Postgraduate Programs with the Centre for Human Bioethics
Thank you for your interest in our postgraduate degree programs. We hope you will find useful our brochure on Bioethics at Monash University.
Courses offered:
- PhD
- Master of Bioethics by Coursework
- Master of Bioethics by Research
- Graduate Diploma in Bioethics
- Graduate Certificate in Bioethics
- Postgraduate Diploma in Arts (Research).
Units offered:
Please see also a list of the units offered by the Centre, including the current timetable.
Inquiries and applications:
Inquiries or applications for the Master of Bioethics by Coursework, the Graduate Diploma in Bioethics, the Graduate Certificate in Bioethics and the Postgraduate Diploma in Arts (Research) should be directed to:
Dr Jo Asscher
Centre for Human Bioethics
Building 11
Monash University VIC 3800
Australia
Ph: + 61 (03) 990 20015
Email: human.bioethics@arts.monash.edu.au
Inquiries concerning the PhD and Master of Bioethics by Research should be directed to:
Dr Rob Sparrow
Director, Centre for Human Bioethics
Building 11
Monash University VIC 3800
Australia
Ph: +61 (0)3 990 54277
Email: Robert.Sparrow@arts.monash.edu.au
Introduction:
The growth of scientific knowledge and technical ability in medicine and the biological sciences has led to a number of ethical dilemmas which perplex all of us, but especially those in the health care field. Does the fact that we can prolong the life of a patient in a permanent vegetative state mean that we should do so? Is destructive embryo experimentation justified by the prospect it offers of alleviating infertility? Should more medical resources go into intensive care for extremely premature infants given the cost of such treatment and its mixed outcome? These and many other questions raise complex ethical and legal issues. The study, discussion and teaching of these issues has come to be known as bioethics – a field generally defined as covering the ethical issues raised by medicine and the biomedical sciences. These issues are the focus of the Master of Bioethics (MBioeth), the Graduate Diploma in Bioethics (GradDipBioeth), the Postgraduate Diploma in Arts (Research) in bioethics, and the Graduate Certificate (in bioethics) courses, which are taught by the Centre for Human Bioethics. These courses aim to provide an interdisciplinary education for health care professionals, teachers in the health care field, and others with a general interest in bioethics. It is hoped that those taking these courses will develop a deeper understanding of the considerations which should enter into ethically sensitive decisions in this new and complex area.