Master of Arts in Bioethics (MA/BE)
MA/BE Purpose
The MA in Bioethics (MA/BE) equips students to analyze bioethical issues in healthcare and biotechnology and to engage bioethical challenges in relevant contexts.
PROGRAM OBJECTIVES & OUTCOMES
Students graduating from the MA/BE program will be able to:
- understand the current and emerging bioethical issues in healthcare and biotechnology
- discern the differences among competing contemporary approaches to ethics and bioethics
- engage bioethical challenges in public policy, clinical healthcare, and biomedical research contexts
- employ culturally sensitive biblical and theological frameworks for addressing issues in bioethics
- think integratively; seeing beyond individual bioethical issues to deeper questions that underlie the bioethics field as a whole
The MA in Bioethics (MA/BE) is designed with various groups of students in mind including those who are presently — or aspire to be — physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals; lawyers; people with political, public policy, social service, and ministry interests in pro-life and related areas; teachers in related university, college, or high school fields; and those involved in educating and engaging various constituencies through nonprofit organizations. The program is particularly well-suited for those with professional or other responsibilities who need a flexible program. Students can combine this masters degree with other masters programs at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. There is also a dual degree option for Trinity College undergraduates. By enrolling in online or remote courses, mentored and independent study work, and as few as one several-day campus course in the summer, the program can be completed without relocating near the Bannockburn, Illinois campus. Alternatively, a complete on-campus program is also available.
MA/BE Concurrent or second Degree Options
Participants may desire to complete the MA/BE with their primary degree program such as the TEDS Master of Divinity, Master of Arts (Theological Studies), Doctor of Philosophy (Theological Studies), Master of Arts in Chaplaincy and Ministry Care, or other programs at TGS and TEDS. In such cases, an overlap of program requirements of up to 50 percent of the shorter degree may be permissible depending on the primary degree. For example, a student combining the MA/BE with the MDiv or MA (TS) could overlap up to 18 semester hours, reducing the MA/BE program requirements to 18 additional credit hours beyond the primary degree. Coursework must be planned carefully to ensure the specific program requirements for each program are met and to maximize overlap hours. Consult the Degree Combinations section of the Catalog and the Bioethics program director for details.
MA/BE Admission Requirements
Applicants to the MA/BE program must meet the General Admission Requirements for Master’s Programs, with the exception that they must submit the following personal statements in lieu of those in the General Admission Requirements:
- Submit a personal statement of the applicant’s past and present spiritual life. This may include one’s Christian conversion and/or other significant spiritual events and formative influences in one’s life.
- Submit a personal statement outlining the applicant’s motivation to study bioethics at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, an evangelical Christian school, and his or her future goals.
ADVANCED STANDING IN THE ma/be
Advanced Standing of not more than six semester hours may be granted in the MA Bioethics program on the basis of prior undergraduate coursework and/or professional legal or clinical experience that is equivalent to that required by the Bioethics program. Advanced Standing with credit for BE 5299 or BE 5499 based on relevant professional experience and/or training shall be assessed by the program director in light of the stated program objectives with evidence of knowledge, competence, and skills aligned with the degree program. After consultation with the Bioethics program director, petitions for advanced standing must be submitted to the Academic Exceptions committee subsequent to completion of the first program course and prior to enrollment in the third semester. Consult the Advanced Standing for Credit section of the Catalog and the Bioethics program director for details.
MA/BE Residency Requirement and Program Duration
27 hours, including the final 9 program hours, must be completed through Trinity coursework. A maximum of 9 hours may be considered for transfer credit.
Residency for the MA/BE is understood as in-person interaction of instructors and students on the Bannockburn campus. The MA/BE requires 3 credit hours of on-campus residency to complete BE 6500 during the one-week intensive summer course offering. The number of online-asynchronous or remote-synchronous distance courses that can be taken in the MA/BE is limited by course availability and the requirement that students must complete the prescribed residency requirement.
Duration: Generally, two to three semesters of full-time coursework are followed by one to two semesters of Capstone work and a summer course. The program requires completion of a one-week intensive course offered in the Summer on the Bannockburn campus. Additional elective courses may be taken in the Summer as well.
All MA program requirements must be completed within six years of matriculation into the program. Petition to extend the maximum time to degree may be made by the participant to the Academic Exceptions Committee.
MA/BE Graduation Requirements
In addition to the General Graduation Requirements for all master’s programs, the following are required for the MA/BE:
- All outstanding prerequisites and entrance deficiencies and conditions are removed.
- Completion of all program concentration requirements with a minimum cumulative grade point average for program coursework of 2.5, and with no coursework applicable to the degree graded below a “C-”.
- Successfully complete an MA/BE Capstone for 1-4 semester hours.
PROGRAM OF STUDY
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Foundation Courses | 9 | |
| BE 5002 | Foundations for Cultural Engagement in Bioethics | 3 |
| BE 7600 | Theological Bioethics and Contemporary Alternatives | 3 |
| ID 5000 | Biblical Theology and Interpretation | 3 |
| Required Bioethics Courses | 17-18 | |
| BE 5000 | Introduction to Bioethics: Matters of Life and Dignity | 3 |
| or BE 5100 | Intensive Bioethics Institute | |
| BE 5200 | Research Ethics | 2 |
| BE 5299 | The Clinical Context 1 | 1 |
| BE 5300 | Clinical Issues in Bioethics | 2 |
| BE 5499 | The Public Policy Context 2 | 1 |
| BE 5500 | Bioethics and Public Policy | 2 |
| BE 6200 | Ethical Theory | 3 |
| BE 6500 | Advanced Bioethics Institute | 3-4 |
| Bioethics Capstone | 1-4 | |
| Bioethics Capstone Project | ||
or BE 7480 | Bioethics Capstone Integrative or Major Paper | |
| Bioethics Electives | 4-9 | |
| Students choose 4-9 hours from any of the courses listed below, depending on how many hours they earn for their capstone. Students should consult with an academic advisor in planning their individual programs of study. | ||
| BE 5400 | Nursing Ethics | 2 |
| BE 5600 | Law and Bioethics | 2 |
| BE 5700 | The Right to Life & the Law | 2-3 |
| BE 5800 | Contemporary Issues in Bioethics | 1-3 |
| BE 5900 | Bioethics National Conference | 2-3 |
| BE 6100 | Bioethics Colloquium | 1-2 |
| BE 6300 | Bioethics, Human Dignity, and the Church | 2-3 |
| BE 6400 | Readings in Bioethics | 3 |
| BE 6600 | Classic Cases in Bioethics | 3 |
| BE 6700 | Personhood in Theological & Philosophical Perspective | 3 |
| BE 6800 | Global Health and Justice | 2-3 |
| BE 6950 | Bioethics Practicum | 1-3 |
| BE 7300 | Advanced Clinical Ethics | 1-3 |
| BE 7700 | Bioethics Seminar | 1-4 |
| Total Hours | 36 | |
- 1
Students with formal clinical-medical training can apply for advanced standing to satisfy the BE 5299 requirement.
- 2
Students with formal legal or public policy training can apply for advanced standing to satisfy the BE 5499 requirement.
REQUIRED CAPSTONE EXPERIENCE (0-4 HOURS)
Preparation for work in the field of bioethics should include at least one endeavor that is not merely focused on a particular bioethical issue but is integrative in nature, encompassing multiple issues. The capstone course can involve writing an integrative paper, or developing a special project such as a bioethics curriculum, a sermon/talk series, or a written reflection on a clinical, public policy, or other bioethics-related internship experience.
Students should register for BE 7478 or BE 7480 in the semester they intend to start the project or paper. Students making progress toward completion of a capstone but unable to finish in a single semester, can apply for a capstone extension. They must then register for BE 7486 Capstone Extension. A capstone extension fee will be assessed.
Students should schedule a capstone preparation meeting with the bioethics program director at least one semester prior to working on the capstone requirement in order to discuss topical areas, capstone options, and a potential supervisor. An Independent Study & Capstone Registration form (available on myTIU) must be completed to register for all capstone and guided research (BE 7501) courses. All capstones involving research with human subjects must be approved by the TIU IRB prior to the beginning of that research, with the application for approval due by the end of the semester that precedes the semester in which the research is to take place.
COURSE SEQUENCING
Either BE 5000 or BE 5100 must be taken before BE 6500. When the elective BE 7300 is offered, only those who have clinical/medical experience (or permission from the professor) and have completed BE 5300 can take it. It is recommended that the three foundational courses—ID 5000, BE 5002, and either BE 5000 or BE 5100—be taken before other bioethics courses. Professors teaching other bioethics courses will assume that all students in those courses either will have taken these four courses or will at least have read a relevant text for each of those courses not yet taken. A list of relevant texts for these courses may be found in the Bioethics Department section of myTIU.