DOCTORATE in BIOETHICS (D.Bioethics)

Our professional doctorate in Bioethics (D.Bioethics) is a first-of-its-kind program and meets the growing need for advanced training in Bioethics for professionals with increasing responsibilities related to Bioethics and health policy. These professionals may chair a hospital’s ethics committee, conduct clinical ethics consultations, have administrative-oriented ethics work, or steward issues central to their institution’s mission and values.

Students select one of four areas of concentration: Clinical Bioethics, Catholic Bioethics, Research Ethics, or Public Health and Systems Ethics. The doctorate degree can be completed online. The Clinical Bioethics concentration does require at least one hybrid course (see Curriculum).

For more information on our online Doctorate in Bioethics, please request information. We invite you register for our online open house webinar.

TOTAL required credit hours for DBE program: 57 (must maintain a GPA of 3.5)

Students with a master’s degree in bioethics (27 transfer credits) need to complete 3 concentration required courses, 5 elective courses, and 2 capstone courses for a total of 30 credit hours.

Students without a master’s in bioethics (or the course equivalent) need to complete 3 concentration required courses, 4 core courses (listed here), 10 elective courses, and 2 capstone courses for a total of 57 credit hours:

BEHL 401 Clinical Bioethics
    BEHL 402 Justice and Health Care
    BEHL 404 Biomedical Ethics and Law
    BEHL 406 Principles of Health Care Ethics

Concentration options and course requirements:

Clinical Bioethics - Ethics Across the Care Continuum; Ethics Consultation Simulation Seminar*; Advanced Clinical Ethics Skills Course* or Practicum in Clinical Ethics
Catholic Bioethics - Moral Theology for Bioethics; Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Healthcare Leadership; Catholic Bioethics and Social Justice
Research Ethics - Research Ethics; Current Debates in Research Ethics; Emerging Issues in Research Integrity (with track director permission, students in the track can substitute one of the following courses: Empirical Bioethics, Global Bioethics, Independent Study)
Public Health & Systems Ethics - Systems Ethics Frameworks; Social Determinants of Health or Advancing Health Equity Practice; Organizational Ethics I or Organizational Ethics II

*Indicates Hybrid Course

Learn more about program curriculum HERE.

To apply for admission to the doctoral program, the following documents are required from domestic applicants:

A completed online admission application.
Official undergraduate and graduate transcipts.
Three letters of recommendation (graduates of Loyola's MA in Bioethics program requires one new letter from a source external to the program).
Statement of Purpose (a brief, one page statement that explains your interest in this program. Why are you applying? How will you integrate this degree into your career?)
Writing Sample

Applicants to the doctoral program should possess the following:

Completion of a Master's degree in bioethics with a GPA of 3.67 or higher.
Exceptional candidates who have an advanced degree in another discipline may be considered for admission. An applicant who lacks an advanced degree in bioethics should make a strong case for their suitability for the doctoral program. An applicant who lacks any background in bioethics should consider starting in the master's program and then potentially matriculating into the doctoral program.
Evidence of scholarly ability (e.g. publication in a peer-reviewed journal). Because peer-reviewed publication is a major outcome of the program, evidence of writing ability at a publishable level is a major admission criterion.
Evidence of ability to participate in practical ethics activities (e.g. participation on an ethics committee, institutional review board, conflict of interest committee or other similar activity, conducting ethics consultations, providing ethics leadership)

International applicants must have all transcripts evaluated and must provide the Graduate School Administration office with the evaluation. Learn more. All international applicants must submit a score from the TOEFL exam. International applicants should allow 1-2 months for transcript evaluations to be processed by Educational Credential Evaluators or Educational Perspectives. Learn more about Graduate School admission policies.

Learn more about Graduate School admission policies HERE.

Visit the graduate application website, select Biomedical Sciences and then Bioethics. There is no fee for online applications. Contact Robbin Hiller for more information.

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Application deadlines for all programs are: January 5 (Spring), May 1 (Summer) and August 1 (Fall). International applicants should allow 1-2 months for transcript evaluations to be processed by Educational Credential Evaluators or Educational Perspectives. Contact gradapp@luc.edu with questions.

"The doctoral degree in Bioethics at Loyola has opened up opportunities to broaden my experience and my involvement in national bioethics in developing better programs for ethics education." Richard Holt, MD, D.Bioethics

The U.S. Department of Education requires any institution offering distance education/online program to students outside of its home state to acquire authorization from the states in which students reside. Please see Loyola's State Authorization page for the most up-to-date information.

For more information on our online Doctorate in Bioethics, please request information. We invite you register for our online open house webinar.

Doctorate Degree

DOCTORATE in BIOETHICS (D.Bioethics)

Curriculum

Admission

Tuition and Financial Aid

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