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    Medical Ethics and Law - MA

    From prioritising scarce resources and life/death care decisions, to regulation and conduct in clinical trials and vaccinations, healthcare management poses multiple ethical and legal challenges. Our MA explores the diverse moral problems facing those involved, including clinicians, policymakers, law makers and lawyers. You’ll gain a deeper and more systematic understanding of these issues, together with the knowledge and tools to identify potential legal liability and help solve problems. Popular among various medical, healthcare and legal professionals, as well as recent graduates, this course can be studied flexibly over one, two or five years in short, intensive teaching blocks.

    Month of entry

    • September

    Mode of study

    • Full time, Part time

    Location

    Subject area

    • Ethics, Law

    Fees for 2023 entry

    • UK - Full time £8,000 per year.
      International - £17,700 per year.

    Duration of study

    • Full time - 1 year, Part time - 2 years, Modular - Up to 5 years
    Apply now

    Why study Medical Ethics and Law at Keele University?

    A pioneer in medical ethics and law education, Keele’s programme is one of the longest-running in the UK, delivered continuously since 1987
    Block teaching delivery (typically three days every two months or so) allows you to study and work full-time and this course benefits from essay-based assessment (no exams)
    Enjoy rich ethical debates with diverse student cohort which typically includes professionals with medical, legal, religious, voluntary, social, research, education, even media backgrounds
    Taught by trained philosophers, educators and lawyers

    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 moral dilemmas for those involved.

    Practical in focus and regularly updated to reflect new issues that arise, most recently from COVID-19, our MA aims to help you navigate the complex moral and legal considerations of healthcare planning, delivery, patient contact and associated activities, such as medical research.

    Is it acceptable, for example, to disclose a patient’s medical history to protect others from infectious diseases like HIV? At what point do health professionals stop trying to prolong life? Or, to save a life, should doctors overrule refusal of treatment based cultural or religious reasons?

    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 the answers yourself responsibly, professionally and with integrity.

    By drawing on real-life through case studies, research, news and shared experiences, our MA introduces you to relevant concepts, theories and frameworks – highlighting their pros and cons – as well as providing you with a range of analytical tools with which to assess different ethical and legal claims. You’ll also learn to communicate ethical and legal arguments more clearly to others.

    Working on a range of different real-world scenarios in class and with a focus on practical application, you’ll construct, categorise and criticise 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.. Ethics at Keele is not a spectator sport!

    Of particular interest to those working in healthcare, legal, and allied professions, including medical and nursing professionals, ethics committee members, and hospital administrators. It typically attracts a broad range of professionals, recent graduates and intercalating medical students, which enriches discussion, debate and shared experiences.

    This has included, but is not limited to: doctors, nurses, lawyers, health care managers, radiographers, chaplains, charity and voluntary workers, social workers, hospice directors, medical and pharmaceutical researchers, philosophers, journalists, dentists, veterinary practitioners and health care educators.

    Other courses you might be interested in:

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    Course structure

    The course aims to improve your ability to examine health care contexts, identify and consider the moral issues that healthcare professionals may face, then weigh up and, if need be, effectively present and communicate alternative scenarios.

    Reflecting on current law and ethical principles taught, you’ll consider different perspectives and arguments relating to a variety of controversial treatment decisions and circumstances, such as abortion, assisted reproduction, assisted suicide, or where there are issues of consent based on mental impairment or age.

    Our flexible delivery allows you to study while in full-time work. Starting in September, it can be studied one year full-time, over two years part-time or up to five years if you choose to study on a modular basis. Teaching is delivered in short, intense blocks of typically three days’ duration. The part-time programme requires only 13 days attendance in Year 1 and two days in Year 2.

    We regard high levels of student participation in discussion as particularly important, capitalising on the fact our students come from such diverse backgrounds. In fact, students frequently tell us that what they value most is being exposed to a huge range of contrasting viewpoints, meeting and exchanging ideas with peers who work in different fields and sectors in other parts of the country, sometimes the world.

    The first two modules, which are studied alongside students on the MA in Medical Ethics and Palliative Care, provide a solid introduction to medical ethics and medical law. You’ll also develop your understanding of the language, norms and conventions used when writing or preparing academic arguments in these disciplines.

    On the MA, you will complete 180 credits, which comprises four 30-credit taught modules and a 60-credit dissertation, which is studied over the course of a year on a topic of your choice.

    The information below outlines a one-year full-time study schedule. When taken part-time, the four modules are taught in the first year, with the dissertation completed in the second year. Alternatively, you can choose to study one or more taught modules per year for a period of up to four years, followed by the dissertation in your final year. If you opt for a modular approach, modules 1 and 2 must normally be completed before modules 3 and 4.

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    Medical Ethics and Law at Keele University

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    Entry requirements

    The MA in Medical Ethics and Law is open to graduates with a first or second class honours degree in a relevant subject such as medicine, nursing, law, philosophy or medical sciences, or an international equivalent.

    We will also consider applicants with equivalent work experience and/or professional qualifications in healthcare. 

    English language entry requirement for international students

    IELTS 6.5 with a minimum of 5.5 in each component. The University also accepts a range of internationally recognised English tests.

    Students who have graduated from a country where English is the first language and the degree was taught and assessed in English are not normally required to take an IELTS or other English language test.

    If you do not meet the English language requirements, the University offers a range of English language preparation programmes to help you reach the required level of English.

    During your degree programme you can study additional English language courses. This means you can continue to improve your English language skills and gain a higher level of English.

    Intercalating Medical Students

    We welcome applications from undergraduate medical students who have the option to take an intercalated year. To take the MA in Medical Ethics and Law as an intercalated year, you must normally have completed the fourth year of a medical degree. To ensure the course is completed within one year, you must study the MA in Medical Ethics and Law as a full time student.

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    Funding

    Living costs

    Keele University is located on a beautiful campus and has all the facilities of a small town. Student accommodation, shops, restaurants and cafes are all within walking distance of the teaching buildings. This is a very cost effective way to live and to reduce your living costs.

    Planning your funding

    It's important to plan carefully for your funding before you start your course. Please be aware that not all postgraduate courses are eligible for the UK government postgraduate loans and, in this case, you would be expected to source alternative funding yourself. If you need support researching your funding options, please contact our Financial Support Team.

    Scholarships

    We are committed to rewarding excellence and potential. Please visit our bursaries and scholarships webpages for more information. 

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    Your career

    This exciting, interdisciplinary course allows you to pursue your ethical and legal interests – for personal or professional reasons – exploring the ethical dilemmas facing healthcare professionals and administrators on a daily basis and delving beyond the ‘soundbite’ rhetoric of media headlines.

    In addition to the specialist knowledge you’ll gain, you’ll develop a range of essential transferable skills in analysis, critical thinking, problem-solving and communications. This can broaden your career options in a wide variety of roles in medical, legal and ethical fields, ranging from clinical or medical practice to policy-making, teaching or research.

    For those working in healthcare or related fields, it can build your confidence in handling workplace decisions that have ethical implications, enhancing your knowledge, skills and practice in developing and delivering end-of-life care strategies. It will be especially beneficial if you are, for example, seeking to obtain a position on an ethics committee or direct your career towards strategy development, risk management, research or work in medical defence.

    Many of our working students study this course out of interest and with a desire to gain specialist knowledge and skills to help them progress within their existing careers. For example, previous students have included junior doctors seeking to become consultants, or bioscience graduates keen to demonstrate their commitment and engagement in pursuit of a medical career, or lawyers seeking to expand their practice in a specific area.

    The specialist research skills you learn also provide a strong foundation for pursuing further study at doctoral level for those interested in doing so.

    Positions may include:

    • Academic
    • Barrister
    • Chaplain
    • Consultant
    • Doctor
    • Hospice director
    • Newspaper journalist
    • Nurse
    • Philosopher
    • Policy officer
    • Social worker
    • Solicitor
    • Teacher

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    Teaching, learning and assessment

    How you'll be taught

    Run by the School of Law at Keele University, this course is taught by a team of experienced academics, active researchers and expert practitioners that includes ethicists and legal academics.

    Interactive and practical teaching methods include lectures, seminars, group work and case studies, though we occasionally refer to TED talks and films. For example, students recently watched Jon Ronson's TED talk, 'Strange answers to the psychopath test', to help them to understand the practical and legal challenges associated with the label of psychopathy.

    The School organises a wide range of seminars, workshops and lectures, which students are welcome to attend. This provides opportunities to hear direct from leading researchers and external practitioners, who will often share enlightening insight into different perspectives, mindsets and experiences from around the world. Past speakers have included, for example, the CEO of St Giles Hospice, as well as distinguished graduates of the course, such as Dr Joe Brierley, Consultant in paediatric and neonatal intensive care, and Director of the Paediatric Bioethics Centre at Great Ormond Street Hospital, London.

    Students frequently tell us that what they value most from this course is being exposed to a huge range of contrasting viewpoints, meeting and exchanging ideas with peers who work in different fields and sectors in other parts of the country, sometimes the world.

    Teaching takes place in three-day blocks and we organise an informal meal at the start of each module so you can get to know your staff and fellow students. You are welcome to come to Keele more frequently to meet with your supervisors, attend talks by visiting speakers, and use other university facilities, though you can keep in touch via email or phone just as easily if you live further away.

    As part of the course, you will receive lots of academic training and support, for example, in how to write essays and construct arguments in ethical issues. On the Moral Theory and Medical Ethics module, you’ll be introduced to the norms and conventions of academic argument and writing in applied ethics, while the Principles of Medical Law module covers writing law essays, preparing legal arguments and referencing. You will be allocated an academic mentor, who can provide academic support. You also have the option of 1:1 appointments with learning development advisors.

    Teaching schedule

    The 2022 teaching schedule for the four taught modules is outlined below. Outside of the taught elements, you will be able to consult with supervisors and will have access to the University’s learning and teaching facilities and support services.

    Induction day: 27th September 2022

    Module 1 ETH-40044 Moral Theory & Medical Ethics: 28th September - 30th September 2022

    Dissertation training day ETH-40041: 5th October 2022

    Module 2 ETH-40045 Principles of Medical Law: 23rd November 2022 - 25th November 2022

    Module 3 ETH-40040 Life, Death and the Human Body: 18th January 2023 - 20th January 2023

    Dissertation Presentation Day: 14th March 2023

    Module 4 ETH-40042 Healthcare, Justice and Society: 15th March 2023 - 17th March 2023

    How you’ll be assessed

    There are no exams on this course. Instead, at the end of each module, you will be required to write a 5,000-word essay, as well as your final dissertation. As with the dissertation, you will have a choice over the topics you choose to write about, which can focus on medical ethics, law or multiple disciplines in relation to palliative care. You will receive feedback on your essay during the next teaching block, enabling continuous improvement over the duration of the course.

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    Keele Postgraduate Association

    Keele University is one of a handful of universities in the UK to have a dedicated students' union for postgraduate students. A fully registered charity, Keele Postgraduate Association serves as a focal point for the social life and welfare needs of all postgraduate students during their time at Keele.

    KPA interior

    Hugely popular, the KPA Clubhouse (near Horwood Hall) provides a dedicated postgraduate social space and bar on campus, where you can grab a bite to eat and drink, sit quietly and read a book, or switch off from academic life at one of the many regular events organised throughout the year. The KPA also helps to host a variety of conferences, as well as other academic and career sessions, to give you and your fellow postgraduates the opportunities to come together to discuss your research, and develop your skills and networks.

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    Our expertise

    Teaching staff

    For 35 years, Keele School of Law has been at the forefront of medical ethics and law education, having first delivered the MA in Medical Ethics and Law back in 1987, followed shortly by the MA Medical Ethics and Palliative Care. You’ll be taught by staff with a broad range of expertise in the distinct disciplines of philosophy and law. We also host the annual Royal Institute of Philosophy Lecture Series on Health Care Ethics and Law, which has previously included talks on the Abortion Act, claims of conscience and the ethical dilemmas facing hospice leadership teams in the era of financial constraint and ageing population.

    Teaching team includes:

    Dr Kirsty Moreton (Programme Director), Lecturer in Law and Ethics – a non-practicing Barrister with research interests in criminal law, healthcare law and feminist ethics.

    Dr Jonathan Hughes, Senior Lecturer in Ethics – a philosopher with research interests in the ethics relating to conscientious objection in healthcare, autism, resource allocation, risk and the precautionary principle, end of life issues.

    Professor Anthony Wrigley, Professor of Ethics – a philosopher whose research focuses on ethical and policy issues, including new genetic and reproductive technologies, consent for those who have lost capacity, and end-of-life care.

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    Facilities

    With a critical and inter-disciplinary approach to law and social justice, the School of Law is an internationally recognised centre for legal research with a longstanding tradition of excellence in moral philosophy, applied ethics, doctrinal, and socio-legal scholarship.

    Supported by a specialist Law Librarian, the Law library in the main University library has an extensive range of electronic resources and online legal databases, and stocks a range of law journals, professional resources, case reports, statutes, text books and research monographs. You’ll have access to copies of core texts within the School.

    Based in the main Chancellor’s Building, right at the heart of campus, we offer a range of additional student learning resources and facilities. This includes our Moot Room, a model courtroom used for extra-curricular mooting activities, and a refurbished room dedicated for postgraduate taught students on the second floor. Equipped with networked pcs, an adjustable workstation and a meeting table, it’s great place to continue your discussions or chat between classes.

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