Sequencing of Courses in the Curriculum
There are three tiers of course requirements to complete the Master of Arts in Bioethics degree.
First Tier: Required Core Bioethics Courses: 5 courses, 15 hours (BIOE 600, 610, 620, 630 & 650)
Second Tier: Required General Ethics Courses: 2 courses, 6 hours (BIOE 660 & 670)
Third Tier: Elective Courses: 3 courses, 9 hours (See www.lmu.edu/bioethics for a list.)
Students who do not have sufficient clinical background in medicine or nursing must take BIOE 650 Introduction to Clinical Medicine as one of their electives.
Generally speaking, the sequencing of the courses in tiers one and two, plus BIOE 650 in the third tier, rotate on an annual cycle. The policy is a general one because sometimes it may be necessary to offer some of these courses more often because of student need. Because some of the elective courses are only offered through The Bioethics Institute and on a two or three-year cycle, it is the responsibility of each student to plan ahead to make sure that you will gain access to the courses that you want or need for graduation in a timely fashion.
Requests for “Directed Readings” or “Independent Studies” Courses
Because we are a small faculty, requests for “directed readings” or “independent studies” courses will almost never be granted, since these courses would require the faculty to teach overloads in addition to all the other work that they must do. If a student wants to take an “independent studies” course from a faculty member outside The Bioethics Institute, then the student must inform the Graduate Director in The Bioethics Institute that he/she will begin a conversation with a faculty member in another department. If a professor from another department wants to teach such an elective course and the course material is related to the field of bioethics, then the student must contact the Graduate Director in The Bioethics Institute and receive prior approval before making the arrangement with the faculty member. It is the responsibility of the Graduate Director and Chair of the other department to process the paperwork for such a course.
Taking Courses Outside The Bioethics Institute
The Master of Arts in Bioethics degree offered through The Bioethics Institute is the only free-standing graduate program in bioethics west of the Mississippi. The Master of Arts degree is a multidisciplinary program that requires the integration of several disciplines, e.g., medicine, law, theology, philosophy, etc., to be placed within an interdisciplinary perspective. Normally, an academic Master’s degree (as opposed to professional Master’s degrees, such as an M.Div. or MBA) would require at least 30 hours of coursework, plus a set of comprehensive exams and/or a thesis. For various pedagogical and logistical reasons, the faculty in The Bioethics Institute have decided not to include requirements beyond the 10 courses (30 hours). This is important because it will have a bearing on how many courses can be taken outside of The Bioethics Institute.
STATEMENT OF THE POLICY:
OF THE 30 HOURS REQUIRED FOR THE MASTER OF ARTS IN BIOETHICS DEGREE, THE POLICY OF THE BIOETHICS INSTITUTE IS THAT NO MORE THAN 6 GRADUATE CREDIT HOURS OR TWO GRADUATE COURSES CAN BE TAKEN OUTSIDE THE BIOETHICS INSTITUTE.
Exceptions to this policy will be considered, but these exceptions will be granted rarely.
1.Courses transferred into The Bioethics Institute from other academic institutions must be submitted to and approved by the Graduate Director. A syllabus from this course must be presented to the Graduate Director for review. Also, two copies of the relevant transcripts must be submitted to the Registrar’s Office. Approval of such requests will follow the regulations set down in the University Graduate Catalogue.
B. Required Bioethics Core Courses:
Transfer courses and electives from other universities or from departments within LMU cannot be used to fulfill the core bioethics course requirements. All of the required core bioethics courses, i.e., BIOE 600, 610, 620, 630, and 640, must be taken within The Bioethics Institute and must be taught by its faculty.
Class Attendance
The Master of Art Program in Bioethics is predicated upon a philosophy of learning that relies on:
▪ Personal relation between professors and students
▪ Student participation and involvement
▪ Regular attendance at classes
Because of these principles, the following general policies for class attendance are:
1. Students’ enrollment and participation in a particular class will be defined at the beginning of each semester. Late entries beyond the deadline set by the Registrar’s Office are not allowed.
2. All students are expected to participate in class on a regular basis. Regular attendance to class will be counted as one of the components of the final grade as determined by the professor.
3. Upon the second unexcused absence (consecutive or not), students must see the professor in person and discuss the status of their participation in the course
4. A student’s absence from class can be excused in cases of illness or other reasons deemed relevant by the professor. Preferably, and when possible, the professor will be notified in advance of such absence from class.
5. Students who have accumulated more than three absences, independent of any justification, should no longer be considered active participants in the class to receive a letter grade.
6. Students who have accumulated three absences might be allowed to continue the course for an incomplete grade with the permission of the professor. Criteria for late completion of the course will be negotiated with the professor.