The Master's in Bioethics is an interdisciplinary academic program that emphasizes both the conceptual and the practical aspects of bioethics. Ordinarily, it takes at least two years to complete, although some students have completed it in 18 months. The first year is devoted to coursework (including a clinical practicum), and the second year is devoted to a master's thesis on a topic in bioethics that also satisfies the requirements of the base discipline.

The curriculum is composed of required courses (6 credits) offered in the Biomedical Ethics Unit, bioethics courses (6 credits minimum) offered by the base faculty or department, and any graduate course required or accepted by a base faculty for the granting of a master's degree, for a total of 21 credits. A minimum of 45 credits is required, including the thesis. Students graduate with a master's degree from the faculty of their base discipline (M.A., M.Sc., or LL.M.) with a specialization in bioethics.

Thesis Courses (24 credits)

BIOE 690 M.Sc. Thesis Literature Survey (3 credits)
BIOE 691 M.Sc. Thesis Research Proposal (3 credits)
BIOE 692 M.Sc. Thesis Research Progress Report (6 credits)
BIOE 693 M.Sc. Thesis (12 credits)

Required Courses (9 credits)

BIOE 680 Bioethical Theory (3 credits)
BIOE 681 Bioethics Practicum (3 credits)
PHIL 643 Seminar: Medical Ethics (3 credits)

Complementary Courses (12 credits)

12 credits are to be taken in any graduate courses required or accepted by the Department of Philosophy for the granting of a master's degree.