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Bioethics Program

The Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts & Sciences provides graduate-level education in bioethics through innovative degree and degree-related programs, including joint degree programs with the School of Law and School of Medicine. Students from varied backgrounds, pursuing diverse career paths, explore ethical issues within these programs through seminars, clinical rotations, and research projects tailored to their individual interests and career goals. Faculty in these programs are committed to increasing the diversity of those working in bioethics through recruitment into these programs.

Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts & Sciences

The Dietrich School is the academic home for University’s Master of Arts in Bioethics (MA), as well as a Graduate Certificate in Bioethics that serves the interests of those who do not want to commit to pursuing a graduate degree. Both programs, like the field of bioethics itself, are interdisciplinary. Core courses in both programs seek to develop participants’ skills of critical reasoning, writing, and oral communication, as well as to provide a foundation in the disciplines that contribute to identifying and addressing ethical, legal, and social issues in healthcare, medicine, and health-related research, as well as probing philosophical and ethical questions of embodiment and well-being.

School of Law

The Bioethics Program partners with the University’s School of Law to offer programs focusing on the increasingly intricate legal needs of those interacting with healthcare systems. 

School of Medicine

The Bioethics Program partners with the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine to off a joint degree program in Medicine and Bioethics, while faculty affiliated with the Bioethics Program and the Institute for Bioethics teach in other School of Medicine offerings in bioethics and health humanities.