.
|
M.A.
Plan A Degree Requirements | | Students
in this Plan A (thesis-based) master's degree program are required to take
at least 20 credits of courses including 9 credits of required courses
including one course fulfilling an area requirement, 5 credits of bioethics
electives, and 6 credits of electives from a supporting field. A full listing
of required courses can be found at www.ahc.umn.edu/bioethics/education/gradprogram/degreq/home.html.
A complete list of bioethics courses that can be used to fulfill the elective
requirement is available at www.ahc.umn.edu/bioethics/education/completebthx/home.html.
See this PDF for a sample
list of courses appropriate to the related field requirement.
Courses fulfilling this requirement must be chosen in consultation with the
student's adviser to ensure their appropriateness for the student's course
of study. Students may elect a graduate minor to fulfill this requirement.
However, students may also elect to take courses from different programs, for
example, a health policy course from the School of Public Health and a health
law course from the Law School.
Note: Of the 20 total course credits required, at least one BTHX course and at least two courses total are to be taken at the 8xxx level. Thesis credits do not count toward this requirement.
Master's Thesis—Students are also required to complete
at least 10 thesis credits and write a thesis. The thesis committee includes
two bioethics graduate faculty members and one graduate faculty member outside
of Bioethics. The "outside" member of the committee is from the
graduate faculty of the minor field, if the student has completed a graduate
minor. The final oral for the master's degree is conducted as a closed examination,
attended by only the student and the examining committee.
Language Requirements—None.
Final Exam—The final exam is oral.
| Graduate
Minor | |
The Center for Bioethics offers a minor in bioethics for master's (M.A. and M.S.)
and doctoral students with approval of the director of graduate studies in bioethics.
The minor provides a structured program of study as well as formal recognition
for academic accomplishments in the field.
While recognizing that philosophy is a focal discipline for the study of bioethics,
the minor offers numerous opportunities for multidisciplinary study, including
in history and philosophy of medicine, health law and public policy, health care
economics, professional ethics, clinical ethics, medical humanities, and moral
development.
Prerequisites for Admission—Admission is
contingent upon prior admission to a master's or doctoral degree-granting
program within the Graduate School. Students are encouraged to have
some previous exposure to philosophy or biomedicine or both. Graduate
students in philosophy are expected to have successfully completed
at least one graduate course in ethical theory.
Special Application Requirements—Contact the director
of graduate studies in bioethics for an Intent to Enroll Form. The form is
also available in a PDF of the Graduate
Minor in Bioethics brochure. Enrollment is contingent upon approval by
the director of graduate studies for bioethics.
Courses—Contact the minor program office or the Center
for Bioethics Web site for information on relevant coursework.
Use of 4xxx Courses—Some 4xxx courses are allowed as
indicated in the guidelines for the bioethics minor, available from the director
of graduate studies or the Center
for Bioethics Web site.
Minor Requirements—A doctoral student must complete a minimum of
14 graduate credits in bioethics offered outside the major field:
8 credits
of required
courses and 6 credits
of electives. A master's student must complete a minimum of 8 graduate credits
in bioethics offered outside the major field: 6 credits of required courses
and 2 credits of electives. All students must take BTHX 5010—Bioethics
Proseminar and one moral theory course. Courses that satisfy requirements
and serve as electives
can be found at www.ahc.umn.edu/bioethics/education/graduate/home.html. |
Faculty | | For latest graduate faculty listings, see <www.grad.umn.edu/faculty_rosters/faculty.html>. Key to membership categories (abbreviations after faculty names).
Professor
Muriel Bebeau, Preventive Sciences, M
Carl Elliott, Pediatrics, M2
John Eyler, History of Medicine, M
Jasper Hopkins, Philosophy, M
Jeffrey Kahn, Medicine, M
Rosalie Kane, Public Health, M2
Joan Liaschenko, Nursing, M2
Mary Faith Marshall, Medicine, M2
Steven Miles, Medicine, M2
Naomi Scheman, Philosophy, M
Beth Virnig, Health Policy and Management, M
Susan M. Wolf, Law School, M2
Associate Professor
Edward Ratner, Medicine, M
Karen-Sue Taussig, Anthropology, M
Leigh Turner, Center for Bioethics, M2
Assistant Professor
Dianne Bartels, Center for Bioethics, M2
Debra DeBruin, Medicine, M2
John Song, Medicine, M2
Maryam Valapour, Medicine, M2
| | | | | |
