Bioethics & Society | King’s College London

Advances in biomedicine, neuroscience, and public health raise some of the most difficult ethical and societal questions today. The Bioethics & Society course allows you to study these questions drawing on concepts, theories, and methods from philosophy and the social sciences. This will enable you to understand how bioethics influences the world, and how you can make an impact in the world.

Key benefits

The only UK course based in a social science department.
Taught at King’s College London, one of the top-25 schools in the world (QS World University Rankings 2016).
Taught in the heart of London, at King’s College Strand Campus.
Offers a thoroughly interdisciplinary approach to bioethics that draws from key concepts, theories, methods and findings from philosophy and the social sciences.
Lectures and seminars are given by internationally recognized faculty who consult for the World Health Organization, the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, and the U.K. Parliament Office of Science & Technology, among others.
Collaborates with other departments at King’s to serve students’ individual needs and interests and create exciting career streams of optional modules.
Offers a rigorous methods training in qualitative and quantitative research methods and critical policy research.
Provides skilled supervision to develop competence in executing a small-scale independent dissertation research project.
Offers a rich programme of guest lectures and seminars, including the KCL / UCL Joint Bioethics Colloquium, and the GHSM Seminar Series.
Offers individualised career support to build a strong CV, helping students to identify opportunities to present their work, do internships, and secure funding.
Collaborates closely with King’s College Careers & Employability Office to enhance the employability of our students with targeted sessions.

Key information

Application status Open

Duration One year FT, two years PT, September to September.

Study mode Full-time, Part-time

Credit value 180 - 200

Course intake Contact for details: Dr Silvia Camporesi and Dr Gry Wester

Course leaders Dr Silvia Camporesi & Dr Gry Wester

Further details

Course contact for further information

Postgraduate Admissions Team, Admissions Office
tel: +44 (0)20 7848 2979
fax: +44 (0)20 7848 7200

https://www.kcl.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/apply/enquiry-form.aspx

Course contact form Postgraduate admissions

Awarding institution King's College London

Faculty Faculty of Social Science & Public Policy

Department Department of Global Health & Social Medicine

Locations

Select location

Explore campuses

Bioethics & Society MSc

In the heart of London

Hear from Lienkie about our Bioethics & Society MSc

Watch more videos

Course detail

Description

The course is taught in the heart of London, with immediate access to King’s hospitals and laboratories, and close to government, health policy think-tanks, patient advocacy groups, medical and scientific societies, and the private health sector. We offer a unique ‘real-world’ approach to bioethics, allowing students to understand the social and political contexts in which bioethical controversies arise and proposed solutions are developed. In the course of their studies, students are equipped with essential knowledge and skills to make a contribution to resolving bioethical problems. In addition, internship opportunities enable students to gather practical insights and to build professional networks.

Course purpose

The course is ideal for health professionals, graduates of a relevant discipline, policy makers and shapers, and anyone wishing to develop a more rigorous understanding of the ethical and societal issues in biomedicine, neuroscience, and health policy today. Our Masters degree lays the foundation for future careers; for example, in government, national and international NGOs, teaching, or research in bioethics or social sciences. The course will also enhance existing careers in clinical practice, biomedical research, public health, and health policy.

Course format and assessment

Teaching

We will teach you through a combination of lectures and seminars, and you will typically have 15 hours of this per module. We also expect you to undertake 135 hours of independent study for each module. For your 12,000 word dissertation, we will provide three 2-hour workshops and six half-hour supervisory sessions to complement your 591 hours of independent study.

Assessment

The department assesses students on a combination of essays, written examinations, oral presentations and the dissertation. The nature of assessment varies by module.

Extra information

For more information contact the Admissions' Tutors, Dr Silvia Camporesi: silvia.camporesi@kcl.ac.uk or Dr Gry Wester: gry.wester@kcl.ac.uk

Structure

Year 1

Courses are divided into modules, and students on this course take modules totalling 180-200 credits.

King's College London reviews the modules offered on a regular basis to provide up-to-date, innovative and relevant courses of study. Therefore, modules offered may change. We suggest you keep an eye on the course finder on our website for updates.

You may opt to take an additional Internship module which will increase your total credits to 200 for the degree.

Required Modules

You are required to take the following modules:

Dissertation in Bioethics and Society (60 credits)
Foundations in Global Health & Social Medicine (30 credits)
Critical Bioethics (30 credits)

You are also required to take one of the following modules:

Designing Quantitative Research for Social Science and Health (15 credits)
Designing Qualitative Research for Social Science and Health (15 credits)
Critical Policy Research for Health and Medicine (15 credits)

Optional Modules

In addition, you are required to take 45-65 credits from a range of optional modules. It is strongly suggested you take at least one 15 credit ethics module. Optional modules may typically include:

Global Health Ethics (15 credits)
Ethics of Clinical Research (15 credits)
Empirical Ethics (15 credits)
Pharmaceuticals and Society (15 credits)
Researching Vulnerable Populations (15 credits)
Internship (20 credits)
Any Level 7 module offered by King’s or 15 credits at Level 6, subject to approval from the module convenor and the programme director

Part-time students will be expected to take Critical Bioethics, one research methods module and one optional module in year 1, with the remaining required and optional modules taken in year 2. Part time students attend the dissertation workshops and submit a dissertation proposal in Year 1 with the dissertation being submitted at the end of Year 2.

Entry requirements & how to apply

Bioethics & Society Entry Requirements
Minimum requirements	2:1	A relevant UK honours degree of 2:1 standard. If an applicant possesses an undergraduate degree below 2:1 standard, subsequent postgraduate qualifications may be taken into account. Also desirable is evidence of active engagement in relevant activities and an attentive concern for the pressing ethical questions in contemporary medicine, bioscience and health policy, demonstrated by reading and otherwise following current national and international issues. In order to meet the academic entry requirements for this programme you should have a minimum 2:1 undergraduate degree with a final mark of at least 60% or above in the UK marking scheme. If you are still studying you should be achieving an average of at least 60% or above in the UK marking scheme. We may consider candidates with a lower second class degree or with professional qualifications from a recognised institution if they can show relevant work experience and/or relevant professional qualifications, can demonstrate that they are highly motivated and have referees from their university or employment strongly supporting their admission onto a masters level programme.
International requirements		Visit our admissions webpages to view our International entry requirements.
English Language requirements	Band B	Visit our admissions webpages to view our English language entry requirements.

Application procedure

Applications must be made online using King’s online application portal apply.kcl.ac.uk and a non-refundable application fee of £60 applies.

Your application will be assessed by the Admissions Tutor.

You will need to write a personal statement, upload two letters of reference, and your original transcripts. In your personal statement you should explain why you are interested in the MSc in Bioethics & Society and could include, for example, details of your motivation and your relevant knowledge, experience or skills. We look for candidates who demonstrate a strong interest in the programme and are committed to advanced interdisciplinary study at postgraduate level.

We aim to process all complete applications within four weeks; during February and March and over holiday periods, applications may take longer to process.

Personal statement and supporting information

You will be asked to submit the following documents in order for your application to be considered:

Personal Statement	Yes	A personal statement of up to 4,000 characters (maximum 2 pages) is required. You should explain why you are interested in the MSc in Bioethics & Society and could include, for example, details of your motivation and your relevant knowledge, experience or skills. We look for candidates who demonstrate a strong interest in the programme and are committed to advanced interdisciplinary study at postgraduate level.
Previous Academic Study	Yes	A copy (or copies) of your official academic transcript(s), showing the subjects studied and marks obtained. If you have already completed your degree, copies of your official degree certificate will also be required. Applicants with academic documents issued in a language other than English, will need to submit both the original and official translation of their documents.
References	Yes	Two references are required with at least one academic. Professional references will be accepted if you have completed your qualifications over five years ago.
Other	Optional	Applicants may wish to include a CV (Resume) or evidence of professional registration as part of their application

Application closing date

We recommend that you submit your application as soon as possible. Our first application deadline is the 29 March 2019. Applications will remain open if places are available and programmes will be closed as soon as they are full.

Help and support

If you don't have a suitable qualification for direct entry to a UK university, or if English isn't your first language, our academic preparation courses can help you get ready for study in the UK.

Preparation courses

Fees and funding

Full time Home/EU fees: £9,990 per year (2019/20)
Full time overseas fees: £21,300 per year (2019/20)
Part time Home/EU fees: £4,995 per year (2019/20)
Part time overseas fees: £10,650 per year (2019/20)

Students starting their programme in 2019/20 who are eligible to pay EU fees will pay the same rate of tuition fees as UK students. This will apply for the duration of their programme, but may be subject to change by the UK Government for subsequent cohorts from 2020/21.

These tuition fees may be subject to additional increases in subsequent years of study, in line with King’s terms and conditions.

Deposit

When you receive an offer for this course you will be required to pay a non-refundable deposit to secure your place. The deposit will be credited towards your total fee payment.

The UK/EU deposit is £500.

The INTERNATIONAL deposit is £2,000.

If you receive an offer on or before 31st March 2019, payment is due by 27th April 2019.
If you receive an offer between 1st April 2019 and 30th June 2019, payment is due within one month of receiving the offer.
If you receive an offer between 1st July 2019 and 31st July 2019, payment is due within two weeks of receiving the offer.
If you receive an offer on or after 1st August 2019, payment is due within one week of receiving the offer.

If you are a current King’s student in receipt of the King's Living Bursary you are not required to pay a deposit to secure your place on the programme. Please note, this will not change the total fees payable for your chosen programme.

Financial help and support

Visit the fees and funding webpages to find out more about bursaries, scholarships, grants, tuition fees, living expenses, student loans and other financial help available at King's.

Career prospects

Graduates from this course have gone onto the following destinations:

healthcare consultant
internal medicine physician
research worker
specialist registrar (old-age psychiatry)

Career destinations

Students who complete the Bioethics & Society course to a high standard are expected to have numerous career paths open to them. For example, in government, national and international NGOs concerned with medicine and health, as ethics consultants in hospitals and pharmaceutical companies, and in think-tanks. Students can also continue on to a PhD in bioethics or social sciences. The programme also enhances existing careers in clinical practice, biomedical research, public health, or health policy. We collaborate closely with the Careers & Employability Office at King's College London to enhance the employability of our students, and we organise targeted Careers sessions with guest-speakers from relevant fields.

Read more about what our students do after they graduate here.

Testimonials

Aimee

"Aimee holds a Bachelor of Arts and Humanities Honours in Theology. She decided to undertake a Masters in Bioethics & Society because she is passionate about discussing the ethical questions surrounding society and medicine. Aimee hopes to continue with a PhD in the field."

Alex

Alex received her undergraduate degree in Biology with minors in Chemistry and Psychology from Doane College. She went on to get her Master of Science in Medical Genetics. After working in the Wisconsin public health system, she spent 6 years in California as a clinical cancer genetic counselor.

Andrea

Andrea is excited for the opportunity to develop her understanding of healthcare from the intersection of science, philosophy, and theology. After this programme, she intends to pursue a vocation as a physician where she can promote health and well-being.

Andrew

Andrew previously studied at the University of Massachusetts where he received his B.Sc. in Biology and Philosophy. His focuses in biology have been mostly evolution, behaviour, physiology, and histology. His philosophical training has been geared toward metaphysics and meta-ethics.

James

After exploring the multiple interfaces between the humanities and medicine through side projects for two years, James decided to dedicate this year to studying the humanities as applied to medicine. One of his chief interests is studying the role of the humanities in medical education.

Louisa

As a current medical student, I have tremendously benefited from my bioethics degree, as it has allowed me to approach medicine holistically. The Bioethics & Society MSc provided an incredible foundation for me to better understand, evaluate, and propose solutions for ethical dilemmas facing healthcare today. I now feel more confident in addressing the concerns of patients and better equipped to approach difficult situations with an open mind.

James

The Bioethics & Society MSc provided an enriching component to my education as a physician. In the course, we discussed foundational questions such as “What is health?”, “What is disease?”, and “What is morality?”. The programme gave me a critical lens through which to view the institutions, policies, and practice of medicine.