نظرة عامة على البرنامج

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Master of Arts Program

The Master of Arts in Medical Humanities and Bioethics program emphasizes the interdisciplinary study of bioethics through the humanities and the values-oriented social sciences. The goal of the program is a rigorous master's level education in the legal, historical, philosophical, and cultural contexts of medicine. When combined with the Feinberg medical degree, graduates will be able to use their multidisciplinary understanding of medicine in their teaching, advising, and ethical decision making.

Logistics

This program is designed to fit around Feinberg's medical curriculum. There are two options for completing the MA coursework. Both options allow time to study for the boards and to complete your clinical rotations. The core courses meet from 6 to 9 p.m. once weekly. The Special Topics lectures meet every Thursday from noon to 12:45 p.m., and the lectures are typically recorded and made available for download for those unable to attend. All classes meet on Northwestern University's Chicago campus.

Curriculum

Our curriculum consists of eight courses, two tutorials, and a capstone project. The two most common ways to complete curriculum are illustrated below. Courses can be completed in any order.

Four-year, Part-time Plan (Typical)

• Quarter:
  • Fall: MHB 401: Foundations of Bioethics, MHB 410: Special Topics in Medical Humanities & Bioethics
  • Winter: MHB 404: Literature & Medicine, MHB 410: Special Topics in Medical Humanities & Bioethics
  • Spring: MHB 402: Medicine & Law, MHB 410: Special Topics in Medical Humanities & Bioethics
  • Summer: MHB 403: History of Medicine

Five-year, Full-time Plan (Secondary Option)

• Quarter:
  • Fall: MHB 401: Foundations of Bioethics, MHB 405: Social Science & Medicine, MHB 410: Special Topics in Medical Humanities & Bioethics
  • Winter: MHB 404: Literature & Medicine, MHB 406: The Practice of Bioethics, MHB 410: Special Topics in Medical Humanities & Bioethics
  • Spring: MHB 402: Medicine & Law, MHB 499: Tutorial in MH&B, MHB 410: Special Topics in Medical Humanities & Bioethics
  • Summer: MHB 403: History of Medicine, MHB 499: Tutorial in MH&B

Alumni Outcomes

Northwestern MD/MA graduates match in all specialties, including emergency medicine, surgery, ob/gyn, internal medicine, pediatrics, psychiatry, and plastic surgery. Our fourth-year students often report that their MA program participation is raised in residency interviews as rare, additional training that sets them apart from other candidates.

Equipped with both degrees, MD/MA graduates often apply their MHB education in roles of ethics leadership at their institutions, in research and publishing, in medical education, and in policy and advocacy work. Our graduates often express that their medical humanities and bioethics education gives them additional confidence in their clinical decision making and makes them better doctors.

Tuition

The tuition for the MA portion of the combined MD/MA program is approximately $48,300 (versus approximately $83,800 for the MA as a freestanding student). Your MA tuition follows the same billing cycle as the medical tuition, with the first half of each year's tuition in the summer and the second in the winter. This amount is set by the medical school and increases should be expected in each new academic year.

Substantial financial aid is available. Medical students with high financial need can expect over half of their MA tuition to be covered by financial aid provided by the MHB graduate program.

Admissions

Applications to the combined medical and master of arts program (combined MD/MA program) begin with an application for admission to Northwestern's Feinberg School of Medicine. There is a separate application for the master's degree portion of the program, because this degree is provided by the Graduate School. Since our application deadline is much later than the medical school's, we recommend that you wait to hear that you have been accepted into the MD program before completing the second application.

• Application requirements:
  • A one-page statement of purpose describing why you are seeking a combined-degree program
  • A writing sample
  • Two letters of recommendation from a faculty member or employer
  • MCAT scores will be accepted in place of GRE scores
  • Unofficial transcripts are sufficient for the application
• English proficiency:
  • If English is not your native language, you must provide official scores from the TOEFL or IELTS standardized test that fulfill the requirements defined by The Graduate School
  • You are exempt from this requirement if you have previously completed a degree from an accredited institution where the primary language of instruction is English

Application Deadlines

• Entering quarter:
  • Winter 2026: Monday, November 10, 2025
  • Fall 2026: Monday, July 6, 2026

Research Areas

• Areas of Research:
  • Communications and Decision Making
  • Biobanking/Personalized Medicine
  • Medical Humanities Scholarship
  • Transplantation Ethics
  • Education Research
  • Policy

Program Overview

The Master of Arts in Medical Humanities and Bioethics program is designed to provide students with a rigorous master's level education in the legal, historical, philosophical, and cultural contexts of medicine. The program is interdisciplinary, combining the humanities and values-oriented social sciences to study bioethics. The goal of the program is to equip students with a multidisciplinary understanding of medicine, enabling them to apply their knowledge in teaching, advising, and ethical decision making. The program is designed to fit around Feinberg's medical curriculum, with two options for completing the MA coursework. The curriculum consists of eight courses, two tutorials, and a capstone project. The program is available in two plans: a four-year, part-time plan and a five-year, full-time plan. The tuition for the MA portion of the combined MD/MA program is approximately $48,300, with substantial financial aid available. Applications to the combined medical and master of arts program begin with an application for admission to Northwestern's Feinberg School of Medicine, followed by a separate application for the master's degree portion of the program. The program has a strong focus on research, with areas of research including communications and decision making, biobanking/personalized medicine, medical humanities scholarship, transplantation ethics, education research, and policy. The program is designed to provide students with a comprehensive education in medical humanities and bioethics, preparing them for careers in ethics leadership, research, publishing, medical education, and policy and advocacy work.