M.A., Ph.D. and Dr. in Healthcare Ethics

Learning Outcomes

• Students can understand, analyze and apply HCE theory and methods to major topics and issues in contemporary healthcare ethics.
• Students can analyze critically the relationship of HCE with multidisciplinary fields in healthcare (empirical research, law, medicine, philosophy, religion, science and technology) as well as a global enterprise (using research from anthropology, sociology, political sciences and international human rights law).
• Students can examine, analyze scholarly research and write scholarly essays and papers as a result of the research.
• Students can integrate academic learning with experiential learning in clinical or organizational rotations as a function of service-learning and development as an HCE professional.
• Students can function as an HCE expert and provide ethical leadership with knowledge, skills, competencies and character traits in diverse settings such as ethics committees, institutional review boards and ethics consultations.
• Students can foster co-curricular practices for life-long learning to personally value and engage the clinical, organizational and professional components of HCE in a global context.

M.A. Degree (30 credits)

This master’s program requires a total of 10 courses (30 credits): a graduate-level introduction to normative healthcare ethics, a general graduate-level introduction to empirical methods in healthcare ethics plus eight courses selected from the general healthcare ethics courses. Students select the eight HCE courses, according to their interests. 
 
There is no requirement for a thesis or for a comprehensive examination. 

If, after earning the M.A. degree, a student wants to move on to the Ph.D. program, 18 more credits will be required, so that 48 total credits have been completed before they may apply for the comprehensive examination. 

 

M.A. in Catholic Healthcare Ethics Degree (30 credits)

The program includes a total of 10 courses (30 credits): a graduate-level introduction to normative healthcare ethics, a general graduate-level introduction to empirical methods in healthcare ethics plus eight courses selected from the general healthcare ethics courses. Students select the eight HCE courses, according to their interests. 

There is no requirement for a thesis or for a comprehensive examination.

If, after earning the M.A. degree, a student wants to move on to the Ph.D. program, 18 more credits will be required, so that 48 total credits have been completed before they may apply for the comprehensive examination.

 

M.A./JD Joint Degree

The Joint Degree program reduces the required credits for these two degrees from a minimum of 117 credits (87 credits for the J.D. and 30 credits for the M.A.) to a minimum of 95 credits through credit-sharing (advanced standing).

Advanced Standing

Students may earn advanced standing towards the M.A. for up to ten (10) J.D. credits as follows:

Required courses (choose 4 credits)

• Health Care Law (2 credits)
• Healthcare Market Place (2)
• Legal Medicine (2)

 J.D. Elective credits (choose 6 credits) 

Students select from the following J.D. courses:

• Health Care Law (2 credits)
• Healthcare Market Place (2)
• Legal Medicine (2)
• Alternative Dispute Resolution (2)
• Animal Law (2)
• Art of Mediation (2)
• Canon Law (2)
• Children and the Law (3)
• Environmental Law (3)
• Gender & the Law (2)
• Governance, Compliance, and Risk Management (3)
• Philosophy of Law (3)
• Public Health Law & Policy (2)
• Wills and Healthcare Clinic (3)
• Veterans Clinic (3)
• Race and the Law (3)

M.A. Elective credits (choose 12 credits)

Students may earn advanced standing towards the J.D. for up to twelve (12) M.A. credits; however, the courses taken in the M.A. program that are too similar to courses taught in the School of Law will not be accepted as shared credits for advanced standing.  Pursuant to ABA Standard 311, Interpretation 311-1(b)(2), all advanced standing credits awarded toward the J.D. degree shall count as non-classroom credits.  The M.A. courses available for advanced standing are:

•  HCE 648 Clinical ethics (3 credits)
• HCE 645 Comparative religious bioethics (3)
• HCE 643 End of Life Care Ethics (3)
• HCE 653 Genetics and ethics (3)
• HCE 662 Organizational ethics in health care (3)
• HCE 654 Research ethics (3)
• HCE 655 Global bioethics (3)
• HCE-650 Beginning of Life Ethics (3)
• HCE 646 CORE I (2 or 3 credits)

Total Credits Required 

For the M.A. in Healthcare Ethics, twenty (20) additional M.A. credits will be required (in addition to the ten (10) J.D. advance standing credits from the list of courses above):

Required courses (6 credits)

• HCE-659 Normative Methods in Healthcare Ethics (3 credits)

• HCE-649 Empirical methods in Healthcare Ethics (3)

  Five courses from the list of electives above (14 credits, 12 of which will count as advance standing credits toward the J.D.)
  For the J.D., a total of 87 credits is required, which includes in addition to the 12 advance standing credits, 49 – 50 required credits and 25 – 26 J.D. credits earned in elective courses.  
  See Curricular Details, below.

Policies and Procedures

Admission

• Students must apply and be accepted to both programs of study.   Each school shall independently determine admission to its program. Law students may not matriculate into the MA/JD Joint Degree program without the advance approval of the academic Status Committee.
• A competitive LSAT score is required for admission to the Law School and will not be waived based on an applicant’s GMAT or GRE score. 
• Admission to one school shall not guarantee entry to the other school.
• Details about applying to the M.A. in Healthcare Ethics program are available at the website of the Center of Global Health Ethics.
• Details about applying to the J.D. program are available at the website of the Law School.

Matriculation

• Prospective students may apply to the J.D. first and to the M.A. in the spring semester of their first year or they may apply to the J.D./M.A. directly. However, students may not take M.A. and J.D. courses simultaneously until after all first-year law courses have been completed.
• Law students who wish to matriculate into the J.D./M.A. in Healthcare Ethics Joint Degree program after beginning their legal studies must petition the Academic Status Committee. 
• Students currently enrolled in the M.A. in Healthcare Ethics may apply to the J.D./M.A. Joint Degree Program provided that they have not completed more than 60% of the course requirements for the M.A. in Healthcare Ethics. Student who are admitted to the J.D. in this way will have to pause their studies in the M.A. for one year.
• A J.D. student who is not in good standing may not take M.A. and J.D. courses simultaneously.
• Full-time law students in this program must enroll in a minimum of ten (10) J.D. credits per semester and may not exceed a maximum of eighteen (18) credits, J.D. and M.A. combined, per semester.  Part-time day and evening law students must enroll in a minimum of eight (8) J.D. credits per semester and may not exceed a maximum of thirteen (13) credits, J.D. and M.A. combined, per semester.

Graduation

• In addition to the requirements of the J.D./M.A. Joint Degree program, students must successfully complete the additional graduation requirements of each program of study in order to be awarded its degree.
• Students who successfully complete all requirements of both programs of study will receive two degrees. The degrees do not need to be conferred simultaneously. 
• Courses from one program that are counted toward the other program will be applied to the student’s transcript as advanced standing credits. 

Curricula Details

 

Ph.D. Programs in Healthcare Ethics

Learning Outcomes

• Students can understand, analyze and apply HCE theory and methods to major topics and issues in contemporary healthcare ethics.
• Students can analyze critically the relationship of HCE with multidisciplinary fields in healthcare (empirical research, law, medicine, philosophy, religion, science and technology) as well as a global enterprise (using research from anthropology, sociology, political sciences and international human rights law).
• Students can perform independent scholarly research, write scholarly essays and present academic papers that meet the standards of scholarly research in HCE.
• Students can integrate academic learning with experiential learning in clinical or organizational rotations as a function of service-learning and development as an HCE professional.
• Students can function as an HCE expert and provide ethical leadership with knowledge, skills, competencies and character traits in a diverse settings such as ethics committees, institutional review boards and ethics consultations.
• Students can foster co-curricular practices for life-long learning to personally value and engage the clinical, organizational and professional components of HCE in a global context.
  

Ph.D. and Dr. Degree (42 credits)

The Doctoral Curriculum requires 12 courses (36 credits) beyond the Master's degree from another institution or program. After Comprehensive Exams, both Doctoral Degree Programs require six credits of dissertation hours.

Doctoral Course Planner

The Doctoral Degree Programs adopt the following Course Planner to enable students to track their coursework. All courses are 3-credit hours. All course selections must be approved by the student's academic advisor. The only mandatory courses are HCE 649 Empirical Methods in Healthcare Ethics and HCE 659 Normative Methods in Healthcare Ethics. Students choose their remaining courses from the following:

• HCE 643 End of Life Care Ethics
• HCE 645 Comparative Religious Bioethics
• HCE 648 Clinical Ethics
• HCE 649 Empirical Methods in HCE
• HCE 650 Beginning of Life Ethics
• HCE 653 Genetics & Ethics
• HCE 654 Research Ethics
• HCE 655 Global Bioethics
• HCE 658 Intensive Research in Healthcare Ethics
• HCE 659 Normative Methods in HCE
• HCE 660 Research Writing in HCE
• HCE 662 Organizational HCE
• HCE 690 Independent Study

Clinical Rotations

• HCE 646 Junior Clinical Rotation I
• HCE 647 Junior Clinical Rotation II
• HCE 681 Senior Clinical Internship I
• HCE 682 Senior Clinical Internship II

Doctoral Course Planner for
Catholic Healthcare Ethics

The Doctoral Degree Program adopts the following Course Planner to enable students to track their coursework. All courses are 3-credit hours. All course selections must be approved by the student's academic advisor. The only mandatory courses are HCE 649 Empirical Methods in Healthcare Ethics and HCE 659 Normative Methods in Healthcare Ethics. Students choose their remaining courses from the following:

• HCE 742 Multicultural Society
• HCE 743 Ethics of Care
• HCE 745 Comp. Rel. Bioethics
• HCE 748 Clinical Ethics
• HCE 753 Genetics & Ethics
• HCE 754 Research Ethics
• HCE 755 Global Bioethics
• HCE 756 End of Life Ethics
• HCE 757 Public Health Ethics
• HCE 758 Intensive Research
• HCE 759 Normative Methods in HCE
• HCE 760 Research Writing in HCE
• HCE 762 Organizational HCE
• HCE 790 Independent Study

Clinical Rotations

• HCE 746 Clinical Rotation
• HCE-747 Jr. Rotation
• HCE 781 Sr. Internship
• HCE 782 Sr. Internship

Comprehensive Examination

Written comprehensive examinations occur after a student completes doctoral degree course work requirements. There are two full-time HCE faculty examiners. A detailed outline of the Comprehensive Examination process is available in the HCE Handbook of Policies and Guidelines.

Dissertation (Ph.D.) or Project (DHCE)

The PhD degree is a research degree that combines academic and clinical education to train students in a systematic and critical manner to be scholars in the field. Hence, the PhD dissertation focuses upon appropriate research and writing competencies to be successful scholars in the field.

The DHCE degree is a professional degree that combines academic and clinical education to train students in a systematic and critical manner to be clinically oriented professionals in the field. Hence, the DHCE project is a practical endeavor that focuses upon the appropriate clinical and writing competencies to be successful professionals in the field.

A Faculty Committee (Director and Readers) is assigned to supervise the student in the phase of doctoral writing. After the Committee ascertains that the dissertation or project has been completed satisfactorily, there is an oral Doctoral Defense with the following possible outcomes: formal approval or the requirement to resubmit the text based on critiques at the defense.

Upon successfully completing the above the student proceeds to Graduation, following the requirements of the University for submitting the doctoral text and planning for graduation.

A detailed outline of the process for doctoral writing, the doctoral defense, and graduation is available in the HCE Handbook of Policies and Guidelines.

Ph.D. in Nursing Ethics Joint Degree

The School of Nursing and the McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts Center for Health Care Ethics offer an interdisciplinary Ph.D. in Nursing Ethics. This one-of-a-kind Ph.D. program in Nursing Ethics combines doctoral courses in Nursing and Healthcare Ethics. This online program may be completed in four years, with select residency requirements, including a study abroad component.

Course credits:

26 credits - Nursing
12 credits - Health Care Ethics
3 credits - Cognate
6 credits - Dissertation
47 Total Credits