Masters Qualifying in Bioethics with a research component

• General information
• Entry requirements
• Course structure
• Advanced standing

General information

Program code: 1988 + Program fees: Local students -- HECS; international students -- $A13,500 pa + Coordinator: Justin Oakley + Offered on Clayton campus only
Over the past two decades, there has been increasing community concern about ethics in science, especially in the health sciences and the biological sciences. This program is a response to that concern, and will enable those taking it to qualify for admission to a research degree in this field. While the program is particularly well-suited for those health care professionals and scientists who face complex ethical issues in their working lives, it will also be valuable for those who wish to develop their skills in carrying out research in the formulation of public policy and law regarding these issues. The program will take one year full-time or two years part-time.

Entry requirements

Candidates must have either (a) a degree in a health science, in law, the biological or social sciences, or in a branch of the humanities, such as philosophy (or other degree as approved by the faculty board), requiring the equivalent of not less than three years full-time study in an approved tertiary institution; and for which the student maintained at least a credit average; or (b) qualifications and experience which in the opinion of the faculty board are a suitable preparation for the candidate's proposed field of study.

Course structure

The program consists of four units of 12 points each. All students will take CHB4101 (Ethics), in their first semester. Normally, the next unit to be taken will be CHB4102 (Questions of life and death), followed by CHB4203 (Ethical issues in patient care), and CHB4215 (Bioethics supervised research paper). Full-time students will, however, enrol in both CHB4101 and CHB4203 concurrently, followed by CHB4102 and CHB4215 concurrently.

Advanced standing

Candidates who have already completed a unit in ethics that, in the opinion of the graduate coordinator of the Centre for Human Bioethics, is of a standard at least equal to and of the same content as CHB4101 (Ethics) and covering essentially the same content as CHB4101 may be given an exemption with credit for that unit at the time of application. Normally, at least a result of credit must have been achieved for that unit, and it cannot have been part of another degree on the basis of which a candidate has met the entry requirements for the Masters Qualifying in Bioethics. If the equivalent unit in ethics was part of another degree on the basis of which a candidate has met the entry requirements for the Masters Qualifying in Bioethics, then an exemption without credit may be given for CHB4101.
Admission to the Master of Bioethics by research will require a distinction average, or above, for all units in the masters qualifying year. Students who obtain outstanding results in the masters qualifying may meet the entry requirements for PhD enrolment at the centre.
Note that students taking this program are not permitted to enter the Master of Bioethics by coursework.

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