MA in Bioethics paired with MA in Leadership

BASIC IDEA

Up to ten hours can double-count if the right courses are selected. In summary: only 26 hours beyond the MA-Leadership degree are required in order to earn the MA-Bioethics degree as well.

DESCRIPTION

Students in either the MA Bioethics (MA/BE) or the MA Leadership (MA/L) degree program can add the other degree without substantially lengthening their stay at Trinity. There is a rapidly growing need in society for leadership to address bioethical challenges in the lives of individuals, families, communities, and the larger world. Such leaders ideally need more training in leadership (for example, non-profit, organizational, or international leadership) than a bioethics degree alone can provide, and they need more training in bioethics than a leadership 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 many arenas where people with leadership training work. In light of Trinity’s global leadership role in bioethics, the ability of students to add the MA/BE degree to their MA/L degree is an attractive option for Trinity students. 

FEATURES 

  • Only 26 hours of Master’s-level coursework in bioethics beyond the MA/L degree are required.
  • Students can participate in the May Commencement for both degrees at the end of their final academic year (assuming no more than 6 non-capstone hours remain to be completed in the summer that follows).
  • Students complete a single 4-hour capstone course on a topic in the realm of “Leadership and Bioethics,” which counts as 4 hours in each of the two degree programs. If a bioethics professor oversees the course it should be registered as a bioethics capstone, and if a leadership professor oversees the course it should be registered as a leadership capstone.
  • In addition to the shared capstone, students can double-count 6 other hours of courses taken in the MA/BE program as elective hours in their MA/L program.
  • If 6 such hours are not completed in the MA/L degree program, then the missing hours must be added to the 26 hours needed to complete the MA/BE degree. To graduate, students must complete a minimum of 36 hours in bioethics program coursework inclusive of any overlap hours with the MA/L.

     
  • The following courses must be taken either within the MA/L degree program or as part of the additional 26 hours for the MA/BE degree program: 
  • BE 5000Introduction to Bioethics: Matters of Life and Dignity3
    or BE 5100 Intensive Bioethics Institute
    BE 5002Foundations for Cultural Engagement in Bioethics3
    BE 5200Research Ethics2
    BE 5299The Clinical Context1
    BE 5300Clinical Issues in Bioethics2
    BE 5499The Public Policy Context1
    BE 5500Bioethics and Public Policy2
    BE 6200Ethical Theory3
    BE 6500Advanced Bioethics Institute3
    BE 7600Theological Bioethics and Contemporary Alternatives3
    ID 5000Biblical Theology and Interpretation3
    Total Hours26

  • MODEL CURRICULAR PLAN

The actual curricular plan will vary with individuals. In this model curricular plan, students would take the following courses (in addition to the MA/L courses including ID 5000, BE 5002, and the capstone):

Any fall of summer before the final year of MA/L studies:
BE 5000Introduction to Bioethics: Matters of Life and Dignity3
or BE 5100 Intensive Bioethics Institute
Any fall of MA/L studies after completing BE 5000 or BE 5100:
BE 5002Foundations for Cultural Engagement in Bioethics3
BE 5200Research Ethics2
BE 5499The Public Policy Context1
BE 5500Bioethics and Public Policy2
ID 5000Biblical Theology and Interpretation3
Any spring of MA/L studies after completing BE 5000 or BE 5100:
BE 5299The Clinical Context1
BE 5300Clinical Issues in Bioethics2
BE 6200Ethical Theory3
BE 7600Theological Bioethics and Contemporary Alternatives3-4
Any fall, spring, or summer of MA/L studies after completing BE 5000 or BE 5100:
Bioethics-related capstone in the MA/L degree program plus bioethics elective hours10
Near the end of MA/BE studies:
BE 6500Advanced Bioethics Institute3
Of the 30 total bioethics hours here, 10 may also count toward the MA/L degree.
Total Hours36-37
 
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