About the course

We welcome applications from people with a professional or other serious interest in Medical Ethics and Law, including (but not limited to) doctors, nurses, health care managers, intercalating medical students, radiographers, chaplains, charity and voluntary workers, social workers, hospice directors, medical and pharmaceutical researchers, dentists, veterinary practitioners and health care educators. While the programme is designed to be accessible to healthcare professionals in full-time work, it is open to anyone who is suitably qualified and who can demonstrate sufficient academic aptitude. The programme has increasingly attracted recent graduates who wish either to build on previous study in law or ethics or to develop their studies in a new direction. It can provide a foundation for study at doctoral level for those interested in doing so.

Undertaking an MA in ethics will not give you a list of answers to moral problems. The moral problems worth looking at are all hard – there are no easy answers.  What our programme can do is help you to work out answers for yourself, answers that are worth having because they are based on the best ethical thinking and reasoning we can manage, answers you can justify to yourself and others. The programme will introduce you to a variety of rival moral theories - all of which have their strengths and their weaknesses - as well as providing you with a range of analytical tools with which to assess different ethical and legal claims.  It will also help you to communicate ethical and legal arguments to others in a clearer way.  

Although ethical issues are rarely out of the headlines, much public ‘debate' about ethics in the media is (with occasional honourable exceptions) of very poor quality.  It often consists of 'sound-bite' rhetorical assertions followed by counter-assertions, without any real examination of the ethical reasons for either position.  Our courses will help you to construct, categorise and criticise different ethical arguments and to spot common fallacies.  As well as critiquing others' arguments you will have plenty of opportunity to practise putting forward your own arguments in classroom discussion as well as in your written assessments.  Ethics at Keele is a participatory activity, not a spectator sport!

Course structure

HOW THE COURSE IS TAUGHT:

The MA in Medical Ethics and Law consists of four 30-credit taught modules and a 60-credit dissertation.

Teaching for the four taught modules is delivered in short intense blocks, enabling those in full-time employment to fit part-time study around the demands of their work wherever they are based. Each student is assigned a personal supervisor whom they can contact for help or advice at any time during the course.

Part-time students take the four taught modules in year 1 and the dissertation in year 2. The part time programme requires only 13 days attendance in year 1 (an Induction Day and four 3-day intensive teaching blocks) and one day in year 2 (a Research Methods study day in October). Many second year students find it useful to come to Keele more frequently, to meet their supervisors, attend talks by visiting speakers, and use other university facilities. Others, especially those who live some distance away, prefer to keep in touch via email or phone, or use a combination of methods.

Full-time students including intercalating medical students complete the whole programme in one year, writing the dissertation alongside the taught modules.

Modular students can spread the taught modules over up to four years, taking the dissertation in the fifth year. The Semester 1 modules must normally be completed before the Semester 2 modules.

Students who do not wish to complete the entire MA programme may exit after completing the taught modules. Successful completion of all four taught modules (120 credits) leads to the award of a Postgraduate Diploma in Medical Ethics and Law; while successful completion any two taught modules (60 credits) leads to the award of a Postgraduate Certificate in Medical Ethics and Law.

We regard high levels of student participation in discussion as particularly important for teaching and learning in this area, and employ teaching techniques which encourage this wherever possible. Students come from a wide range of backgrounds and report that meeting and exchanging ideas with others who work in different fields and in different parts of the country is one of the major benefits of the course. 

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.

Fees and scholarships

Fees (2020/21 academic year)

UK/EU students £5,500 per year

International students £14,750 per year

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.

SCHOLARSHIPS AND FUNDING

The University is committed to rewarding excellence and potential. Each year we offer a range of prestigious scholarships;

UK/EU students - more information on scholarships and funding

International students - more information on scholarships and funding

Our expertise

This course is led by: Dr Jonathan Hughes. 

The MA in Medical Ethics and Law is run by the Centre for Professional Ethics and School of Law at Keele University. It is one of England’s longest established master’s programmes in this subject area, having run continuously since 1987. Teaching sessions are led by a variety of experienced authorities in their field. Therefore, the student receives a wide knowledge base from academics and practising experts. Staff who teach on the programme are active researchers in medical ethics, law and related fields, ensuring that you will receive not only a solid grounding in the essentials of the field but also a familiarity with some of the key debates at the forefront of current research. From time to time, experts from outside Keele are invited to speak on the course; this provides an insight into academic work in healthcare ethics and law taking place in other institutions and professional perspectives. In addition, the Law School hosts a wide range of seminars, workshops and lectures, which students are welcome to attend. 

Staff who teach on the programme include:

Stella Coye
Dr Mark Eccleston-Turner
Dr Fabienne Emmerich
Dr Michael Fay
Dr Leon McRae
Dr Kirsty Moreton
Dr Laura Prichard-Jones
Dr Senthorun Raj
Dr Sotirios Santatzoglou
Professor Alex Sharpe
Dr Ezgi Tasgioclu
Dr Sorcha Ui Chonnachtaigh
Professor Anthony Wrigley