MD/MA in Bioethics & Health Policy

You will learn:

• Terminology, resources, and major frameworks of ethical analysis in biomedical ethics
• Ethical problem-solving methods
• The theory and practice of informed consent
• Codes of medical ethics
• The role of ethics committees

• Analyze the ethical theories that support the foundation of contemporary bioethics
• Incorporate spirituality into clinical encounters
• Identify biomedical ethical issues in a variety of care settings

Demonstrate a commitment to:

• Seeking social justice in medicine and society
• Addressing racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare
• Fostering cultural humility and competence
• Contributing to global health
• Promoting public health
• Advocating a renewal of medical professionalism that evidences a concern for the common good

• BEHL 401 Clinical Bioethics
• BEHL 402 Justice & Health Care
• BEHL 404 Biomedical Ethics & the Law
• BEHL 406 Principles of Health Care Ethics
• BEHL 492 Master's Research Capstone

• BEHL 403 Ethics Across the Care Continuum
• BEHL 405 Research Ethics
• BEHL 407 Social Determinants of Health and Bioethics
• BEHL 408 Ethics Genetics & Health Policy
• BEHL 409 Religion & Bioethics
• BEHL 410 Ethics Consultation Simulation Seminar
• BEHL 411 Public Health Ethics
• BEHL 412 Organizational Ethics I: Business, Professionalism, and Justice
• BEHL 413 History of Medicine & Bioethics
• BEHL 414 Moral Theology for Bioethics
• BEHL 415 Catholic Bioethics in Clinical Practice
• BEHL 416 Catholic Bioethics and Social Justice
• BEHL 417 Narrative Bioethics
• BEHL 418 Advancing Health Equity Practice
• BEHL 419 Organizational Ethics II: Ethical Leadership for a Changing Healthcare Environment
• BEHL 420 Advanced Topics in Bioethics and Law
• BEHL 425 Empirical Bioethics
• BEHL 426 Ignatian Spirituality and Medicine
• BEHL 427 Professionalism & Professional Ethics
• BEHL 429 Pediatric Ethics
• BEHL 430 Advanced Clinical Ethics Skills
• BEHL 431 Advanced Topics in Research Ethics
• BEHL 432 Global Bioethics

We accept applications for the dual-degree MD/MA in Bioethics on a rolling basis. Applicants are encouraged to apply by the deadlines outlined below:

ADMISSION TO STRITCH
Applicants must be admitted to the Stritch School of Medicine before applying for the dual-degree program.

COMPLETE APPLICATION
Apply online with no application fee. Select Biomedical Sciences as your program of interest and then choose your area of interest as Bioethics. You can also send your application materials to:

Graduate and Professional Enrollment Management
Loyola University Chicago
820 N. Michigan Avenue
Lewis Towers Suite 1200
Chicago, IL 60611

LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION
Applicants must submit three letters of recommendation.

STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
Your statement of purpose should be a brief, one page statement that explains your interest in this program. (Ex. Why are you applying? How will you integrate this degree into your career?)

WRITING SAMPLE
This should be a piece of writing that shows us you are able to write clearly and think critically. It may be something written for an academic course, something you've published, or even something written for work.

Questions? Please e-mail: gradapp@luc.edu

No, the MD/MA program does not require a thesis. Students are required to write a paper of publishable quality for a research capstone course near the end of their program. (This paper can also fulfill the project requirement of the medical school Honors Program in Bioethics & Professionalism)

Yes, students will receive credit for two independent study courses (six credits) towards the MA degree requirements.

Having a formal degree in bioethics will help those physicians who wish to take on more active roles in their professional lives with regard to a variety of ethics activities: ethics committees, ethics consultation, IRBs, teaching, research and scholarship.