Education

Health care professionals and those who are professionally interested in medical ethics find themselves increasingly confronted with moral questions and dilemmas. These complex issues challenge health care professionals on a daily basis. They require careful study and well-considered judgment, as well as rigorous questioning and thorough debate. The Erasmus Mundus Master of Bioethics, an advanced Master's programme, provides an in-depth education in the field of bioethics.

This programme can also be taken part-time. Deviant part-time programmes can only be followed after the approval of the Teaching Commission Secretary: Pascal Borry.

Profile

The programme is especially oriented toward mid-career healthcare professionals who want to deepen their knowledge of medical ethics.

The Erasmus Mundus Master of Bioethics is an international programme. More than 20 students will be given the opportunity to participate in the programme with financial aid from Erasmus Mundus scholarships.

Category A scholarships

Nationals from all countries other than the EU member states and the EEA-EFTA states who are not residents of any of the above countries and who have not carried out their main activities (studies, work, etc.) for more than a total of 12 months over the last five years in any of the above countries can apply for the Erasmus Mundus fellowships Category A.

Category B scholarships

Master's students selected by the EMMC consortia and who do not fulfil the Category A criteria defined above can apply for the Erasmus Mundus fellowships Category B.

Objectives

Health care professionals and others professionally interested in the medical field find themselves increasingly confronted with moral questions and dilemmas. This programme aims to study all issues currently relevant to the field of bioethics, particularly by examining European traditions in philosophy, theology and ethics. One of the goals is also to expose participants to some of the daily realities of clinical and research ethics.

At the end of the programme the participants will be able to:
- contribute to the scientific debate and academic literature in the field of bioethics;
- critically analyse the academic literature, write scholarly articles and submit papers and articles to international and national conferences and journals;
- deal autonomously with complex ethical problems in the field of medicine and/or research;
- analyse these problems and reflect on them;
- discuss ethical issues within a cross-cultural context;
- develop a critical attitude towards ethical problems and the scientific bioethical literature and thus be prepared for lifelong learning;
- develop openness towards different positions;
- work in a multidisciplinary way;
- have moral sensibility;
- develop a continuous awareness for ethical issues in clinical practice.

After graduation

Graduates are presented with a diverse spectrum of professional possibilities. Many graduates return to their workplace with a better understanding of the ethical issues involved there. Some serve on institutional review boards or clinical ethics committees or find positions at government agencies, regulatory bodies and medical associations. Others are employed as professors at universities or researchers at independent research institutes. Some graduates pursue careers as clinical ethicists at hospitals and other healthcare facilities.

(Inter)national

This is an inter-university programme jointly organised by KU Leuven and two European universities, 4 months in Leuven, 2 months in R.U.Nijmegen (The Netherlands) and 3 months in Padova (Italy).

KU Leuven is responsible for administrative matters.

Graduates are awarded a joint degree.

Spotlight

Today, the study of ethics is included in the curricula of most European health care training programmes. An advanced programme dedicated specifically to bioethics, however, was lacking. The Erasmus Mundus Master of Bioethics meets that need. For the first time, several eminent European universities and institutes have combined their expertise in the field of bioethics by offering a one- or two-year Master's programme focusing on all issues relevant to bioethics.

Contact

Centre for Biomedical Ethics and Law
Kapucijnenvoer 35
3000 LEUVEN, Belgium
tel. + 32 16 33 69 26 or + 32 16 33 69 51
fax + 32 16 33 69 52
masterbioethics@med.kuleuven.be

General information
Study Advice Service
Naamsestraat 80 box 5415
3000 LEUVEN, Belgium
To contact us please complete the contact form on our website.

Useful links

Extra admission requirements

o  Prospective students must fill in the preregistration form (Winword) and submit it, together with a letter of motivation, by e-mail.

o  Prospective students must also fill in the online application form.

Visit this programme's website.