MA in Bioethics Paired with Master of Divinity

BASIC IDEA

Nine credit hours automatically double-count in both degrees; and six more hours also double-count if the right courses are selected. In sum: only 15 hours beyond the MDiv degree may be required in order to earn the MA-Bioethics degree as well.

DESCRIPTION

Students in the Master of Divinity (MDiv) degree program can add an MA in Bioethics (MA/BE) without substantially lengthening their stay at Trinity. There is a rapidly growing need in the church for leadership to address bioethical challenges in the lives of individuals, families, communities, and the larger world. Such leaders ideally need more theological preparation than a bioethics degree alone can provide, and they need more training in bioethics than the MDiv degree can provide. Moreover, there is a societal movement toward requiring a credential, such as a bioethics Master’s degree, for individuals involved in bioethical decision-making in healthcare (including chaplains and pastors), public policy, education, and other public arenas. In light of Trinity’s global leadership role in bioethics, the ability of students to add the MA/BE degree to their MDiv is an attractive option for Trinity students. 

FEATURES 

  • Only 15 hours of Master’s-level coursework in bioethics beyond the MDiv (including AP MDiv) may be required.
  • Students can participate in the May Commencement for both degrees at the end of their final TEDS year (assuming no more than 6 BE hours remain to be completed in the summer that follows).
  • The capstone or internship course in the MDiv degree program will fulfill the capstone requirement for the MA/BE degree as well, as long as bioethical issues play a significant role in it (as certified to the Records Office by the professor overseeing the course).
  • MDiv students will not need to take BE 5001, BE 5002, and BE 6200 in their MA/BE program.
  • Students should take enough BE course hours as electives in their MDiv degree program that those hours plus the hours earned for their bioethics-related capstone or internship course total 6 hours.
  • If 6 such hours are not completed in the MDiv degree program, then the missing hours must be added to the 15 hours needed to complete the MA/BE degree.
  • The following courses must be taken either within the MDiv degree program or as part of the additional 15 BE hours for the MA/BE degree program:
BE 5000Introduction to Bioethics: Matters of Life and Dignity3
or BE 5100 Intensive Bioethics Institute
BE 5200Research Ethics2
BE 5300Clinical Issues in Bioethics2
BE 5500Bioethics and Public Policy2
BE 6500Advanced Bioethics Institute3
Total Hours12

MODEL CURRICULAR PLAN

The actual curricular plan will vary with individuals. In this model curricular plan, students would take the following courses:

Any fall or summer before the final year of MDiv studies:
BE 5000Introduction to Bioethics: Matters of Life and Dignity3
or BE 5100 Intensive Bioethics Institute
Any fall of MDiv studies after completing BE 5000 or BE 5100:
BE 5200Research Ethics2
BE 5499The Public Policy Context 11
BE 5500Bioethics and Public Policy2
Any spring of MDiv studies after completing BE 5000 or BE 5100:
BE 5299The Clinical Context 11
BE 5300Clinical Issues in Bioethics2
BE 6100Bioethics Colloquium1
Near the end of MDiv Studies:
Bioethics-related capstone or internship course in the MDiv degree program - plus BE elective hours6
Near the end of BE studies:
BE 6500Advanced Bioethics Institute3
Of the 21 total BE hours here, 6 also may count toward the MDiv degree
Total Hours21