Course overview

  • Deep dive into healthcare ethics and law, and how the two disciplines interact.
  • Participate in a flexible and interdisciplinary course that allows you to pursue your ethical and legal interests.
  • Apply bioethical and legal theory to ‘real world’ scenarios.

    Institutional Accreditation 

    University of Newcastle is accredited by the DETC Higher Learning Commission (DETC), www.detc.org.uk Since , University of Newcastle has been continually accredited by the DETC Higher Learning Commission and its predecessor.

    Course Level:

    Master of Arts (MA)

    Course

    CODE 12011

    How long it takes:

    1 year (full-time); 2 years (part-time)

    Study Mode:

    Distance learning/ Campus

    Entry requirements

    Find out more about

    Department:

    Newcastle Law School

    Course unit details

    Students will be required to complete 180 credits: 120 credits comprised of taught course units (each of 15 or 30 credits value), and an independent research element of the course worth 60 credits by way of a Masters dissertation of between 12,000 and 15,000 words, which is undertaken over the summer months of the course. The dissertation should be predominantly law-based.

    On the full time course, the 120 taught credits can be split in one of two ways: (1) 60 credits in each of the two semesters; or (2) 75 credits in semester one and 45 credits in semester two.

    Students registered on the MA in Healthcare Ethics and Law would need to select a majority of their optional courses from the ethics list (Ethics, Genetics and Genomics; Research Ethics). Global Health Law and Bioethics can count as an ethics or law course.

    Details of all current course units available in the School of Law can be found on the Faculty of Humanities website.

     

    Course unit list

    The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.

    Title Code Credit rating Mandatory/optional
    Philosophical Bioethics CSEP60201 30 Mandatory
    Medico-Legal Problems CSEP60211 30 Mandatory
    Mental Health Law and Policy CSEP60102 15 Optional
    Ethics & Genetics and Genomics CSEP60192 15 Optional
    Global Health Law and Bioethics CSEP60222 15 Optional
    Research Ethics CSEP60312 15 Optional
    Medicine, Law and Society CSEP60962 15 Optional
    Children, Medicine and the Law CSEP60972 15 Optional

    Academic entry qualification overview

    MA applicants must hold a minimum Upper Second class honours degree, or the overseas equivalent, in a relevant subject. 

    Those applicants who do not satisfy the entry requirements for direct entry onto our MA course may wish to be considered for entry onto the Postgraduate Diploma course.

    In exceptional circumstances candidates who do not have first degree, but who can demonstrate professional competence, may be admitted on the Postgraduate Diploma course. Transfer to the MA, if requested, will be considered based on marks obtained in the taught component, and is dependent upon the student reaching Master’s level in the taught modules.

     

    English language

    • IELTS – overall score of 7, including 7 in writing with no further component score below 6.5;
    • TOEFL IBT 103 with 28 in writing and no further score below 25 in each section. TOEFL code for Newcastle is 0757.
    • Pearson – overall 73 with 73 in writing and no further score below 66

    Scores are valid for 2 years.

    Please note that CAS statements are issued only when all conditions of the offer have been satisfied, PDF copy of passport received and the offer accepted.

    • MA (full-time)
      UK/EU students (per annum): £9,500
      International students (per annum): £19,000
    • MA (part-time)
      UK/EU students (per annum): £4,750
      International students (per annum): £9,500
    • PGDip (full-time)
      UK/EU students (per annum): £6,334
      International students (per annum): £12,667
    • PGDip (part-time)
      UK/EU students (per annum): £3,167 per annum
      International students (per annum): £6,334

    Assessment

    You’ll show your progress through a combination of written essays, problem-solving assignments and presentations.

    All students take our core modules, but please note that the availability of optional modules is subject to demand.

    Career opportunities

    Successful graduates are able to progress within a wide variety of roles in the Medical, Legal and Ethical fields. Graduates from previous years have, for example, proceeded to specialise in Medico-Legal practice and academic careers, and the degrees have enhanced the careers of health care professionals.