Masters (Coursework)
Is genetic enhancement of humans ethically justified? Should we proceed with research trying to clone people? Does the fact that we can prolong someone's life in a permanent vegetative state mean that we should? For decades, the growth of scientific knowledge and technical ability in medicine, genetics and the biological sciences has led to many such perplexing ethical questions. In the Master of Bioethics course, you will learn to think ethically and critically, helping you to keep pace with current advances in biomedical technology, and to anticipate those yet to come.
While a Master of Bioethics is particularly well suited to healthcare professionals and scientists who face complex ethical issues in their working lives, it also offers important skills development for those involved in public policy and law, as well as for anyone who wishes to explore issues of public concern.
An interdisciplinary approach is taken to key issues including ethical theory, questions of life and death, ethical issues in patient care, human-research ethics, legal and policy issues in bioethics, and public health ethics. It is suitable for students with little or no prior background in ethics or philosophy, but also for philosophy graduates with an interest in further study of bioethics.
You will have the opportunity to engage with industry and participate in study tours and field schools, both in Australia and overseas. For example, you may undertake collaborative work with the World Health Organisation, either at Monash or Geneva.
The teaching staff has an excellent reputation for research and teaching, and they are active and prominent contributors to public debate and professional discussions about a variety of issues in bioethics. The Monash University Centre for Human Bioethics is one of the world's top- eight bioethics centres.