Advances in biomedical sciences and medical technology raise urgent questions that must be addressed at the philosophical and public policy level. The dual doctoral and master’s degree in philosophy and bioethics provides an education designed to serve precisely this need and opens up career opportunities in hospitals, medical schools, government agencies and elsewhere that are normally unavailable to those who have a philosophy degree without training in clinical ethics and public policy.

The dual degree program requires 82 credit hours: 52 credits in the Ph.D. Philosophy and 30 credits in the M.S. in Bioethics programs. Students need to complete all the requirements of the Philosophy Ph.D. as mentioned above and specialize in the Values and Society track. Three courses (MED 202: Clinical Ethics; MED 301: Clinical Practicum; and MED 302: On-Line Clinical Practicum) offered by the Albany Medical College/Graduate College of Union University for the M.S. in Bioethics will be recognized as credits in an area of specialization outside of Philosophy and will be counted as eight credits towards the Philosophy Ph.D. Ten credits taken while pursuing the Philosophy Ph.D. will be counted toward the Bioethics M.S. Normally a total of 100 credit hours would be required to complete both degrees if taken individually. Therefore, a distinct advantage of the dual degree program is the sharing of these eighteen credits in fulfillment of both degrees.

To become enrolled in the dual degree program students must apply to each program separately through its own institution’s admissions process and must be accepted by each program in accordance with its admissions standards. Students will attend the University at Albany campus for philosophy work. Bioethics courses will be taken either online or in person on the Albany Medical College campus.