The graduate program in bioethics at Loyola Marymount University is a distinctive program of studies leading to the Master of Arts degree. It seeks to provide graduate educational opportunities that will enable students to reflect systematically on contemporary issues in bioethics and healthcare principally through the prism of the intellectual heritage of the Roman Catholic philosophical and theological tradition. It also seeks to promote an awareness of social justice in the delivery of healthcare. The Master’s program is multidisciplinary and encourages learning and thinking from an interdisciplinary perspective, and it fosters the critical analysis of bioethical topics through the interplay between moral theory and medical practice. For those interested in pursuing a Ph.D. in bioethics, it will prepare them well to enter into a doctoral program at another institution.

Contact Information

Acting Chairperson: Michael J. O'Sullivan

E-mail: mosulliv@lmu.edu

Telephone: (310) 338-3015

Office Location: University Hall 4747

Administrative Assistant: Elizabeth M. Faulkner

Telephone: (310) 338-5728

E-mail: Elizabeth.Faulkner@lmu.edu

        • Baccalaureate degree, or its equivalent, from an accredited institution

        • The General Test of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or Miller Analogies Test (Waived for applicants who already have a terminal degree, e.g., MD or JD)

        • Undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0

        • Two letters of recommendation from persons acquainted with the applicant’s professional or academic background

        • A personal statement, of no more than four typed single-spaced pages, addressing the following three areas: 1) the applicant’s academic and/or professional background; 2) why the applicant wishes to pursue graduate studies in bioethics at LMU; and 3) how the applicant intends to use the degree after graduation

        • Personal Interview

All applicants for admission to the master’s degree program are required to submit a Graduate Division application and $50.00 fee and two copies of all post-secondary transcripts (in some cases submission of transcripts may be waived for applicants with terminal degrees). All materials should be sent to the Graduate Admissions Office. Applicants who have applied for admissions may be formally admitted or may be required to fulfill prerequisites before being formally admitted.

All materials for admission must be received in the Graduate Admissions Office by the dates listed below. Applications received after these deadlines will be reviewed on an individual basis.

Students may take graduate courses in nondegree status with permission of the Graduate Director and the Professor.

Graduate Research Assistantships are available and are awarded normally for a two-year period to full-time graduate students. Some scholarship funds are available to part-time students. A number of on-campus jobs are available by application, as well.

Upon successful completion of the MA in bioethics, students:

        • Will be able to understand the basic problems, methods, and approaches to the field of bioethics

        • Will familiarize with the main ethical theories of bioethics and identify the philosophical components of the public discussion on bioethical issues

        • Will be able to engage in the critical analysis of bioethical questions and articulate their theoretical and practical dimensions

        • Will be able to recognize and interpret the theological presuppositions of bioethical questions and appreciate the contribution of religious traditions to the field of bioethics

        • Will appreciate the importance of ethical dialogue across different philosophical and religious traditions

        • Will become familiar with the clinical context of medicine and recognize the ethical challenges facing health care professionals and their patients today

        • Will become familiar with the research context of medicine, especially in the area of genetics, and recognize the ethical challenges facing scientists and society at large

        • Will understand the legal and public policy implications of bioethics and become able to understand the interplay of morality and law both at a general level and in relation to specific bioethical issues