Practical Ethics

This course is run jointly by the Oxford Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics in the Faculty of Philosophy, and the Department for Continuing Education, and draws on the internationally recognised expertise of the Uehiro Centre for Practical Ethics, the Ethox Centre and the Faculty of Philosophy.

The course is highly interdisciplinary in character but the primary focus is ethical and philosophical: students will learn how to apply rigorous philosophical analysis to real-life ethical problems and will be provided with a grounding in key ethical concepts and methods, as well as in major debates in practical ethics. Students will also have the opportunity for in-depth research on a topic of their choice.

The course is relevant to students from a range of professional backgrounds, including medicine and other health sciences, cognitive science, philosophy, bioethics and the legal and public policy sectors.

Oxford was ranked as the top university for the study of ethics by the Centre for World University Rankings in 2017, and ranked as the top university in applied ethics by the Philosophical Gourmet Report.

Modules include:

• Ethical Concepts and Methods
• Well-Being, Disability and Enhancement
• Neuroethics
• Philosophy, Psychiatry and Mental Health
• Ethics of the Beginning and End of Life
• Research Ethics and Empirical Ethics.

The allocation of graduate supervision for this course is the responsibility of the Faculty of Philosophy and it is not always possible to accommodate the preferences of incoming graduate students to work with a particular member of staff. A supervisor may be found outside the Faculty of Philosophy.

Specific career paths include posts relating to public policy development, to clinical ethics and research ethics within hospitals and health care facilities, the teaching of ethics in a professional context as well as enhancing career development more broadly in a range of fields through deep engagement with relevant ethical issues.

The course will provide rigorous and formal training in methods and theories in practical ethics to provide students with the skills needed to apply for leading PhD courses.

Changes to this course and your supervision

The University will seek to deliver this course in accordance with the description set out in this course page. However, there may be situations in which it is desirable or necessary for the University to make changes in course provision, either before or after registration.

Where possible your academic supervisor will not change for the duration of your course. However, it may be necessary to assign a new academic supervisor during the course of study or before registration for reasons which might include sabbatical leave, parental leave, change in employment, or if specific expertise in connection with the writing of the dissertation is required.

For further information, please see our page on changes to courses.

Other courses you may wish to consider

If you're thinking about applying for this course, you may also wish to consider the courses listed below. These courses may have been suggested due to their similarity with this course, or because they are offered by the same department or faculty.

All graduate courses offered by the Faculty of Philosophy

Ancient Philosophy MSt

Philosophy DPhil

Philosophy BPhil

Philosophy of Physics MSt

Practical Ethics MSt

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Entry requirements