Course summary
Discover how ethics and law impact the practice of medicine while exploring past, present and future issues in healthcare. Advanced technology. Resource distribution pressures. Demographic changes. There are always new challenges facing healthcare practice and biomedical research. Could you help science and medicine adapt and work for the common good? We’ve designed this degree to give you an overview of the ethics, law and humanities behind science and medicine. You’ll cover a wide range of topics, from legislation on areas like assisted suicide to the future of medicine and the use of AI. You’ll also be able to pick from optional specialised modules exploring pressing clinical and global issues. As well as learning from our leading academics, you’ll hear from professionals who worked or collaborated with national and international organisations. Recent guest lecturers have included the chair of a clinical ethics committee, a negligence lawyer and an organiser of public consultations for the Human Tissue Authority. Transform the future of healthcare You might be a recent graduate in a related area. Or a medical student wishing to intercalate. Perhaps you’re a healthcare professional with an interest in this area or you want to use this degree as a stepping stone into law and further academic work. We’ll give you the foundations for lifetime training and education in medical ethics, law and the humanities. Whatever you decide to do next, your insight will help change the way healthcare is practised, regulated, and understood by the public. Why St George’s?
- Unique perspective – we’ve created a course that looks at the past, present and future of medical and scientific innovation, global health, and the biomedical sciences and their regulation.
- High-quality training – you’ll be taught by medical ethics and law experts, global health researchers and specialists in different areas of the humanities. You’ll benefit from teaching that draws on our research strengths and history as a long-standing medical training institution.
- Diverse optional modules – enjoy the freedom to explore your areas of interest through optional modules. Look at areas such as medical humanities and arts, neuroethics, and humanitarian action ethics.
Modules
By designing the course as a series of related but independent modules, we can deliver a highly flexible programme allowing you to tailor your studies to match your interests and career aspirations. You can also accrue the appropriate amount of credits to achieve the intermediate awards of Postgraduate Certificate (PgCert) or Postgraduate Diploma (PgDip), building on each qualification over time to achieve your full master’s degree. The MA is made up of 180 credits and can be studied over one year full-time or two years part-time. You will study four 15-credit compulsory modules common to all students, which will introduce you to applied reasoning in medical ethics and law (Medical Ethics and Law), methods in humanities (Introduction to Medical Humanities) and provide a historically grounded and future-looking perspective on medicine and biomedical sciences (History of Medicine, Future of Medicine Ethics). In addition, you will be able to choose from a range of optional modules. When selecting optional modules, you will need to ensure that half the optional modules focus primarily on the humanities and that half the modules focus primarily on ethics and law. You will undertake a research project in a topic linked to your themed degree. To achieve the PgCert (60 credits), you must study the four compulsory modules. For the PgDip (120 credits), in addition to the compulsory modules, you must choose additional modules to the value of 60 credits. Half of these optional modules must focus primarily on the humanities and half must focus primarily on ethics and law. Module availability It is possible that certain modules listed on the course page may not be able to run due to a variety of reasons, such as availability of specialist academics or patterns of student demand, including limitations due to minimum or maximum class sizes. The University will ensure that all affected parties are notified of any changes as soon as possible and propose relevant alternative options if necessary. Core modules Medical Ethics and Law (15 credits) Introduction to Medical Humanities (15 credits) History of Medicine (15 credits) Future of Medicine Ethics (15 credits) Research Project (60 credits) Optional modules Clinical Ethics and Law (15 credits) Research Ethics and Law (15 credits) Global Health Ethics and Law (30 credits) Humanitarian Action Ethics (15 credits) Finding a Leg to Stand On (30 credits) Neuroethics (15 credits) Culture and Mental Health (15 credits) Global Health Humanities (15 credits) Imagining the Other (15 credits)
Qualified teacher status (QTS)
To work as a teacher at a state school in England or Wales, you will need to achieve qualified teacher status (QTS). This is offered on this course for the following level:
- Course does not award QTS
How to apply
International applicants
You can find extensive information about the support St George's provides for International students on our website: https://www.sgul.ac.uk/study/offer-holders/international-student-support. This includes guidance on the visa application process, preparing for your studies, enrolment, support during your studies, and English language requirements.
Entry requirements
You should have or be expected to achieve, a minimum of a second class degree (2:2). For healthcare graduates, a pass is required. All degrees must be awarded before 1st August on the year of entry.
Fees and funding
Tuition fees
No fee information has been provided for this course
Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .
Additional fee information
Tuition fees can be found on the fees and funding tab on the course page.
Sponsorship information
Information on our PG Scholarships can be found on our website: https://www.sgul.ac.uk/study/postgraduate-study/postgraduate-scholarships
Provider information
St George's, University of London
Cranmer Terrace
Wandsworth
SW17 0RE