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 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), the 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 core 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 hours to facilitate a 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.
II. Degree(s) Offered
The Master of Science in Bioethics degree (SM in Bioethics) is offered. This 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 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 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
• Curriculum Vitae
• Undergraduate and graduate transcripts
• 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 and no later than March 31 for mid-career and all other applicants. 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.
V. Course of Study
A. There are no concentrations offered.
B. Curriculum
Successful completion of the MBE program is based on two core tenets. First, each candidate must complete foundational coursework representing broad exposure to and understanding of the foundation, theory, practice, and central challenges in bioethics. Second, each candidate must complete a capstone experience that demonstrates facility in and mastery of requisite
knowledge and skill to engage meaningfully in bioethics inquiry and application in a specific area of professional expertise.
The course of study for the MBE, as described above, requires 36 credits, of which 30 are earned in classroom study and six are earned through the capstone experience broadly taking the form of a mentored academic project or externship/experience with a poster presentation in the Spring term and attendance at a weekly seminar.
The backbone of the MBE curriculum is the required year-long, ten-credit course, Foundations of Bioethics. This course is a multilayered approach to the core challenges in bioethics, from the philosophical underpinnings of the field to the application of theory to central challenges in bioethics and, beyond, to how policy and law shape and are shaped by moral challenges in the life sciences. The course combines readings from original texts, a moral theory primer, theoretical critiques, critical evaluation of key areas of bioethics inquiry, legal and policy approaches to subject matter areas (where applicable), and examination of other critical forces, such as religion, social science, and justice theory, that have shaped our understanding of and scholarship and practice in bioethics.
In addition to Foundations of Bioethics, degree candidates are expected to complete three required courses: Introduction to Clinical Ethics, Introduction to Research Ethics, and Health Law, Policy and Bioethics. Students from non-US jurisdictions, with advanced qualifications in law-related fields, or who apply and are approved for an exemption may elect to meet the Health Law, Policy and Bioethics course requirement by taking a selection of approved courses as an alternate path. Together, these required courses cover critical areas in the field of bioethics. It is the expectation of the program that, in order to complete the MBE's course of study, students will demonstrate knowledge and analytic ability in a substantial body of central bioethics topics. Restated, the foundational course is necessary but not sufficient to cover the breadth of the field, and additional coursework related to key concepts, subject areas, and challenges will be achieved through the required courses. Students with backgrounds and/or training that demonstrate proficiency in one of these core areas may petition the program to substitute an alternate class for one of the required classes but not for the Foundations sequence. This request must be made in writing prior to the registration period when the student would be expected to enroll in the course.
In addition to the above requirements, eight elective credits must be taken in either courses offered through the MBE program or in other parts of the University. Students may elect to take courses through cross-registration across the University, subject to availability and approval by the faculty advisor. This cross-registration option ensures opportunities for students to achieve learning objectives across disciplines and approaches to the wide range of challenges in bioethics. Given the breadth of backgrounds of enrolled students, each student develops an individually tailored study plan for electives with his or her assigned faculty advisor and progresses according to that plan. Each study plan is also approved by the program director or designee to ensure both adequate core study and specialized study where needed to
support the student’s capstone experience and career goals. Any deviations from the set curriculum will require approval from the program director.
The final six credits of the curriculum are earned through a year-long capstone experience and associated year-long required capstone seminar course.
C. Enrollment Options
The Master of Science in Bioethics offers options to complete the degree over the course of one, two, or three academic years. For all three options, the following requirements must be met:
1. Foundations I and II must be taken in the first year
2. Capstone I and II must be taken during the year of matriculation for one-year students and is generally taken in the final year of enrollment for two- and threeyear students.
3. Students must take the following three Core courses:
• Introduction to Clinical Ethics
• Research Ethics
• Health Law, Policy, and Bioethics or approved equivalent courses for total of 4 credits
o Approved equivalent courses:
§ Global Health Ethics (2 credits)
§ Health and Human Rights (2 credits)
§ Health, Human Rights and Social Justice (2 credits)
§ Reproductive Ethics, Law, and Justice (2 credits)
§ Neuroethics, Law, and Bioethics (2 credits)
§ Bioethics Advocacy (2 credits)
§ Electives in other schools with permission
4. Students may petition the program for exemption from one of three Core courses with proof of prior advanced study, and/or alternative course selection.
5. January (J-Term) and Spring terms count as one term. The maximum and minimum number of credits reflected in the Spring Term column are the combined minimum and maximum.
6. Cross-registration to courses in other areas of the University will be available on a space-limited basis. Program approval is required for cross-registered courses.
The following diagrams reflect the three courses of study.
Master of Science in Bioethics Curriculum Map
* Enrollment for 20 credits and above needs prior approval from program and Registrar ’s offce
** Elective credits for J-Term and Spring combined cannot exceed 4
*** Elective credits for J-Term and Spring combined cannot be less than 4 and exceed 10
**** Elective credits for J-Term and Spring combined cannot exceed 2
(2-4 credits)**
Due to the reduced course-load, the three-year option does not qualify for Federal Financial Aid. Students in the three-year program may (with program approval) take 8 credits during one or two terms as long as the total credits per year is 14 credits or fewer.
Assignment to One, Two-, or Three-Year Option or Virtual option
Students are admitted to one of the three programs during the admissions process and must follow that course of study through graduation (One-Year, Two-Year, or Three Year). Students may petition the program to transfer from one option to the other between admission and the first Fall Add/Drop period of enrollment. Upon approval from the program, the request will be forwarded to the Dean of Graduate Education and Registrar for final approval. Variances from the student’s course of study resulting in extra time toward the degree will result in additional charges as outlined in section 6.02
D. Course Descriptions
REQUIRED COURSES:
BETH 701 and BETH 702: Foundations of Bioethics I and II (6 credits and 4 credits respectively)
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 per term x 2 terms)
The capstone experience is a required component of the Master’s program that provides mentored learning and active participation in an area of applied bioethics work and practice that aligns with student interests. The Capstone Seminar is intended to help students reflect upon their own and others’ capstone experiences, thereby developing an appreciation for the range and complexities of real-world work in clinical ethics, research ethics, or law and/or public policy related to bioethics. Together, the capstone experience and associated seminar focus on acquiring knowledge through skills development in applied bioethics Central features of the capstone include completion of a literature review, preparation of an abstract, and oral and poster presentations. The seminar also explores the role responsibilities and professional skills and attributes of those doing practical bioethics work. 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, physicianassisted 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, 4 credits:
The Health Law and Policy Core requirement is met through completion of BETH 706: Health Law, Policy, and Bioethics. Non-US and Advanced Students as well as others with prior program approval will have the option to complete the Health Law and Policy Core requirement through an alternate path by combining any of the alternative 2-credit courses listed below, to total 4 credits. With prior permission, cross-registered courses may be applied to this core requirement.
BETH 706:
Health Law, Policy, and Bioethics (4 credits)
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 Masters 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.
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) macroeconomic and micro-bedside resource allocation dilemmas, and 3) health care worker “brain drain” from poor to rich locales.
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 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 766 US Eugenics: Legacies and Resurgences (2 credits)
An exploration of the ethics of scientific and social eugenics in 20th/21st century U.S. through historical, bioethical, critical race, Indigenous, gender, and disability frameworks. Attention to roles of medicine, law, and government in relation to eugenic techniques: sterilization, segregation, and marriage restriction as well as genetic technologies, land conservation, and immigration policy. Consideration of resistance to eugenics (moral, scientific, religious, artistic, political) and recent strategies of redress (apologies, renamings, financial reparations). Opportunity to study chosen context/community in a final project.
BETH 761 Law, Ethics and Neuroscience (2 credits)
Neuroscience and neurotechnology are being deployed in courts, classrooms, legislatures, and many other social and legal contexts beyond the hospital. This raises deep bioethical and legal issues, and this seminar will explore both the promise and peril of applying neuroscience in law and public policy. Topics will include: criminal responsibility and punishment, the developing brain, memory and the law, lie detection, emotions, addiction, cognitive enhancement, aging brains, brain injury and sports concussions, and use of neuroscientific evidence in court and policymaking. Through
assigned readings, weekly discussion, and engagement with local experts in fields such as neuroscience, psychiatry, neurology, neuroengineering, artificial intelligence, neuroimaging, ethics, and law, students will engage with foundational bioethics principles as they intersect with legal doctrine and practice. Students will be required to submit weekly discussion postings, engage in seminar discussion, and complete a final writing assignment.
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 rights-based 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 746 Reproductive Health, Law, and Bioethics (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.
ELECTIVES:
Note: Elective offerings are contingent on faculty availability and enrollment support. The following are a sample of elective offerings.
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 (2 credits)
Instructor and Topic varies
With approval and oversight of the Master of Bioethics Program Director, Center for Bioethics Faculty will offer a unique course of study developed to address a specific topical area in bioethics scholarship and practice. The course includes a substantial reading and writing requirement such that students gain in-depth exposure to a particular topic or subject matter area within bioethics. This course is designed to address both contemporary issues and developments as well as to provide an opportunity to address core topics of interest to faculty and students in the Master of Bioethics program. Topics vary each term that the course is offered.
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: Disability Bioethics (2 credits)
This colloquium raises bioethical questions in the context of health care for patients with disabilities. Students are encouraged to think critically, openly, and collegially about often difficult and sometimes controversial topics related to both clinical care and public health, involving medical ethics, civil and human rights, autonomy and dignity, informed consent, the culture of healthcare, and others. The course will meet online weekly for six consecutive weeks at the beginning of the Spring 2024 semester. Each session will be two hours long. The first hour will feature a guest lecturer, who will take questions that students can prepare based on a reading provided in advance. The second hour will feature a discussion among the course directors and students. Students are required to submit a weekly 2-page reflection paper in advance of 5 of the 6 sessions. Students will be evaluated based on course participation and engagement with the weekly reflection papers.
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 722: Environmental Ethics and Justice (2 credits)
Our world is facing unprecedented environmental and societal challenges. Nearly half a million people die each year of malaria. It is estimated that over 200 species go extinct every day. And rapid climate change threatens to exasperate numerous threats to environmental health, and by extension human health. In the age of the Anthropocene, how can we, as humans make decisions that will ensure the flourishing of both humans and non-human beings. This overarching goal of this course is to give students a working knowledge of the fundamental philosophies that underpin the field of environmental ethics and how ideas about the human relationship with non-human nature impacts decision-making across sectors and governance levels. This course will meet for a once a week for four weeks for 2.5-3 hours each session. As a seminar style course, short lectures, group work, and case studies will make up the structure of
the course. Students will be evaluated by a final short essay and weekly reports on provided readings.
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.
BETH724: 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 Ethics and Governance of Digital Privacy and AI (2 credits)
Enabled by big data, Artificial Intelligence ("AI") technology has become ubiquitous developing at breakneck speed, challenging our ability to reflect meaningfully as a society on its ethical implications and to build policy guardrails that ensure its ethical and responsible development and use. This seminar adopts a multidisciplinary approach, focusing on the ethical and regulatory environments in the United States (US) and the European Union (EU). It aims to equip students with a robust understanding of the ethical, legal, and societal impacts of big data, digital privacy, and AI broadly with a special focus on healthcare. By exploring various normative bioethics perspectives and rights-based frameworks, the course will delve into a wide range of topics through lectures, assigned readings, and class discussions. Students will engage with guest speakers to explore the complexities of big data, automated processing, AI technology, and their associated challenges primarily in the healthcare context. The curriculum will cover the historical context of digital privacy and AI, the US and EU policy strategies, the harms of AI, and the concept of ethical data spaces. It will also examine AI applications in healthcare, providing students with the tools to address the pressing ethical questions relevant to medicine and bioscience.
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 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 753: Critical Reading of Contemporary Books in Bioethics (2 credits)
This year-long course is intended to expose students to a variety of contemporary books that address various bioethical issues. The course does so in the following manner: for each of the 4 books that are read in the course, we first conduct a two-hour seminar in which the students and faculty discuss and analyze the book and prepare for the author’s visit. Subsequently, the class attends a 1.5 hour public lecture and forum with the author, followed by a 2-hour session with the author. Following each book/author, students complete a writing assignment with each assignment that will vary in format throughout the semester. Assignments include mock book reviews and others will be more analytic evaluations of the central argument(s) in the book, with at least one essay intended for a non-academic audience.
BETH 759: Ditching the Deficit Model: Science Communication for Ethical Community (2 credits)
Deficit model approaches to science communication presume that facts speak for themselves, and that providing "lay" audiences with scientific information can dispel public opposition to science and technology. From vaccine uptake to trust in novel gene therapies, deficit model
approaches are failing. This seminar style course turns the deficit model on its head by providing the critical awareness and skills needed for truly effective science communication and community engagement. This course teaches an alternative approach that recognizes a plurality of values and harnesses those differences to build relationships and find common ground. Through a combination of short lectures, critical readings, small group activities, and targeted communication training, students will gain the necessary skills to apply these learnings to a diversity of audiences; from interdisciplinary teams to policy makers, community partners, and the broader public. Together we will explore case studies on vaccine uptake, synthetic biology, environmental technologies, population genomics, big data, and disability justice of CRISPR gene editing to cultivate ethical communication strategies that aim to connect across differences, not convince. The skills gained in this course will be equally valuable to those students pursuing careers in academia, science policy, science communication, and beyond.
BETH 761 Law, Ethics and Neuroscience (2 credits)
Neuroscience and neurotechnology are being deployed in courts, classrooms, legislatures, and many other social and legal contexts beyond the hospital. This raises deep bioethical and legal issues, and this seminar will explore both the promise and peril of applying neuroscience in law and public policy. Topics will include: criminal responsibility and punishment, the developing brain, memory and the law, lie detection, emotions, addiction, cognitive enhancement, aging brains, brain injury and sports concussions, and use of neuroscientific evidence in court and policymaking. Through assigned readings, weekly discussion, and engagement with local experts in fields such as neuroscience, psychiatry, neurology, neuroengineering, artificial intelligence, neuroimaging, ethics, and law, students will engage with foundational bioethics principles as they intersect with legal doctrine and practice. Students will be required to submit weekly discussion postings, engage in seminar discussion, and complete a final writing assignment.
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 766 US Eugenics: Legacies and Resurgences (2 credits)
An exploration of the ethics of scientific and social eugenics in 20th/21st century U.S. through historical, bioethical, critical race, Indigenous, gender, and disability frameworks. Attention to roles of medicine, law, and government in relation to eugenic techniques: sterilization, segregation, and marriage restriction as well as genetic technologies, land conservation, and immigration policy. Consideration of resistance to eugenics (moral, scientific, religious, artistic, political) and recent strategies of redress (apologies, renamings, financial reparations). Opportunity to study chosen context/community in a final project.
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 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 meet in the evening hours.
G. Assessment
The MBE program's core courses at HMS are graded with letter grades. The consortium tutorials, and 1-credit elective courses receive satisfactory or unsatisfactory 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
Dubai Harvard Foundation for Medical Research (DHFMR) is offering scholarship awards to qualifying HMS Masters’ students. The DHFMR-supported students must maintain good academic standing throughout their program and the Dubai Harvard Foundation reserves the right to reclaim any unused funds from Masters’ students whose status changes.
Recipients of DHFMR funding must be citizens and/or a current resident of a country in the Middle East North Africa (MENA) Region (MENA citizens do not have to be currently living in their home country). The MENA Region countries are: Algeria, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malta, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, West Bank, Gaza and Yemen.
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.
VIII. Internship Information
Full-time students are allowed to participate in part-time internships.
