Master of Arts in Bioethics, Humanities and Society

Opportunity for a Joint Degree in Bioethics, Humanities, and Society

Students in the College of Osteopathic Medicine, who wish a broader, interdisciplinary understanding of the human experience of illness, health care delivery, and care giving, may earn a joint degree in the Masters Program in Bioethics Humanities and Society [BHS]. The College of Human Medicine, College of Arts and Letters, and the College of Social Sciences support the BHS program, which is affiliated with the Center for Ethics and Humanities in the Life Sciences.

Advantages:

The practice of medicine today is embedded in a world of scientific, technological, cultural, social and political changes. The BHS program can enhance your understanding of health, illness, and health care delivery from the perspectives of the humanities and social/behavioral sciences. This may enrich and inform your future practice and professional activities.

Physicians may confront cases that involve ethical or policy issues involving life support, transplants, problem pregnancies, or mental competencies. The BHS program would provide background and training to deal with patients, their families and ethics committees.

Some physicians are involved in biomedical research and clinical trials as recruiters, specialists providing treatment, or as principle investigators. The BHS program can help you become familiar with the rules, regulations and ethical issues involved in these types of research activities.

Requirements:

The BHS Masters program requires a total of 30 credits, of which nine can be applied from selected College of Osteopathic courses on doctor patient relationship, ethics, behavioral systems and epidemiology. Students should plan on taking at least one course per semester or consider extending their medical program to five years in order to complete the required course work. Students may also participate in a summer study abroad program.

All students take the first year seminar in the fall and then take courses in a primary and secondary concentration. Areas of concentration may include Ethics and Philosophy, Anthropology, Sociology, Psychology, History, Epidemiology, Literature, and Health Communications.

Students complete the program with a Research Paper or Master Thesis on a topic of interest.

Application:

Students interested in finding out more about the program and application process should go to our website: www.bhs.msu.edu

Students may contact the BHS Director via email at bhs@msu.edu or call the BHS Program Secretary at 517/432-2691.