Course options
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Qualification
MA - Master of Arts
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Location
Keele University
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Study mode
Full time
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Start date
22-SEP-25
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Duration
1 Year
Course summary
New developments in treatments and technology, coupled with shifting social attitudes, mean that the legal and ethical issues around healthcare and medicine are constantly changing, posing serious challenges for those involved.
Practical in focus and regularly updated to reflect new issues that arise – from COVID-19 to the role of AI in healthcare – our MA aims to help you navigate the complex moral and legal considerations surrounding the planning and delivery of healthcare, and associated activities such as medical research.
Is it acceptable, for example, to disclose a patients medical history to protect others from infectious diseases like HIV? At what point should healthcare professionals stop trying to prolong life? Or, to save a life, should doctors ever overrule a refusal of treatment based cultural or religious reasons or an advance directive?
Undertaking a medical ethics course cannot provide all the answers – not least because there are far too many questions to consider, but also because there often is no easy answer. However, it can prepare you to work out answers yourself responsibly, professionally and with integrity.
Drawing on real-life and hypothetical cases, research, news and shared experiences, our MA introduces you to relevant concepts, theories and frameworks – highlighting their pros and cons and providing you with a range of analytical tools with which to assess different ethical and legal claims. Youll also learn to communicate ethical and legal arguments more clearly to others.
Working on a range of scenarios and with a focus on practical application, youll construct, categories and criticize different ethical arguments, spotting common fallacies and identifying weaknesses in an argument. For example, students recently considered the moral and legal arguments raised in a 2021 High Court case on the Abortion Act 1967, and whether a provision permitting abortion up until birth in the case of foetal disabilities such as Down Syndrome was discriminatory and in contravention of Human Rights.
Duration of study
- Full time - 1 year, Part time - 2 years, Modular - Up to 5 years
Modules
Tuition fees
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£ 17,700per year
Tuition fees shown are for indicative purposes and may vary. Please check with the institution for most up to date details.
University information
Keele University
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University League Table
61st
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Campus address
Keele University, Staffordshire, Keele, Staffordshire, ST5 5BG, United Kingdom
Subject rankings
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Subject ranking
49th out of 109 2
18th out of 36 1
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Entry standards
/ Max 221119 54%69th
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Graduate prospects
/ Max 10079.0 79%45th
4 -
Student satisfaction
/ Max 43.02 75%70th
6 -
Entry standards
/ Max 247173 70%23rd
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Graduate prospects
/ Max 10097.0 97%33rd
2 -
Student satisfaction
/ Max 43.22 80%4th
2
