Overview
Union Graduate College is a Partner with the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in Bioethics Program
Since 2001, Union Graduate College has been a leader in bioethics education. In 2007, the college partnered with the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City to provide an interdisciplinary bioethics program. Those enrolled in the program earn an MS in Bioethics by completing both distance and on-site training with a professional bioethics education rooted in competency.
Applicants for the MS in Bioethics program come from a variety of career backgrounds, but all share a commitment to bioethics and patient compassion. The college's Center for Bioethics and Clinical Leadership serves as a partner with the Mount Sinai School of Medicine to offer the MS in Bioethics program. The institutions jointly impart advanced bioethics and clinical education to doctors, healthcare administrators, lawyers, nurses, pharmacists, philosophers, and researchers. The education also is valued by students in professional and graduate degree programs.
The curriculum recognizes that bioethical decisions involve precedents and best practices, while spanning various viewpoints, including medical, legal, philosophical, and religious. Working professionals usually earn their MS in Bioethics degrees in two to three years. Full-time students may finish the program in one year. The Master of Science in Bioethics program fits the requirements and time constraints of working professionals, complies with the standards of national accrediting and funding agencies, and imparts the capabilities and knowledge recommended by the American Society of Bioethics and Humanities.
The Online Program and On-Site Seminars in Bioethics Offers Distance Learning Flexibility to Professionals
The graduate program in bioethics is comprised of an online program of courses in conjunction with on-site practica, seminars, and capstone assessments. On-site coursework includes an introductory Summer Seminar, taught by scholars from throughout the country. In that seminar, students also have the opportunity to meet their professors and colleagues in the program.
The on-site practica give graduate students the chance to practice skills acquired through theory coursework. Students participate in this week-long, clinical experience at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine under the direction of Mount Sinai faculty. Organized in a workshop format, practica engage students in analyzing clinical ethics' cases, research ethics, and health policies. The practica allow students to gain knowledge of numerous case studies. In addition, students write up cases under the supervision of experts to expand their individualized knowledge and skills.
The on-site practica train students in core competencies required to develop expertise in a specific bioethics area. They will be prepared with essential skill sets to provide clinical ethics consultations and mediations. These skills also will enable them to serve on a research ethics committee. The bioethics program's distinctive blend of a 10-week online program and short, on-site seminars was created for international and U.S. professionals who need flexibility. The capstone is the final on-site session where students present projects that demonstrate their knowledge and research skills in the area of bioethics.
With the Program's Design, Required Courses can be Taught by World-Renowned Bioethics Faculty
The bioethics program is recognized internationally for its challenging online courses, practical training, and competency assessment. Students take core classes via distance learning, allowing the bioethics program to draw from the expertise of a world-renowned bioethics faculty. Nine of the twelve required program courses are taught by internationally recognized experts in bioethics. The bioethics graduate program is launched for students with a special seminar held on the Union College campus during the summer. World-renowned bioethics faculty members are present from Mount Sinai, Union College, and other major medical ethics and bioethics organizations.
In addition to coursework, a student must complete a master's project that requires in-depth research. This project is presented to faculty and fellow students in the final phase of the program at the capstone assessments. The student relies on personalized direction from a faculty member during the project. Students have software that allows them to access the research facilities of the Union College/Union Graduate College Library databases and journals
They also can access the medical library of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, a valuable research facility. During on-site sessions at Mount Sinai's Morchand Center for Clinical Competence, students demonstrate their competencies by interacting with trained actors in standardized research and clinical ethics situations. This Mount Sinai facility is known for training medical students to be compassionate physicians.
