Master of Arts in Bioethics & Medical Humanities

Picture of a male doctor and female colleague conversing in hallway

The Department's highly successful Master of Arts program in Bioethics and Medical Humanities emphasizes the multi- and interdisciplinary nature of the field. Since 1995, it has provided advanced training in bioethics for students and professionals who will encounter bioethical issues in the course of their primary careers. In 2017, we formally incorporated medical humanities into the program.

Bioethics and Medical Humanities Master's students/colleagues have the opportunity to work closely with department faculty in their specialty areas while completing the Master's degree in less than one year (full-time).

Vibrant and Diversified Learning Environment

Students will learn from nationally- and internationally-renowned multidisciplinary faculty with backgrounds in medicine, nursing, philosophy, law, religious studies, anthropology, sociology, public health, and history.

Students experience unique clinical rotations at four major academic medical centers to better understand applied bioethics in a hospital and at the bedside.

Concentrations in Research Ethics; Medicine, Society, and Culture; and Health Policy allow students to take a deeper dive in more specific areas within bioethics and medical humanities.

Short term study abroad gives students the opportunity to gain an appreciation for an international diversity that is critical to students of bioethics and medical humanities around the world, and can be an illuminating intellectual experience.

Find your fit in Bioethics & Medical Humanities!

CWRU’s Master’s in Bioethics and Medical Humanities is designed especially for many types of students:

  • Recent undergraduates who plan to work in healthcare, research, or academia and are interested in bioethics and medical humanities.
  • Pre-health students who wish to strengthen their medical school, physician assistant, anesthesia, clinical psychology applications while also enriching their eventual training in healthcare with a grounding in critical ethical issues and perspectives.
  • Pre-law students who hope to better understand the connection between ethics, humanities, and law as a way to enhance a law school application.
  • Graduate students in fields such as medicine, science, business, law, public affairs, anthropology, literature, humanities, or journalism who wish to combine their training with the study of bioethics and/or medical humanities.
  • Healthcare professionals or those in related fields, such as law, medicine, and nursing, who wish to enhance their skills and problem-solving abilities concerning bioethical issues.