Program Overview

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Master of Arts in Bioethics

The Master of Arts in Bioethics at NYU GPH is a graduate degree that explores the ethical, legal, and social questions that arise in medicine, public health, life sciences, and emerging technologies. This program combines rigorous training in philosophy with applied learning in healthcare ethics, health policy, global health, emerging technologies, and environmental ethics.

Program Overview

• The program is designed to provide students with a deep understanding of the ethical, legal, and social questions that arise in medicine, public health, life sciences, and emerging technologies.
• Students will develop concepts and analytical skills that enable them to think critically about pressing challenges in the broad field of bioethics.
• The program offers a flexible curriculum that allows students to select five electives to hone their bioethics degree's focus.

Key Skills

• Understand the normative philosophical theories that underlie bioethics, clinical practice, research, neuroethics, the ethics of new biotechnologies, the ethics of global public health, and ethics of animals and the environment.
• Grasp key ethical issues and questions that arise in bioethics, clinical practice, research, neuroethics, the ethics of new biotechnologies, the ethics of global public health, and ethics of animals and the environment.
• Analyze and put forward original ideas and arguments that engage with scholarly work and public policy in bioethics.
• Understand how ethical issues are addressed in practical, medical, and environmental settings.

Broad Areas of Study

• Clinical Ethics: doctor/patient relationships, conscientious objection, beginning and end of life care, and fair allocation of scarce medical resources.
• Research Ethics: the use of placebos, conflicts of interest and clinical trials, research on animals and vulnerable populations, and research in developing countries.
• Global and Population Ethics: global disparities in health and public health, global pandemics, population growth, human rights to health and health care, and foreign aid and its critics.
• Ethics of New Technologies: embryonic stem cells, cloning, assisted reproductive technology, genetic engineering, and synthetic biology.
• Neuroethics: cognitive and mood enhancements, addiction and criminal responsibility, borderline consciousness, neuroscience of moral decision-making, brain imaging technologies, and mental health.
• Environmental & Animal Ethics: climate change, species preservation, biodiversity loss, ecosystem services, the use and misuse of animals, and ethics of agriculture and food production.

Practicum

• As a culminating project, students complete a hands-on practicum at a health or environmental organization either in the greater New York area or farther afield.
• Students have worked at the President's Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues, the American Medical Association, the National Institutes of Health, the Pan American Health Organization, and Mumbai's King Edward Memorial Hospital.

Interdisciplinary Approach

• The program is housed in the School of Global Public Health and has its own full-time core faculty who have extensive experience in bioethics.
• The interdisciplinary approach to the field also includes faculty affiliates from top-ranked departments across New York University, such as Philosophy, Psychology, Anthropology, and Environmental Medicine, as well as from the Grossman School of Medicine, the Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, and the School of Law.

Where Our Alumni Work

• Senior Policy Analyst, Americans for Responsible Innovation
• Feasibility Manager, Novartis
• Senior Research Analyst, Crisil (S&P Global)
• Surgeon, the Institute of Clinical Sciences at the University of Gothenburg
• Associate Professor, University of Ghana Medical School
• Data Librarian, Head of Data Sharing and Metadata Management, NYU Langone Health
• Chief Administrative & Strategy Officer, AdvantageCare Physicians
• Co-Executive Director, The Archewell Foundation
• Sustainability Program Manager, Ochsner Health
• Health Policy and Programs Manager, MinKwon Center for Community Action

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a master’s in bioethics?

• A master’s in bioethics is a graduate degree that explores the ethical, legal, and social questions that arise in medicine, public health, life sciences, and emerging technologies.

What topics are covered in an MA in Bioethics program?

• An MA in Bioethics program typically covers the ethical, legal, and social questions that arise in medicine, research, and the life sciences.

What specific skills or competencies will I gain from a bioethics master's degree?

• Our bioethics master’s degree builds skills in critical thinking and analysis, communication, and applying ethical reasoning to the most complex problems in medicine, research, technology, and global health.

What can you do with a master's in bioethics?

• A master’s in bioethics prepares students to tackle ethical challenges in medicine, law, research, public and social policy, and emerging technologies.

How does a Bioethics MA prepare me for public policy or healthcare leadership?

• Our MA in Bioethics program is uniquely positioned to prepare students for careers in public policy and healthcare leadership.

How long does a master’s in bioethics take?

• It takes 1 year to complete a master’s in bioethics for full-time students and 1.5 to 2 years to complete for part-time students.

Can I do an MA in Bioethics part-time or while working?

• Yes, we offer a flexible curriculum that can be completed part-time while working.

What are the admission requirements for a bioethics master’s?

• We welcome applicants who hold a bachelor’s, master’s, or professional degree from a regionally accredited institution or the international equivalent.

Are there scholarships and financial aid available for masters in bioethics students?

• Yes, scholarships and financial aid are available.

Is bioethics a growing field?

• Bioethics is expanding, driven by innovations in AI, biotechnology, genetics, and global health, which continually raise fresh ethical challenges.

How does bioethics apply to real-world decision-making?

• Bioethics provides the tools to navigate the complex choices that arise where science, medicine, technology, and society intersect.

What ethical issues does bioethics deal with?

• Our MA in Bioethics program engages with the full spectrum of ethical questions shaping medicine, science, and society.

How do bioethics programs typically integrate ethical, legal, and clinical aspects?

• Integration is at the heart of our MA in Bioethics, combining the philosophical foundations of ethics with direct engagement in law, medicine, and public health.

What's the difference between a Master of Arts and a Master of Science in Bioethics?

• The main difference between a Master of Arts in Bioethics and a Master of Science in Bioethics is academic orientation, with an MA emphasizing humanities, philosophy, and ethical theory, and an MS emphasizing science, research methods, and clinical applications.