Overview
Please note the course details apply to 2026 entry.
Our MA in Medical Ethics & Law focuses on the legal and ethical questions raised in the context of medicine. These may* include debates about: consent to treatment in the case of adults; decision-making where an adult lacks capacity to consent to a given treatment; duties of care relating to treatment and to information disclosure; the treatment of children; adolescents and consent to or refusal of treatment; assisted reproduction and abortion; assisted suicide, euthanasia and end of life decisions; organ donation; psychiatric ethics and mental health law; criminal law and mental disorder; autonomy and public health; the allocation of scarce resources; reproductive ethics; disability; global health ethics; and the ethics and politics of the body.
The MA in Medical Law focuses on various of the legal aspects of the above, with the option of studying two ethics modules.
*Optional module availability may vary, for instance due to staff sabbatical leave.
Key benefits
- The most up-to-date legal and ethical scholarship applied to a wide range of issues in relation to science and medicine. For the Medical Law only programme, the focus is principally on legal issues.
- The programmes discuss controversial issues such as end-of-life decisions and abortion with a balanced, analytical approach.
- Teaching is conducted in seminar groups, typically of less than 30, to encourage active student participation.
- Supported by the UK’s first Centre of Medical Law & Ethics and its team of academic staff, each of whom has a very strong research profile and is actively engaged in associated policy issues.
Course essentials
Course details
The MA Medical Ethics & Law, established in 1978, examines in depth the legal and ethical questions raised by medical practice and science. The Medical Law only programme is a pathway under the MA Medical Ethics & Law. Students can decide at the point of module selection which programme they wish to pursue (ethics and law; or law only, with the option of taking two ethics modules).
There are always developments in medical practice and science of great interest to medical ethics and law. Huge legal and ethical questions are raised by advances in fields such as genetics and assisted reproduction. In a changing moral climate, debates about conflicts between a pregnant woman and her fetus, or about end-of-life decisions, are very much alive. There are challenging ethical and legal questions about psychiatry, about capacity issues in relation to treatment decisions, about the allocation of scarce medical resources, about autonomy and public health, about reproductive ethics, about disability, and many other issues.
These programmes are designed for medical or legal professionals, graduates of a relevant discipline and those embarking on further research in this area. You will study the methods of reasoning and analysis in law and ethics (if doing the joint programme, or mainly law if doing the Medical Law programme) and examine selected areas of health care and medical practice from a medical law and ethics perspective.
Key Information
Course type:
Master's
Delivery mode:
On campus
Study mode:
Full time / Part time
Duration:
One year full-time, September to September, two years part-time
Credit value:
UK 180/ECTS 90
Application status:
Open
Start date:
September 2025
Taught in
Administrative bodies
Regulating body
Application closing date guidance
Base campuses
This course is primarily taught at the King’s Strand and Waterloo campuses.
Strand Campus
Strand Campus feels like the heart of London—historic yet buzzing with energy. Nestled by the Thames, it offers world-class academics, vibrant student life, and endless inspiration from the city’s culture and diversity.
Waterloo Campus
Our Waterloo campus is home to the Florence Nightingale Faculty Nursing & Midwifery, and a vibrant hub for health, social science, and law students. Located moments from the iconic landmarks of South Bank and just a short walk to the Stand campus.