Center for Bioethics to Offer Master's Program

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (Jan. 6, 2009) — The University of Minnesota Center for Bioethics has created a new interdisciplinary master’s degree program and is now accepting applications for its first class, enrolling fall 2009. 

The new program will address the most pressing and controversial issues in the bioethics field such as: end-of-life decision making; ethics of research on human subjects; conflicts of interest in research; ethics of human embryonic stem cell research; ethics of organ donation and transplantation; and health professionals’ complicity in torture.

 “There’s a growing need for top-notch educational programs in bioethics,” said  Debra DeBruin, Ph.D, associate director and assistant professor, Center for Bioethics. “Our new graduate program offers the opportunity to study at a premier bioethics center within a major research university in a vibrant metropolitan area with a large, interdisciplinary, internationally recognized faculty.”

The core of the 30-credit degree program will be made up of bioethics courses offered by Center for Bioethics faculty. The program will feature classroom study, intensive thesis research, and strong faculty mentoring. Courses are also open to graduate and professional students throughout the University. The center will continue to offer the graduate minor in bioethics.

The center especially welcomes applications from individuals who have already earned a terminal graduate or professional degree – e.g. a J.D., Ph.D., or M.D. – or those who wish to pursue joint degrees in bioethics and a related field.  This model allows students to acquire a firm disciplinary grounding as well as interdisciplinary bioethics expertise, a practice which best prepares students for bioethics-related career placement.

For more information about the Center for Bioethics and the new master’s degree contact Margie O’Neill at (612) 626-4817, bthxed@umn.edu, or visit the program’s website at: http://www.ahc.umn.edu/bioethics/education/gradprogram.html.

The Academic Health Center is home to the University of Minnesota’s six health professional schools and colleges as well as several health-related centers and institutes. Founded in 1851, the University is one of the oldest and largest land grant institutions in the country. The AHC prepares the new health professionals who improve the health of communities, discover and deliver new treatments and cures, and strengthen the health economy.

Contact:
Nick Hanson, Academic Health Center, (612) 624-2449, hans2853@umn.edu 
Margie O’Neill, Center for Bioethics, (612) 626-4817, bthxed@umn.edu