Master of Science (SM) in Bioethics
I. Background and Overview of Program
Bioethics, most broadly, may be understood as a field of ethical inquiry in the life sciences. Over the past 50 years, the field of bioethics has undergone rapid growth as science and technology have expanded the limits of the possible. Advances in life-prolonging and sustaining technologies in the 1960s, in particular, were central in the emergence of medical ethics, a subset of bioethics, as physicians (and more generally the institution of medicine) were forced to address the scientific, social, moral, and even political implications of advances in science that began to translate into the ability to change the fundamental landscape of life and death. Framed in the context of the doctor-patient relationship, decisions about these early applications of science to bedside medicine gave rise to what became the rapidly growing field of medical ethics.
As science and technology continued to advance, the intersection of moral inquiry and life sciences also expanded, leading to the emergence of critical questions beyond the context of the doctor-patient relationship to a broader ethical landscape reflecting the central moral challenges and tensions created by scientific discovery and the possibility of greater intervention in the creation of, conditions of, and limits of life on a societal scale. These challenges, while deeply rooted in and informed by medicine, are no longer squarely limited to medical ethics, but are part of medical, scientific, philosophical, social, and even political inquiry; and ethical issues related to emerging technologies often hinge on some of the deepest questions about the meaning of human life and our concepts of dignity and respect. As such, bioethics has emerged as both an academic and practical enterprise. Expertise in bioethics requires both a rigorous foundation in philosophical inquiry and theory and careful study about how to engage actual challenges affecting both individuals and society.
In choosing the term “bioethics” rather than “medical ethics” for this 36-credit master’s degree program at Harvard Medical School (HMS), the program consciously acknowledges that many of the most challenging issues in medicine today occur away from the bedside. For example, population-based ethics explicitly requires an analysis of what is best for populations rather than for individual patients and an articulation of the tensions between these views. Similarly, challenges in contemporary research ethics require a balancing of the risks to individuals against the potential benefit to future patients and populations.
The Center for Bioethics (the Center) offers the HMS Master of Science in Bioethics program (SM in Bioethics), formerly the Master of Bioethics (MBE) program, the mission of which is to provide a comprehensive curriculum in bioethics to individuals with careers in other primary disciplines in order to enable them to translate their expertise into specialized focus on contemporary challenges in bioethics. The MBE program fulfills this purpose by providing every student with a rigorous foundation in all aspects of bioethics – theoretical and applied – and the tools to engage in an important issue in the field relevant to the individual student’s career goals through a year-long capstone experience. The HMS Master of Science in Bioethics is, therefore, structured as an adjunct and not as a terminal degree, i.e., the Master’s degree alone
would not be sufficient for entry into a career in bioethics without additional professional education and/or experience. Instead, through completion of the degree program, professionals and academics in other disciplines gain the theoretical foundation, practical knowledge, and skills in a rigorous degree program that is theoretically robust but also critically relevant to contemporary challenges.
Given the diversity of these challenges, advanced study in bioethics in the HMS MBE program is relevant to individuals in a wide range of academic concentrations and professions. Physicians across medical disciplines and individuals with careers as varied as nursing, law, philosophy, theology, anthropology, social work, journalism, public health, biomedical research, and biotechnology innovation make up the students and alumni of the program. In addition to the one-year, full-time option, the program structure allows for substantial completion of studies in the late afternoon to early evening hours to facilitate an online part-time course of study over two or three academic years while maintaining employment in the candidate’s primary field. This structure also provides for a robust and vibrant interdisciplinary community of candidates engaged in synergistic learning about and tackling of ever-evolving challenges in bioethics.
Program Outcomes: As listed here are the program's overall goals towards providing a comprehensive training to students in the field of bioethics.
1. Foundational Knowledge in Bioethics
o Understand and apply core ethical theories, principles, and frameworks in bioethics.
o Recognize and analyze ethical issues in healthcare, research, public health, biotechnology, and environmental contexts.
2. Interdisciplinary Integration
o Synthesize knowledge from medicine, law, public policy, philosophy, theology, and the humanities to address ethical challenges.
o Engage with diverse perspectives to promote ethical decision-making in multidisciplinary contexts.
3. Critical Thinking and Analysis
o Critique and evaluate ethical arguments, policies, and scholarly work related to clinical practice, research, and emerging technologies.
o Develop original ideas and arguments that contribute to scholarly and practical debates in bioethics.
4. Ethical Decision-Making and Application
o Apply bioethical principles to real-world challenges in clinical, research, and public policy settings.
o Serve as advisors or consultants on ethics-related issues in professional and civic contexts.
5. Communication and Advocacy
o Communicate complex ethical issues effectively to diverse audiences, including policymakers, healthcare professionals, and the public.
o Advocate for ethical practices in healthcare, science, and public policy.
6. Global and Cultural Competence
o Address bioethical challenges in global health and diverse cultural contexts.
o Promote equity and inclusion in healthcare and research ethics.
7. Policy and Systems Understanding
o Analyze the impact of laws, regulations, and policies on ethical decision-making in healthcare and research.
o Develop and critique bioethics policies to ensure they are aligned with ethical principles and societal needs.
8. Practical Experience and Skills Development
o Develop an understanding of key skills used in ethics consultation, mediation, and conflict resolution through coursework, case discussions, and simulations.
o Gain awareness of professional roles and practices in bioethics that may be pursued in future careers.
o Engage in applied learning through the capstone experience when possible, recognizing it as a potential opportunity to explore practical issues that arise in real-world or professional settings.
9. Professional and Leadership Development
o Prepare for leadership roles in healthcare, academia, government, and nonprofit sectors.
o Enhance interdisciplinary collaboration and teamwork skills.
10. Ethics of Emerging Technologies
o Understand and address ethical challenges associated with new biotechnologies, artificial intelligence, and neuroethics.
o Critically evaluate the societal implications of scientific and technological advancements.
11. Lifelong Learning and Ethical Reflection
o Cultivate a commitment to ongoing education and self-reflection in the field of bioethics.
o Stay informed about evolving ethical challenges and advancements in healthcare and science.
II. Degree(s) Offered
The Master of Science in Bioethics degree (SM in Bioethics) is a 36-credit program that may be completed on a full-time or part-time basis. The full-time program is completed in one academic year and the part-time program is typically completed in an online format over two academic years. A limited number of students may request to be enrolled in a three-year parttime course of study. The three-year option does not qualify for federal financial aid and must be selected and approved prior to the first add-drop period of the student’s enrollment. See Section 2.06 of the HMS Master’s Student Handbook for definitions of full- and part-time.
III. Prerequisites for Admission
In order to apply for the MBE program, applicants should have a professional or academic degree, such as M.D., Ph.D., B.S.N/R.N., J.D., M.S.W. M.P.H., or M.B.A./M.P.A. Individuals currently enrolled in these degree programs may also add a year of study to include the MBE in
anticipation of a professional or academic career in bioethics. Applicants completing their undergraduate degree immediately prior to matriculating into the MBE program (post-bacs) must display exceptionally strong qualifications and most commonly are planning to attend medical or law school or another graduate program. These students typically complete the MBE program in a “gap year” while applying to graduate or professional school. Applicants must submit the following application materials:
Online application
Letter of Intent / Personal Statement
Curriculum Vitae
Undergraduate and graduate transcripts from all schools attended
Three letters of reference
Application fee
In addition, applicants for whom English is not the native language, and who did not receive their bachelor’s or graduate degree from an institution where English is the language of instruction, must submit results from the TOEFL, IELTS, or Duo Lingo. The Master of Science in Bioethics program requires a minimum score of 103 on the TOEFL and/or a 7.5 on the IELTS and/or a 130 on Duo Lingo.
Applications are open in fall of each year, with a deadline date no later than January 31 for post-baccalaureate and international applicants to the in-person program, and no later than March 31 for mid-career and all other applicants to the online program. Specific dates are noted on the program's website. Accepted applicants are invited to a virtual or in-person student event in the Spring prior to anticipated enrollment. Individuals are enrolled through the Registrar’s Office in late June for September matriculation.
IV. Academic Residence Requirements
The MBE in-person program requires that all didactic coursework take place on Harvard's campus (HMS or other Harvard Schools). The capstone experience may be conducted on campus, at an HMS-affiliated hospital, or at another institution/organization with HMS faculty supervision in concert with a local mentor or supervisor. All capstone projects/ placements require formal approval of the program director or designee.
Students enrolled in the part-time virtual option are typically working professionals. Therefore, all required courses for the virtual program will hold synchronous class sessions in the evening hours (Boston time) to accommodate students’ work responsibilities. In addition, students are matched with capstone experiences that can be completed either virtually or located in communities in which students reside – without the need to travel to Boston. The mentoring and supervision available to students remotely meets or exceeds those available in person.
D. Course Descriptions
REQUIRED COURSES:
BETH 701 and BETH 702: Foundations of Bioethics I and II (10 credits total)
The Master of Science in Bioethics program requires Foundations I in the first term of study and Foundations II in the second term of study. The course is a multilayered approach to bioethics, from the philosophical underpinnings to the application of theory to central challenges in bioethics and, beyond, to law and policy. Foundations I and II combine readings from original texts, theoretical critiques, legal and policy approaches to subject matter areas, and examination of other critical forces such as social science and religion, that have shaped contemporary bioethics. The course of study combines lecture and discussion formats with a strong emphasis on student participation. Evaluation is based on a final take-home examination each semester, brief writing assignments over the course of each semester, and class preparation and participation.
BETH 707 and BETH 708: Capstone Seminar I and II (3 credits each)
The Capstone Experience Program is a required and consists of two components: the Experience Seminar and the Mentored Experience. The Experience Seminar, a small group with a seminar leader, focuses on developing the professional and personal skills necessary to do the work of bioethics by exploring topics such as integrity, critical thinking, perspective-taking, understanding the impact of unconscious bias, and humility in Seminar. Also discussed are appropriate roles, responsibilities, and virtues of those doing the work of bioethics, whether that be through a career in bioethics or using bioethics theory, knowledge, and skills in another career or field. The Mentored Experience (field placement or project) focuses on something developed or explored over the course of the year, an experience on learning through doing, with the guidance and support of a mentor. This can take many different forms – some with more in-person interaction and observation, and some with more virtual or distant interaction, and the amount of interaction/observation will vary based on the needs and availability of the mentor and student. Special Note: Students are matched with individual capstone mentors for supervision towards fulfilling the capstone requirement.
CORE COURSES:
BETH 703:
Introduction to Clinical Ethics (4 credits)
This course covers major principles and themes in clinical ethics (e.g. futility, physician-assisted suicide, advance directives). Each session includes interactive case-based lecture and discussion, followed by a practicum. The practicum is modeled around the experience of a clinical ethics committee with small groups of students working through a case and crafting an interpretation and set of recommendations. The class will meet weekly with pre-recorded videos, required readings and discussion posts as pre-work. After taking this course, students will be able to discuss and explain the core principles and themes of clinical ethics, analyze the principles of clinical ethics within the context of historical and contemporary cases, apply
principles of clinical ethics to new cases in a collaborative setting, and appraise and critique literature related to clinical ethics.
BETH 705: Introduction to Research Ethics (4 credits)
This course is organized in a highly innovative manner, designed to provide the student with a comprehensive foundation in research ethics. After taking this course, students will be prepared to manage many of the complex, real-life ethical issues that have attracted public attention in recent years, such as undue influence of research participants, concerns about therapeutic misconception and subject recruitment, concerns about social justice in the context of biomedical research, and uncertainty about new forms of biomedical research. The class will meet weekly with pre-recorded content as pre-work. Each class session will be built around a critical discussion of fundamental concepts and case studies that elucidate the complex interplay of philosophical, scientific, and practical considerations that characterize the field of research ethics.
Health Law and Policy Core requirement:
BETH 706: Health Law, Policy and Bioethics (4 credits)
The Health Law and Policy Core requirement is met through completion of BETH 706: Health Law, Policy, and Bioethics. This course is an introduction to legal topics in health policy and bioethics. It requires no experience in law and begins with a brief primer on American law and how it works. Topics covered include legal aspects of the doctor-patient relationship, medical malpractice, privacy issues, health care finance, end-of-life issues, organ donation, disability, mental health, public health, medical product regulation, food regulation, and intellectual property. The course does not cover issues in reproductive ethics or human subjects research regulation, as those are part of other Master’s courses. Students are evaluated via class participation and written work. The reading load is moderate to heavy. Sessions are a mix of lecture and seminar-style, with occasional guest speakers.
ELECTIVES 2025 – 2026
BETH 704 Neuroethics (2 credits)
This course undertakes a survey of the ethical issues related to current and future neurotechnologies. These include consciousness, selfhood, and free will; human-computer interaction (including artificial intelligence and deep learning); brain-computer interfaces; the use of neuroscience in the courts; and cognitive enhancement. The course covers many topics related to medical care for patients with neurological disorders, including disorders of consciousness, deciding for others, preclinical imaging and genetic testing for patients with neurological disorders, and clinical research on neural engineering devices.
BETH 710 Global Health Ethics (2 credits)
This course examines foundational normative problems and pragmatic ethical challenges facing those who work in some capacity to improve health outcomes for very poor populations living under conditions of severe resource scarcity. Participants interrogate basic conceptual ideas such as “what do we mean by ‘global health equity’?” and the nature and root sources of
“resource scarcity”, in addition to focusing on specific practical concerns such as 1) how to conduct ethical responsible research on and with socially and economically disadvantaged and vulnerable populations, 2) macro-economic and micro-bedside resource allocation dilemmas, and 3) health care worker “brain drain” from poor to rich locales.
BETH 711 Specialized Topical Analysis in Bioethics: Bioethics and Artificial Intelligence (2 credits)
Increasingly clinical medicine, biomedical research, and health interventions are utilizing artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) algorithms, natural language processing, and autonomous robots. This seminar will explore the many bioethical implications of this rise in algorithms, artificial intelligence, robots, and brain-machine interface. Through assigned readings, weekly discussion, and engagement with local experts in fields such as reliance on black-box algorithms for clinical diagnosis; informed consent for procedures and research using AI; use of AI in surgery; robots for patient care; AI-based algorithms for suicide prevention; computational phenotyping; use of AI to identify incidental findings; and use of AI as a bioethics research tool. These topics will be examined through the lens of the foundational bioethics principles—autonomy, justice, beneficence, and non-maleficence—and also with consideration of privacy, racial bias, economic inequality, and social justice. Students will be required to submit weekly discussion postings, engage in seminar discussion, and complete a final writing assignment.
BETH 712 Theological, and Religious Perspectives in Bioethics (2 credits)
This seminar course is designed to reflect on the role and contributions of theological positions and various religious traditions to the interdisciplinary field of bioethics. Attention is given to the unique influence of theological voices on the development of bioethics in the North American context. Moreover, it identifies some of the principles embraced by these approaches and how they guide decisions in health care. Thus, it surveys a few examples of how theology engages the perennial and emerging questions in bioethics. Throughout the course emphasis is placed on how these insights can assist bioethicists in resolving some of the concerns that emerge particularly in clinical bioethics. Reflection also is given to the interplay of religious bioethics and public discourse. The course combines lecture, discussion, and student presentations.
BETH 715 Pediatric Bioethics (2 credits)
Pediatric bioethics addresses not only the complexities of a developing child but also the role of the parent in healthcare decision-making for children. This course tackles these unique complexities, examining bioethical considerations at different times (e.g., infancy, adolescence, end-of-life) and in different locales (e.g., intensive care unit, nursery, outpatient clinic) in pediatric healthcare and investigate fundamental ethical dilemmas through the lens of pediatrics (e.g., considerations of disability, gender, and treatment refusal). Utilizing interactive lectures, case analyses, and facilitated discussions, the course will examine what makes pediatric bioethics unique, fascinating, and challenging. Through writing assignments, critiques of the literature, and class discussions, students will become familiar with the foundational
readings and core clinical/legal cases that have shaped modern pediatric bioethics and gain the skills to critically analyze ethical dilemmas in pediatric healthcare.
BETH 716 Ethics in Reproductive Medicine (2 credits)
The course examines ethical issues that arise in reproductive medicine and women’s health. Specifically, participants address ethical questions that arise in the context of providing assisted reproduction services, family planning services, pregnancy care and surgical services to women and their families. Questions and issues addressed in the course include the following: ethics surrounding the abortion and fetal tissue research debate; multiple cases in assisted reproduction including sex selection, savior siblings, age restrictions in IVF, intra-familial gamete donation, post-humous reproduction; cases at the maternal fetal divide and discussion of the balance of interests in these cases; genetic engineering in assisted reproduction.
BETH 717 Bioethics of Disability (2 credits)
This course raises bioethical questions in the context of health care and patients with disabilities. Students are encouraged to think critically, openly, ethically, rationally, and collegially about often difficult, delicate, and controversial topics involving issues of medical ethics, autonomy, dignity, civil and human rights, stigma, personal integrity, culture, public health, and informed consent, among others. Students will learn about the different ways that disability is conceptualized through a number of different disciplines, and consider how the care and rights of persons with disabilities might be considered and improved. As a seminar style course, short lectures, classroom discussion, group work, films, and case studies will make up the structure of our time together.
BETH 718 Race, Gender and Sexuality in Bioethics (2 credits)
In their attention to gender, race, and sexuality, social approaches to bioethics challenge and expand contemporary bioethical theory and practice. Drawing from philosophy, theology, law, medicine, public health, and the social and biological sciences, this interdisciplinary field is both critical and constructive in addressing theory, method, and substantive ethical concerns across the clinical, research, organizational, public policy, and global spheres. In a (largely) seminar format, we will review the theoretical landscape and social movements that prompted the emergence of feminist bioethics, diverse frameworks of justice, critical race bioethics, queer bioethics, and more as they inform our analyses of particular historical and present-day ethical issues. Special attention is paid to the structuring force of anti-Blackness in various clinical and research settings, the development and racialization of transgender medicine, and what it means to view state violence as a bioethics and public health issue.
BETH 720 Ethics in Genomics (2 credits)
The aim of this course is to offer an in-depth exploration of key ethical challenges and controversies surrounding recent developments in genomics. The course is designed in seven three-hour sessions with each session covering a specific topic. Topics include the appropriate informed consent for genomic testing, direct-to-consumer offers of personal genomic testing, the return of incidental findings etc. For each of the identified challenges participants examine a) how they emerged and why, b) what is the current state of the debate, including the current
policies for best practice and c) what are the new directions, if any, in resolving some of the most acute controversies around the challenges. Each session begins with a lecture, followed by discussion and student-driven projects. Student-driven projects include a variety of formats such as discussion of selected case studies, presentation of a journal article, debate panels.
BETH 721 Narrative Ethics (2 credits)
This elective course focuses on narrative approaches to ethical issues in clinical medicine. Using literary narratives and poetry as the primary readings, the course methodology emphasizes the importance of particularity, contingency, change, voice, context, and time in recognizing, evaluating, and resolving moral problems. The course aims to develop skills in critical and reflective reading and writing that enhance competence in clinical ethics. Texts include fiction, essays, and poetry. Approximately two hours of reading is assigned for each class hour. The instructor provides necessary philosophic and literary context at the beginning of each class session, the balance devoted to discussion. The course also focuses on how to use narrative in bioethics writing. Students write six short essays that examine ethical issues in medicine in such areas as the meanings of illness, the patient-doctor relationship, the moral role of the care giver, and the relevance of emotions, culture, ethnicity, faith, values, social context, and life histories to ethical patient care.
BETH 723 Bioethics Advocacy (2
credits)
This course seeks to highlight various bioethical issues and dilemmas—especially those that might have relevance in the national discourse about health care—and then develop strategies and ideas for how to research the issues at hand and also promote awareness about them among those in health care and, perhaps, the general public as well. Specific topics covered during this month-long intensive course are developed during the course according to student interests and might include the following: US healthcare reform; health disparities and social justice; the impact of social, economic, political, and environmental factors on health; human rights (including healthcare personnel involvement in interrogation and torture); advocacy on behalf of vulnerable populations, and cultural awareness and competency.
BETH 724: Animal Ethics in Theory and Practice (2 credits)
This seminar will introduce students to the central topics in and scope of animal ethics, before turning attention to contemporary challenges and ethical dilemmas in animal ethics. The students will create a profile of their own views on animal ethics using an interactive on-line tool prior to the first meeting. The results of that exercise will form the basis for the initial session focusing on an examination of values and assumptions that underlay ethical norms about animals’ moral status. A subsequent session will be a tour of the Harvard University department of animal resources (a large facility where animals are used as research subjects) so students can have first-hand knowledge of laboratory animal care before engaging the ethical considerations in and justifications of animal research. Other sessions will utilize recent casebased ethical dilemmas from biotechnology research, veterinary medicine, and zoos to provide students with practical applications of animal ethics.
BETH 729 Nuance of Narrative (2 credits) – new for Fall 2025
This is a full-term two-credit course with weekly one-hour group discussion sessions. The focus of the course is to use various forms of literature, primarily short stories, as a means of considering challenging present-day bioethical challenges. The course will cover 7 medical/bioethical topics (eg: the use of brain-computer interfaces for patient monitoring; the concept of 'abnormal' vs. 'neurodivergent' in considering mental illness, the availability of medical aid in dying for non-physical suffering) through the lens of literature or the arts. Each discussion will be co-led by the course directors, but will rely on active student participation, which will serve as the majority of the grade. Discussion board posts and a brief (5 page) final paper will also be expected.
BETH 737 Social Movements and Activism in Health Policy (2 credits) – new for Fall 2025
This course explores the intersection of social movements, activism, and health policy. It examines the role of healthcare professionals, media, and coalitions in advocating for systemic transformation and health equity. Through case studies, guest lectures, and hands-on activities, students will develop skills to analyze, design, and contribute to health-focused activism and advocacy efforts.
BETH 739 Trauma, Justice and Health: Bioethical Considerations of Forced Migration (2 credits)
In our interconnected world, migration, and forced displacement have reached unprecedented levels, emphasizing the need for bioethics education that addresses the ethical dimensions of traumatic events that compel displacement, the bioethical issues that arise during displacement, and the enduring health implications of forced displacement. This course aims to equip students with the knowledge and analytical skills necessary to navigate the complex ethical dilemmas inherent in the experiences of displaced populations. Drawing from theoretical works, descriptive studies, and compelling case studies from "Death and Life" by Roger Jay Lifton, "Survival in Auschwitz" by Primo Levi, "Invisible Wounds" by Richard Mollica, and "Sex Among Allies" by Katharine Moon, students will explore the human experience of atrocities and the profound impact of traumatic events and forced displacement. These narratives shed light on the ethical complexities and challenges faced by individuals affected by forced displacement, placing the human experience at the forefront of our exploration.
BETH 743 Pharmaceutical Ethics (2 credits) – new for Fall 2025
The pharmaceutical industry plays a critical role in global health, driving innovation in drug development while operating within complex regulatory frameworks designed to balance safety, access, and affordability. This course will explore the ethical dimensions of the pharmaceutical landscape, examining the responsibilities of key stakeholders - including drug manufacturers, regulators, healthcare professionals, and patients - through the lens of contemporary bioethics, law, and policy. We will examine the key ethical challenges shaping pharmaceutical regulation, including tensions between innovation and access, profit and patient well-being, regulation and autonomy, and transparency and commercial interests. Topics will explore the ethical challenges of drug regulation, obstacles in clinical trials,
pharmaceutical pricing and access, the impact of drug marketing and promotion, post-approval safety concerns, and emerging issues in AI-driven and personalized medicine.
BETH 746 Reproductive Ethics, Law, and Justice (2 credits)
This is a class intended to promote knowledge of ethics, policy, reproductive liberties, law, and healthcare. The class will include two weekly 2-hour classroom components. During this time students will receive classroom instruction and advising from the instructor. The class will focus on reproductive health, law, and ethics. Understanding and learning about the legislative process is essential to this class. Reproductive justice issues span not only constitutional law considerations, but also other aspects of law, medicine, society, and the political process. Topics researched and discussed will include abortion, contraception, treatment of pregnant inmates, pregnancy exclusion laws, rape and statutory rape laws, personhood and feticide laws, artificial reproduction, surrogacy, the use of child endangerment laws to prosecute women for their conduct during pregnancy and parenthood. All students will gain exposure to legal research and writing and will work closely with the instructor to develop and hone these critical skills.
BETH 728: Autonomy, Community, and Bioethics (2 credits)
Modern healthcare tends to conceptualize the medical patient as fundamentally a solitary, freestanding individual. Our bioethical deliberations, accordingly, tend to center the principle of patient autonomy, seeking to guard against the domination that comes with caregiver paternalism, or even the oppression of one's own community. Understandably so, few of us would wish to have our most consequential decisions made for us. But a serious examination of human experience tells us that autonomy is a complicated thing, nowhere near reducible to a lack of external coercion, or independence from the input of others. Rather, the goods we desire under the heading of autonomy - confidence, decisiveness, owning and being at peace with one's decisions - are only accessible to selves that have been forged and maintained in intimate interpersonal feedback loops; the best science of human development teaches us that independent, brave individuals are, perhaps counterintuitively, the products of intensive communal formation and support. Even further, there is reason to believe that much of the importance of health and illness for an individual consists in the power of these states to inculcate feelings of communal belonging or isolation. In short, medical patients are communal creatures all the way down, and we misunderstand them when we conceptualize and treat them as solitary consumers of medical services. The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle famously referred to humans as "the political animal" - able to flourish only when embedded in the dense relational networks of the polis (city or town). As we will see in this course, Aristotle's assertion is increasingly being corroborated by cutting edge findings in neuroscience, psychology, developmental science and philosophy. This course will examine a broad swath of these findings, with the ultimate goal of imagining a bioethics that takes full account of our relational nature.
BETH 736 Sports and Bioethics (2 credits)
This course introduces students to key public health and bioethics debates in the world of sports. First, we examine the ethics of using (and administering) performance-enhancing drugs,
conflicts of interest that arise with team physicians, and the ways that coercion, consent, and paternalism are conceptualized in the treatment of sport injury and the practice of sport medicine. Second, students are introduced to various moral considerations involving sports and mental health. This includes elite athletes deciding to prioritize their mental health over public pressure to win or compete, recent public health studies on sports gambling, and how the use of native mascots in team sports impacts the mental health of Indigenous communities. A substantive part of the course focuses on the prevalence of traumatic brain injury (TBI) in American football. Throughout this discussion, students are invited to consider why the ethics of fandom deserves serious bioethical inquiry, especially in light of the role fans play in encouraging, celebrating, and taking pleasure in violent sports. Because sport plays a central role in naturalizing hierarchies of bodies and producing racialized and gendered norms, the seminar also explores timely subjects like: the rise of trans moral panics in sport; how sport governing bodies rely on colonial logics of ability and disability to reinforce racialized ideals of sexual difference; and the ways that sport’s “culture of risk” relates to dominant views of race, masculinity, and femininity. Finally, the seminar considers various ethical arguments made against the very nature of competition and how these arguments can inform public health conversations around sports, work, schooling, and other activities central to the our “culture of competition.”
BETH 751: Health and Human Rights (2 credits)
This course will examine health and health care in the context of human rights. This course will be taught in seminar format with multiple guest lecturers who are experts in their fields. Students are expected to be active participants in discussion of the seminars and readings. Questions and issues that will be addressed in the course include but are not limited to: how do the frameworks of bioethics and human rights differ? Where do they overlap? If we have a right to health, does that include the right to health care or the right to receive medications? If so, what are some of the systematic obstacles to actually obtaining needed care? In addressing these issues, we will examine some of the social determinants of health, including education, poverty, the social safety net, the treatment (or lack thereof) of minority groups and vulnerable populations, and the profit driven elements of much of our health care system. We will also explore health at the interface of global conflict, including such issues as torture. Students from all programs are welcome although priority for registration is given to MBE students.
BETH 752 Bioethics, Mental Health, and Policy (2 credits)
Addiction. Gender Identity. Right to Die. Involuntary Treatment. Both the medical and legal professions often struggle with how to treat people with mental illness- and what should even be considered a mental illness. Is gender dysphoria a disease, or an identity? Should hard drugs and the people who use them be criminalized, or treated as sick people who just need access to treatment? What determines how and when we treat people against their will? This is a discussion-based course where students will be expected to take an active role in examining the ways in which our understanding of mental illness, capacity, and what defines a disorder affects our treatment of affected individuals. In each class we will present the medical and legal landscape of a particular issue currently defined as a mental illness, and students will be asked to examine and articulate what their policies in this realm would look like.
BETH 753: Critical Reading of Contemporary Books in Bioethics (2 credits)
This course brings prominent authors to Harvard to discuss their recent publications in bioethics and related disciplines such as clinical medicine, health policy, social justice, medical anthropology, history, and more. We will read four books this semester: “Raising Lazarus” by Beth Macy, “The Occasional Human Sacrifice” by Carl Elliott, “The Soul of Care” by Arthur Kleinman, and “Voices from the Front Lines: The Pandemic and the Humanities” by Katherine Peeler and Richard Ratzan. Each book will span 3 class sessions: first discussing the book in a traditional seminar format (Friday afternoon), second attending a public lecture by the author of the book (Thursday evening), and third discussing the book in class with the author (Friday afternoon). Attendance and participation in all sessions is essential to the success of this course, and written work is largely in the form of reflection.
BETH 754 Arts in Humanities and Bioethics (2 credits)
This interdisciplinary course offers an immersive exploration of bioethical issues through the arts and humanities. The class invites students to delve deeply into the intersection of aesthetic experience and moral inquiry, using artistic modalities to enrich their understanding of bioethical principles, theories, lenses, and frameworks. Through analysis of visual and performing arts, literary works, and diverse media, we will cultivate essential bioethical skills, including critical thinking, ethical reasoning, empathy, and self-reflection. Class sessions will integrate lectures, dynamic discussions, and close readings of texts. Additionally, interactive narrative medicine workshops will provide students with experiential opportunities to humanize abstract bioethical concepts, apply visual thinking strategies, and focus on personal moral development. By the end of the course, students will emerge with a heightened awareness of bioethical complexities and practical tools necessary for ethical decision-making. Evaluation will be based on participation, weekly assignments, and a final project tailored to student interests.
BETH 756 Bridging Bioethics & Environmental Ethics: Practical Ethics for a Shared Future (2 credits)
In an era of worrying environmental challenges, the notion that human flourishing can be achieved without considerations of planetary health, sustainability, climate change, and biodiversity loss is becoming increasingly untenable. That's why a course on environmental ethics is a vital part of any bioethics program. "Bridging Bioethics and Environmental Ethics" is a 2-credit virtual Spring II (this is negotiable) elective that weaves three crucial threads throughout the semester: how we assign value to the non-human world, what our ethical duties are to the environment, and the specific obligations of biomedicine towards the natural world. The health of humans, animals, and ecosystems are inextricably linked. From zoonotic diseases to food security, the ethical decisions we make in the biomedical sphere can’t be distinct from planetary health with important consequences. This course empowers students to grapple with these complex, interdependent issues in practical ways using interactive online live sessions, creative assignments, and dialogue with prominent thought leaders.
BETH 762 Intersectionality in Bioethics (2 credits)
This course introduces students to key concepts, critiques, and conversations around intersectionality. Although intersectionality is often used to help medical professionals better understand issues of identity and personhood, this seminar focuses on the importance of intersectionality for analyzing structures of domination. As historian of medicine Jules GillPeterson writes, for example, "gender is not exclusively an identity. It is one of the most highly policed social categories that grants and limits access to the shared world." The seminar pays special attention to how "intersectional resistance movements" take shape in collective struggles for health justice and how they move beyond single-axis frameworks to challenge systems of violence. In the process, students will examine intersectional engagements with critical race theory, feminism, Marxism, disability justice, religion, migrant justice, and queer and trans liberation movements. The seminar will also explore how these critical intersectional interventions are conceptualized in Indigenous communities, especially those indigenous to Africa and the Americas. The seminar concludes by illuminating important tensions in intersectionality generating from recent scholarship at the intersection of Black studies, psychoanalysis, critical theory, and medical humanities.
BETH 764 Health, Human Rights and Social Justice (2 credits)
Human Rights is now the dominant language for claims of human emancipation around the world; human rights theory and practice have permeated many domains beyond the law, including health. Yet the landscape of global health is marked by vast inequities and brutal deprivation, and it is not yet clear how bringing human rights concepts and strategies to bear will change the lives of the millions of people around the globe who are suffering. In this course we will explore these questions and see how human rights provides not the only, but one, critical framework and set of tools through which to advance social justice in health. Nonetheless, the use of human rights to advance social justice faces vexing challenges, including being reduced to rhetoric by powerful actors and becoming overly legalistic.
The class will explore the conceptual and practical implications of adopting human rights frameworks relating to health policymaking and programming, including emphasis on accountability, participation and non-discrimination. We will examine how human rights discourses are shaped and contested, and how this determines the relevance of 'human rightsbased approaches' to addressing the health needs of different populations. Throughout the course, as we discuss specific issues, we will examine potential limitations as well as strengths of using human rights to improve global health.
BETH 768 Memory, Identity, Narrativity (2 credits) – new for Fall 2025
This course examines the bioethics of memory, broadly defined. We consider memory disorders, from amnesia to Alzheimer's, and the unique bioethical issues they present. What becomes of identity when its narrative substrates are eroded? We also consider the unreliability of memory and its implications for the mutability of identity over time, for the clinical relationship, and for the prospect of narrative repair. Finally, we turn to the significance of cultural memory and its erasures. Through forays into these discrete topics, we take an interdisciplinary approach to a fundamental question in bioethics: what constitutes the self?
Our exploration of this question is grounded in collaborative, discussion-based classes and short weekly response papers.
E. Expectations for Students
30 credits of didactic coursework as described above must be completed over the course of two terms (for the full-time program) or four/six terms (for the part-time programs). Term 1 each year is late August to mid-December and term 2 each year is January – May. The capstone experience is to be completed over the course of one academic year. For full-time students, some credits must be earned through short courses offered in January. Part-time students may elect, but are not required, to enroll in January coursework.
Students are expected to attend all classes, arrive on time, and be fully prepared to participate actively in the class. See Section 2.02 of the HMS Master’s Student Handbook for the Attendance Policy.
F. Capstone Experience
The capstone experience is a mentored practical experience culminating in a poster presentation in May. Each capstone experience is overseen by a faculty mentor/adviser with review by the Director of the Capstone program and the Director of the MBE program or designee at regular intervals to monitor successful progress. For part-time students, the capstone experience will be completed in the final year of the program. Students also take the year-long Capstone Seminar during the year they complete their capstone experience. The Capstone Seminar engages intentionally small sections of students led by a Seminar leader on a weekly basis with occasional larger group meetings on Zoom which bring together speakers and students from multiple sections to share content and increase networking opportunities. The part-time sections generally meet in the evening hours.
G. Assessment
The MBE program's core courses at HMS are graded with letter grades. Courses taken at other Harvard schools are graded in accordance with that school’s policies. Students are considered to be achieving satisfactory academic progress through the attainment of a B or higher in all required and core courses (including the capstone) and by maintaining a B average (numeric value of 80%) or above overall, achieving a “SAT” for electives, tutorials and seminar courses, and by demonstrating ongoing progress with the capstone experience.
H. Length of Time to Degree
MBE students are expected to complete the program in one year if enrolled full-time and two years if enrolled part-time. A three-year option is available to a limited number of students. The three-year option does not qualify for Federal Financial Aid. Students may petition the program
director in writing for an extension of time. (See Section 2.06 for definitions of full-and parttime and Section 2.07 for the policy on length of time to degree.)
I. Requirements for Graduation
The curriculum and course of study for the MBE is geared to the HMS requirements that degree recipients will both achieve mastery in a core curriculum that enriches the career of the student and complete courses that provide appropriate didactic training to match the program’s focus.
Students must maintain satisfactory academic progress in all coursework and complete the capstone project with a satisfactory grade (B or above) to graduate. A degree will not be granted to a student who is not in good standing or against whom a disciplinary charge is pending. In addition, a student’s term bill must be paid in full before the student will be awarded a diploma.
VI. Advising
Each student is assigned a faculty advisor who meets with the student at least once per term.
VII. Financial Aid
Currently, the program does not have any other resources for scholarship support. Program applicants are encouraged to apply for external grants and individual fellowships whenever possible. Accepted students will be provided with information from the HMS Financial Aid office on the process for applying for Federal Loans and Federal Work Study. U.S. citizens and U.S. permanent residents are eligible to apply for these types of aid through the HMS Financial Aid office.
Students who are enrolled at least half-time may be eligible for other federal or private aid. See Section 6.07 for financial aid information.
