Experimental Medicine (Thesis): Bioethics (M.Sc.) (45 credits)
Offered by: Medicine (Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences)
Degree: Master of Science
Program credit weight: 45
Program Description
The M.Sc. in Experimental Medicine; Bioethics focuses on conducting innovative research in relation to a bioethical issue pertinent to health care, and bioethical issues from the current viewpoint of other relevant disciplines such as law, philosophy, and religious studies. The program includes a bioethics practicum; the thesis must focus on bioethics in relation to experimental medicine.
Note: For information about Fall 2025 and Winter 2026 course offerings, please check back on May 8, 2025. Until then, the "Terms offered" field will appear blank for most courses while the class schedule is being finalized.
Thesis Courses (24 credits)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BIOE 690 | M.Sc. Thesis Literature Survey. | 3 |
M.Sc. Thesis Literature Survey. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A comprehensive literature survey in the general area of the thesis topic, to be completed in the first semester. | ||
| BIOE 691 | M.Sc. Thesis Research Proposal. | 3 |
M.Sc. Thesis Research Proposal. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Independent work under the supervision of the thesis advisor(s) leading to a thesis proposal. | ||
| BIOE 692 | M.Sc. Thesis Research Progress Report. | 6 |
M.Sc. Thesis Research Progress Report. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. A status report on the progress in the thesis research. | ||
| BIOE 693 | M.Sc. Thesis. | 12 |
M.Sc. Thesis. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. Independent work under the supervision of the thesis advisor(s) leading to a thesis manuscript. | ||
Required Courses (6 credits)
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BIOE 680 | Bioethical Theory. | 3 |
Bioethical Theory. Terms offered: Fall 2025 Overview of moral theoretical approaches to bioethics, as well as explorations of critical responses, meta-ethical foundations, methodological questions, and ethical issues arising in bioethics scholarship. | ||
| BIOE 681 | Bioethics Practicum. | 3 |
Bioethics Practicum. Terms offered: Winter 2026 Four hours per week supervised placement within health care settings (e.g., intensive care, family practice, clinical ethics committees). In addition, students shall be assigned for the last month of the term to a single intensive placement. Participation in rounds, case discussions, and a weekly seminar. | ||
Complementary Courses (15 credits)
3 credits, one of the following:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CMPL 642 | Law and Health Care. | 3 |
Law and Health Care. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The study of legal and ethical issues raised in medicine and healthcare with a particular focus upon the relationship between patient and healthcare professionals. | ||
| PHIL 643 | Seminar: Medical Ethics. | 3 |
Seminar: Medical Ethics. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. An advanced course devoted to a particular philosophical problem as it arises in the context of medical practice or the application of medical technology. | ||
| RELG 571 | Ethics, Medicine and Religion. | 3 |
Ethics, Medicine and Religion. Terms offered: this course is not currently offered. The seminar will discuss a variety of topics related to medicine and religion from the point of view of ethics, such as the pact of care between a patient and a physician, the Hippocratic oath, the notions of autonomy and vulnerability, the definitions of personhood and human dignity, the question of rights for people with cognitive disabilities, the debate about the role of religion in bioethics. | ||
12 credits, four 3-credit BIOE or EXMD graduate courses (500, 600, or 700 level) chosen in consultation with the Supervisor.