Degree Requirements and Curriculum

Students in the Plan A (i.e. thesis-based) Master’s Degree program are required to take at least 30 graduate credits: 20 credits of courses and 10 thesis credits.

Students in Plan B (i.e. project-based) Master’s Degree program are required to take at least 30 graduate credits: 23 credits of courses and a combination of 7 capstone project credits as determined between student and advisor.

Plan A and Plan B Core Courses (6 credits total)

BTHX 5010 - Bioethics Proseminar (2 cr) To be taken Fall of 1st year
The Proseminar will familiarize graduate students with a wide range of topics in bioethics and the work of a number of faculty affiliated with the program, to help students select mentors and research programs. The Proseminar will be open only to bioethics graduate students (Master’s students and Bioethics Graduate Minors), with an aim of fostering community among them.
BTHX 5300 - Foundations of Bioethics (3 cr) To be taken 1st year
This course provides an overview of major theoretical frameworks and foundational issues in bioethics, including moral frameworks, sociology of knowledge, etc.

And

BTHX 5610 - Bioethics Research and Publication (1 cr) This is a how-to course in academic publication. It focuses on scientific papers and addresses career publication strategy, selecting publication venues, literature searching, resolving authorship issues, ethics in publication, and special topics in manuscript formatting (structure abstract, paper sections, citations, footnotes, and acknowledgments).

BTHX 5630 Bioethics Colloquium (1 cr) Students will attend presentations of their choice from a variety of departments and programs across campus or beyond that deal in some way with ethics as a theoretical and/or applied concept including but not limited to the fields of social science, law, public policy, and global health. This colloquium is designed to foster thinking about how these disparate frameworks and practices can be usefully put into conversation with bioethics and with the student's own research. Students submit reflections on colloquia presentations to the Director of Graduate Studies. Open to Bioethics Graduate Students only.

Plan A Electives and Thesis

Plan A Electives (14 credits total)
Bioethics courses (BTHX): at least 8 cr*
Related fields outside Bioethics: at least 6 cr*

Sample courses appropriate to related fields can be found in Elective Options. Courses fulfilling this requirement must be chosen in consultation with the student’s advisor to ensure their appropriateness for the student’s course of study. Students may elect a graduate minor to fulfill this requirement. However, students may also elect to take courses from different programs, for example, a health policy course from the School of Public Health and a health law course from the Law School.

*Course Credits: of the 20 total required course credits, at least 1 BTHX course and at least 2 courses total are to be taken at the 8xxx level. The 10 thesis credits do not count towards course credits.

Plan A Master's Thesis Credits (at least 10 credits)
Students in Plan A are also required to complete at least 10 thesis credits (BTHX 8777) and write a thesis. The final exam will be oral. The Plan A final exam committee must include two Bioethics graduate faculty members and one graduate faculty member outside of Bioethics. The "outside" member of the committee will be from the graduate faculty of the minor field, if the student has completed a graduate minor.

Plan B Electives and Capstone Project

Plan B Electives - 17 credits total
Bioethics courses (BTHX): at least 8 credits*
Related fields outside Bioethics: at least 9 credits*

*Course Credits: of the 23 total required course credits, at least 1 BTHX course and at least 2 courses total are to be taken at the 8xxx level. The 7 capstone project credits do not count towards course credits.

Plan B Capstone (Project) (at least 7 credits)
Students in Plan B are also required to complete 7 capstone project credits (BTHX 8755) as determined between student and advisor, culminating in a capstone project relevant to their interests, experience, and intended use of the MA in Bioethics.

Students will design the project and its corollary product in conjunction with the full MA committee.

GPA

Students must maintain a minimum GPA of 3.0 (B) to remain in good standing.

Plan A and Plan B Comparison Summary

Plan A	Plan B
Minimum 30 credits 20 course credits** + 10 thesis credits	Minimum 30 credits 23 course credits** + 7 capstone project credits
REQUIREMENTS:	REQUIREMENTS:
Core courses - 6 credits total BTHX 5010 Bioethics Proseminar (2 cr) BTHX 5300 Foundations of Bioethics (3 cr) BTHX 5610 Research & Publication (1 cr) OR BTHS 5630 Bioethics Colloquium (1 cr) Electives - 14 credits total Bioethics courses (BTHX) at least 8 credits Related fields outside Bioethics at least 6 credits Thesis (Paper) - 10 credits total	Core courses - 6 credits total BTHX 5010 Bioethics Proseminar (2 cr) BTHX 5300 Foundations of Bioethics (3 cr) BTHX 5610 Research & Publication (1 cr) OR BTHX 5630 Bioethics Colloquium (1 cr) Electives - 17 credits total Bioethics courses (BTHX) at least 8 credits Related fields outside Bioethics at least 9 credits Capstone (Project) - 7 credits total (BTHX 8755)
** Course credits: of the 20 total required course credits, at least 1 BTHX course and at least 2 courses total are to be taken at the 8xxx level. The 10 thesis project credits do not count towards course credits.	** Course Credits: of the 23 total required course credits, at least 1 BTHX course and at least 2 courses total are to be taken at the 8xxx level. The 7 capstone project credits do not count towards course credits.
The Final Exam will be oral.	The Final Exam may be oral or written.