MA Medical Ethics and Law

Our MA in Medical Ethics & Law focuses on the legal and ethical questions raised in the context of medicine. These may include debates about: consent to treatment in the case of adults; decision-making where an adult lacks capacity to consent to a given treatment; duties of care relating to treatment and to information disclosure; the treatment of children; adolescents and consent to or refusal of treatment; assisted reproduction and abortion; assisted suicide, euthanasia and end of life decisions; organ donation; psychiatric ethics and mental health law; criminal law and mental disorder; autonomy and public health; the allocation of scarce resources; reproductive ethics; disability; global health ethics; and the ethics and politics of the body. The MA in Medical Law focuses on various of the legal aspects of the above, with the option of studying two ethics modules.Key benefitsThe most up-to-date legal and ethical scholarship applied to a wide range of issues in relation to science and medicine. For the Medical Law only programme, the focus is principally on legal issues.The programmes discuss controversial issues such as end-of-life decisions and abortion with a balanced, analytical approach.Teaching is conducted in seminar groups, typically of less than 30, to encourage active student participation.Supported by the UK’s first Centre of Medical Law & Ethics and its team of academic staff, each of whom has a very strong research profile and is actively engaged in associated policy issues.EmployabilityMany alumni have gone on to work in policy-related roles including positions at the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, the Human Tissue Authority, the Nuffield Council on Bioethics and the Department of Health and Social Care. Several alumni have also worked in the BMA Ethics Department, for the GMC, Progress Educational Trust, the British Pregnancy Advisory Service, the King’s Fund, and medical defense societies. Others have progressed to PhD studies.