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Medical Law MA

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Our Medical Law MA course focuses on the legal questions raised in the context of medicine. These include debates about assisted reproduction, abortion, assisted suicide and euthanasia, psychiatric ethics and mental health law, organ donation and the allocation of scarce resources. The course is supported by the UK’s first Centre of Medical Law and Ethics and listed as one of the top 10 places to study Medical Law in the World. 


Key benefits

  • The most up-to-date legal scholarship applied to a very wide range of medical issues.

  • The course discusses controversial issues such as euthanasia and abortion with a balanced approach.

  • Supported by the UK's first Centre of Medical Law and Ethics and its distinguished team of academic staff members, teaching is conducted in small seminar groups of less than 30 to encourage active student participation.

Key information

Application status Open

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

Study mode Full-time, Part-time

Credit value UK 180/ECTS 90

Course intake Included as part of overall MA Medical Ethics & Law intake of 38 FT.

Course leaders Professor Rosamund Scott and Professor Penney Lewis

Further details

Course contact for further information

Postgraduate Admissions Team, King’s College London Admissions Office

Tel: +44 (0)20 7848 7000 fax: +44 (0)20 7848 7200

Course contact form Postgraduate admissions

Awarding institution King's Colllege London

Faculty The Dickson Poon School of Law

Locations

 

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Course detail

Description

This course examines in depth the legal questions raised by medical practice and science. The Medical Law pathway forms a part of the MA Medical Ethics & Law course, which was founded in 1978, and is an important part of the Centre of Medical Law and Ethics, the first of its kind in the UK.

This is a time of great interest in medical ethics and law. Huge questions are raised by advances in fields such as genetics and assisted reproduction. In a changing moral climate, debates about conflicts between mother and fetus, or about physician-assisted suicide, are very much alive. There are challenging questions about psychiatry, about the allocation of scarce medical resources, about the boundaries of the market in medicine, and about the law and ethics of medical research.

This course is 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 examine selected areas of health care and medical practice from a medical law perspective.

Course purpose

For medical/legal professionals, graduates of a relevant discipline, those going on to research and for anyone wanting to think about and discuss some of the hardest human decisions. To study the methods of reasoning and analysis in law and to examine selected areas of health care and medical practice from a further perspective of medical law.

Further literature

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

Course format and assessment

Full-time students are required to complete the programme over one academic year and to write the examinations for each module in January or May of that year. Coursework will be required for some modules and Dissertations are due by late August the same year. Part-time students are required to complete the programme over two academic years, with Dissertations due by late August of the second/final year of study.

Structure

Year 1

You will take 120 credits of Medical Law modules (see list of available modules below) and a 60 credit dissertation. Teaching is predominantly by seminar to encourage active student participation in critical enquiry.
Required Modules
You are required to take the following modules:

• Dissertation in Medical Law (60 credits)
• Medical Law I: Consent, Refusal and Request (20 credits)
Optional Modules

In addition, you are required to take 100 credits from a range of optional modules, which may typically include:

  • Medical Law II: Negligence & Misadventure (20 credits)
  • Mental Health Law: The Civil Context (20 credits)
  • Criminal Law and Mental Disorder: Doctrine & Philosophy (20 credits) 
  • Law at the End of Life (20 credits)
  • Law and Reproduction (20 credits)
  • Moral Theory is Medical Ethics (20 credits)
  • Human Rights Law: International & Transnational Perspectives (40 credits)
  • Topics in Medical Law I & II (20 credits each)

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. 

Entry requirements & how to apply

Medical Law Entry Requirements
Minimum requirements  2:1

2:1 undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline, e.g. law, medicine, philosophy, theology, social science, one of the life sciences, dentistry or nursing studies.

Alternative qualifications:

Evidence of achievement of an academic level comparable to at least upper second class honours standard through past studies and where previous study, work or experience has made the applicant a suitable candidate, will also be considered.
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 £70 applies.

Applications for this pathway must be made to the generic Medical Ethics and Law MA programme. In the first line of your personal statement, please state if you are interested in applying for the Medical Law pathway. The pathway is selected after you have enrolled at the start of the course. 



Personal statement and supporting information

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

Document checklist
Personal Statement Yes A personal statement of up to 4,000 characters (maximum 2 pages) is required. Applicants are required to submit a personal statement, outlining your academic background, reasons for taking the programme and what you hope to gain from it, including any relevant strengths, ambitions or research interests. You may submit your personal statement directly onto the admissions portal or it may be typed on a separate document and attached.
 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 You may wish to include a CV (Resume) or evidence of professional registration as part of your application.

 

Application closing date

We recommend that you submit your application as soon as possible. Our first application deadline is the 31 March 2020. After this date, applications will remain open if places are available, but programmes will be closed as soon as they are full. For programmes with spaces remaining, no further applications will be accepted from non-EU (Overseas) nationals after 31July 2020 or from UK/EU nationals after 28 August 2020.

Please note you will not be eligible for an application fee refund if you apply after the first application deadline and places are filled before the final deadlines above and we are unable to process more offers.

 

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 (2020/21)
  • Full time overseas fees: £22,350 per year (2020/21)
  • Part time Home/EU fees: £4,995 per year (2020/21)
  • Part time overseas fees: £11,175 per year (2020/21)

Students starting their programme in 2020/21 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 2021/22.

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 31 March 2020, payment is due by 30 April 2020.
  • If you receive an offer between 1 April 2020 and 30 June 2020, payment is due within one month of receiving the offer.
  • If you receive an offer between 1 July 2020 and 31 July 2020, payment is due within two weeks of receiving the offer.
  • If you receive an offer on or after 1 August 2020, payment is due within 2 days 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.

Additional costs/expenses

In addition to your tuition fees, you can also expect to pay for: 

  • Books if you choose to buy your own copies
  • Library fees and fines
  • Personal photocopies and/or binding costs
  • Printing module handouts
  • Society membership fees
  • Stationery
  • Graduation costs

Please visit our web pages on fees and funding for more information.

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

Many alumni have gone on to work in policy related positions including positions at the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, the Human Tissue Authority, the Nuffield Council on Bioethics and the Department of Health. Several alumni have also worked in the BMA Ethics Department, for the GMC, Progress Educational Trust, the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, the King’s Fund, and medical defence societies. Others have found academic positions in law schools and research centres, some teaching ethics and/or law in medical schools.

Testimonials

Professor Penney Lewis

Professor Penney Lewis

Professor Penney Lewis joined the Dickson Poon School of Law at King's in 1995. She administers and writes for the Centre of Medical Law and Ethics blog which contains news and comment on topics in Medical Ethics and Medical Law.

Next steps

Upcoming events

Nov 26 Postgraduate Open Evening - Arts & Sciences
Nov 27 English Language & Linguistics Taster Day
Nov 27 General Engineering Taster Day

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