Bioethics

Bioethics: Introduction

Lead Faculty of the Collaborative Specialization

Public Health

Participating Degree Programs

Health Administration — MHSc
Health Policy, Management and Evaluation — MSc, PhD
Law — LLM, SJD
Medical Science — MSc, PhD
Nursing Science — MN, PhD
Pharmaceutical Sciences — MSc, PhD
Philosophy — MA, PhD
Public Health Sciences — MPH, MSc, PhD
Rehabilitation Science — MSc, PhD
Religion — MA, PhD
Social Work — PhD
Women and Gender Studies — MA

Overview

The graduate units listed above participate in the Collaborative Specialization in Bioethics at the master's and doctoral levels.

Applicants with an interest in bioethics register in one of the graduate units associated with the Collaborative Specialization in Bioethics. Upon successful completion of the degree requirements of the participating home graduate unit and the collaborative specialization, students will receive the notation “Completed Collaborative Specialization in Bioethics" on their transcript.

Contact and Address

Web: jcb.utoronto.ca
Email: jcb.ea@utoronto.ca
Telephone: (416) 978-1906
Fax: (416) 978-1911

Collaborative Specialization in Bioethics
Joint Centre for Bioethics (JCB)
University of Toronto
Suite 754, 155 College Street
Toronto, Ontario M5T 1P8
Canada

Bioethics: Master's Level

Admission Requirements

  • Applicants to the collaborative specialization must apply to and be admitted to both the collaborative specialization and a graduate degree program in one of the collaborating graduate units.

  • Students interested in the master's programs apply to both the collaborating graduate unit and the Collaborative Specialization in Bioethics. Applications for admission to the collaborative specialization are considered only after admission to the collaborating graduate unit. If a student applies to more than one unit, a copy of each file must be submitted to the collaborative specialization at the contact above.

  • Visit the Collaborative Specialization in Bioethics website for the application form and details about supporting documentation. The application must be accompanied by:

    • application form

    • an up-to-date curriculum vitae (CV)

    • up-to-date copies of all transcripts

    • a one-page letter of intent

    • two letters of reference.

  • Where a thesis is required, an email or note from the proposed supervisor indicating willingness to supervise the student should be submitted to the Collaborative Specialization in Bioethics at the contact above. The JCB website lists faculty and bioethicists who are available for advice relating to research proposals.

Specialization Requirements

  • Students will be expected to meet the requirements of the home graduate unit as well as those of the Collaborative Specialization in Bioethics. Students should check with their home graduate program whether the collaborative specialization course requirements may be counted towards the degree.

  • Students must complete:

    • SRM3333Y, a credit/no credit graduate seminar series in bioethics.

    • PHL2145H, a review of the philosophical foundations of bioethics. Students who have completed an equivalent graduate course in philosophical bioethics may apply to the Program Director to have this requirement waived.

    • Bioethics-related 0.5 full-course equivalent (FCE), normally from the suggested list below.

  • Master's programs require either a thesis or equivalent research project as determined by the home unit. The thesis will be supervised by a thesis committee comprising a supervisor and two other members, at least one of whom is identified as an affiliated Collaborative Specialization in Bioethics faculty member. The thesis is evaluated according to the procedures and standards of the home graduate unit and must fall within the broad area of bioethics. Non-thesis projects require supervision; requirements for such projects will be determined by the home unit. Students in coursework-only degree programs must complete additional coursework in approved bioethics electives. For the Master of Laws (LLM) coursework-only option, 1.0 FCE in additional courses in bioethics are required.

Bioethics: Doctoral Level

Admission Requirements

  • Applicants to the collaborative specialization must apply to and be admitted to both the collaborative specialization and a graduate degree program in one of the collaborating graduate units.

  • Students interested in the doctoral programs apply to both the collaborating graduate unit and the Collaborative Specialization in Bioethics. Applications for admission to the collaborative specialization are considered only after admission to the collaborating graduate unit. If a student applies to more than one unit, a copy of each file must be submitted to the collaborative specialization at the contact above.

  • Visit the Collaborative Specialization in Bioethics website for the application form and details about supporting documentation. The application must be accompanied by:

    • application form

    • an up-to-date curriculum vitae (CV)

    • up-to-date copies of all transcripts

    • a one-page letter of intent

    • two letters of reference

  • For the doctoral thesis, an email or note from the proposed supervisor indicating willingness to supervise the student should be submitted to the Collaborative Specialization in Bioethics at the contact above. The JCB website lists faculty and bioethicists who are available for advice relating to research proposals.

Specialization Requirements

  • Students will be expected to meet the requirements of the home graduate unit as well as those of the Collaborative Specialization in Bioethics. Students should check with their home graduate program whether the collaborative specialization course requirements may be counted towards the degree.

  • Students must complete:

    • SRD4444Y, a credit/no credit graduate seminar series in bioethics.

    • PHL2145H, a review of the philosophical foundations of bioethics. Students who have completed an equivalent graduate course in philosophical bioethics may apply to the collaborative specialization director to have this requirement waived.

    • Bioethics-related 0.5 full-course equivalent (FCE), normally from the suggested list below.

  • All doctoral candidates must complete a thesis. The thesis will be supervised by a thesis committee comprising a supervisor and normally two other members, at least one of whom is identified as an affiliated Collaborative Specialization in Bioethics faculty member. The thesis is evaluated according to the procedures and standards of the home graduate unit and must fall within the broad area of bioethics.

Bioethics: Courses

Please note that these courses are not offered every year. Consult each unit's website for details.

Health Policy, Management and Evaluation

Course Code Course Title
HAD5011H
Canada's Health Care System and Health Policy
HAD5306H
Introduction to Health Services Research and the Use of Health Administrative Data
HAD5741H
Health Law and Ethics
HAD5771H
Resource Allocation Ethics

Law

Participation in LAW courses is at the discretion of the Faculty of Law upon presentation, to the Faculty of Law Records Office, of a signed permission form from the student's home graduate unit. Note that preference is given to JD students and that many LAW courses are full by the end of the Faculty of Law add/drop period.

Course Code Course Title
LAW6003Y
Health Law and Bioethics
LAW6006H
Public Health Law
LAW582H
Privacy, Property, and the Human Body

Nursing Science

Course Code Course Title
NUR1021H
Nursing Ethics

Philosophy

Course Code Course Title
PHL2131H
Ethics
PHL2132H
Seminar in Ethics
PHL2133H
Topics in Ethics

Public Health Sciences

Course Code Course Title
CHL3001Y
Core Topics in Bioethics
CHL3002Y
Teaching Bioethics
CHL3003Y
Empirical Approaches in Bioethics
CHL3004Y
Ethics and Health Institutions
CHL3051H
Research Ethics
CHL5121H
Genomics, Bioethics, and Public Policy
CHL5401H
Epidemiologic Methods I
JRH5124H
Public Health Ethics

Social Work

Course Code Course Title
SWK6308H
Designing and Implementing Quantitative Social Work Research