Master of Bioethics by coursework
Over the past two decades, there has been increasing community concern about ethics in science, especially in the health sciences and the biological sciences. The Master of Bioethics is a response to that concern, and will enable those taking it to deepen their understanding of ethical issues in health care and the biological sciences. While the course 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 involved in the formulation of public policy and law regarding these issues, as well as for anyone who simply wishes to explore issues of public concern in greater depth.
Course details:
Handbook entry: 0122
Fee & other details: Course Finder entry for 0122
Coordinator:
General:
The Master of Bioethics by coursework is available both to on-campus students and also to students from anywhere in the world through distance education. Those interested in taking the course through distance education should contact Rob Sparrow at the Centre for further details.
Candidates should note that the minimum pass grade for units in the Master of Bioethics by coursework is 60 C; that is, a grade of credit or above is required in every unit. Candidates are also advised that units will be assessed at a level-five standard, and essay topics will differ from those set for parallel units in the Centre's Graduate Diploma program.
Master of Bioethics students who have completed at least one semester of the course are eligible to apply for an annual fellowship of $9000 to work during the Australian summer as an intern in the Human Ethics, Trade, Rights and Health Law program at the World Health Organisation in Geneva. For more information, please see the Monash-WHO Fellowship page.
Course Structure:
For details of units studied in both on-campus and distance education modes, please see the course Handbook entry.
Please note that:
- All students will begin their course with CHB5101 (Ethics).
- Students who choose to study CHB5206 (Bioethics supervised research paper of 9000 words), are advised to enrol in this unit in their second year (as the third or fourth unit in their sequence).
Credit Provision:
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 that of CHB5101 (Ethics), and covering essentially the same content as CHB5101, may be given an exemption with credit for that unit. Normally at least a distinction result 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 Master of Bioethics by coursework. 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 Master of Bioethics by coursework, then an exemption without credit may be given for CHB5101. In accordance with Faculty of Arts policy for all masters level units, satisfactory completion of the Master of Bioethics requires achieving an average grade of credit (60 per cent) or above in the degree.