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Medical Ethics and Law MA

Keele University

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Course options

  • Qualification

    MA - Master of Arts

  • Location

    Keele University

  • Study mode

    Full time

  • Start date

    SEP

  • Duration

    1 year

Course summary

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.

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.

Tuition fees

Students living in United States
(International fees)

£ 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

Keele University

  • University League Table

    65th

  • Campus address

    Keele University, Keele, ST5 5BG, England

The university's beautiful 600-acre campus is one of the largest in England – but you'll find all the most important services and facilities on your doorstep.
With over 120 nationalities studying with Keele, international students are welcomed to its global community.
Dedicated support, scholarships, and preparatory courses to help you through your application, enrolment and beyond.

Subject rankings

  • Subject ranking

    51st out of 109 9

    17th out of 33 6

  • Entry standards

    / Max 220
    119 54%

    70th

  • Graduate prospects

    / Max 100
    69.0 69%

    49th

    23
  • Student satisfaction

    / Max 5
    3.71 74%

    76th

    25
  • Entry standards

    / Max 243
    173 70%

    23rd

  • Graduate prospects

    / Max 100
    96.0 96%

    31st

    30
  • Student satisfaction

    / Max 5
    4.07 81%

    6th

    2

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