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. Students work closely with faculty who conduct empirical, legal, and scholarly research, and serve on national and international bodies addressing issues of bioethics and health policy. Their research addresses bioethical issues across the lifespan, professional ethics issues like conscientious objection, issues in research (including genomic, international, mental health, and palliative care research); and public health ethics.
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. They prepare students to address classic and emerging bioethical issues and to probe philosophical and ethical questions of embodiment and well-being. Core courses in both programs seek to develop participants’ skills of critical reasoning, writing, and oral communication, and provide a foundation in the disciplines that contribute to addressing ethical, legal, and social issues in healthcare, medicine, and health-related research.
School of Law
The Bioethics Program partners with the University’s School of Law to offer a joint degree program in Law and Bioethics, as well as courses in other programs focusing on the increasingly intricate legal needs of those interacting with healthcare systems.
- Joint Degree in Law and Bioethics (JD/MA)
- Health Law Certificate
- Joint Degree in Law and Public Health (JD/MPH)
- Master of Studies in Law (MSL)
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.
- Joint Degree in Medicine and Bioethics (MD/MA)
- Medical Humanities and Ethics Current within the Innovator Stream of the medical school curriculum
- Medical School Electives: Ethical Issues in Clinical Decision-Making, Ethical Issues in Reproductive and Pediatric Care, Medical Nutrition: Past & Present Theories and Practice, and Narrative, Literature and the Experience of Illness