Master of Arts (Applied Ethics)

The course aims to provide professionals and others who have a general interest in applied ethics with a philosophical education in one or more areas of applied ethics. Applied areas on offer in 2003 (subject to enrolments) are: Bioethics, Ethical Issues in Research, Applied Ethics Topics and Environmental Ethics.

It has become increasingly obvious with the proliferation of ethics committees and the demand for public accountability that health care professionals, public policy makers, lawyers, public servants, business people, scientists, researchers, and others, are required to make well-reasoned, informed judgements about issues that are essentially ethical. Such judgements require philosophical expertise - one needs to be able to recognise the factual and evaluative complexity of the issues, to recognise evaluative issues as evaluative, critically to evaluate competing ethical claims, and to reason to a conclusion soundly. Yet the development of such expertise is typically not included in the professional training of people who are called to act as ethical decision-makers. The Master of Arts (Applied Ethics) helps make good this lack.

It would be expected that students undertaking the course would benefit at least in the following ways. Firstly, they would sharpen their critical reasoning skills. Secondly, they would gain a good grounding in ethical theory and a comprehensive understanding of the specific issues in their chosen applied area. Third, they would enhance their ability to make difficult, ethically sensitive decisions.

The Master of Arts (Applied Ethics) is a course in applied philosophy, in which ethical theory, as studied in a core subject (PHIL955 - Theoretical Ethics) is applied to various areas of practical concern. The course may be co-taught by members of the Philosophy Program and lecturers from the Faculties of Law and Health and Behavioural Sciences.

Entry to the Degree

Admission is open to holders of a Bachelor's degree (pass or honours) in any field or others who satisfy the Board of Research and Postgraduate Studies of comparable professional standing or attainments.

Program Structure

The Degree is available by Coursework and Minor Thesis. Candidates shall successfully complete a program of 48 credit points, normally comprising a minor thesis (24 credit points) in applied ethics, together with the two 8 credit point core subjects and one 8 credit point elective.

Candidates who have done the undergraduate subject PHIL206, or equivalent, are required to take one core subject PHIL955 and two electives. Candidates who have done the undergraduate subject PHIL251/301, or equivalent, are required to take one core subject PHIL935 and two electives.

All students enrol in PHIL923 Minor Thesis.