Joint Degrees: Center For Bioethics and Health Law

JD/MA

Juris Doctor / Master of Arts in Bioethics

The School of Law and the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) offer a joint degree program in law and bioethics. Graduates of the program receive the Juris Doctor (JD) degree, the basic professional degree in law, and the Master of Arts (MA) degree from FAS, in bioethics. The joint degree program is directed by Alan Meisel, JD, in cooperation with Lisa S. Parker, PhD, who directs the interdisciplinary Master of Arts in Bioethics.

The joint degree program has been established in recognition of the extensive and increasing overlap between law and bioethics. The objective of this educational program is to prepare graduates with an interdisciplinary background in law and bioethics so they can address those issues and situations that require knowledge of and expertise in both. Graduates will be academically prepared for professional roles as bioethicists in health care institutions, in public policy working for government or philanthropic organizations, or in the practice of law, for example, giving counsel to health care institutions.

The sequence of the curriculum is designed to allow students maximum flexibility. Students may either take the entire first-year School of Law curriculum intact, or they may take one bioethics course – Theoretical Foundations of Applied Ethics – in place of Criminal Law (which would then be taken in their second year of law school). Students should discuss this plan of study with Prof. Alan Meisel, Director of this joint program.

Writing Requirements:

The writing requirements for both degrees are simultaneously satisfied by completion of the master's thesis requirement in a subject in the field of law and bioethics.

Practica

The Clinical Practica ensure that students will be comfortable in and knowledgeable about the clinical setting by learning how to identify the normative issues in clinical cases and to be able to give practical advice regarding difficult bioethical dilemmas. Students are scheduled for six credits of clinically-based work, which may be reduced to three for students with previous health care training. In Clinical Practica I and II students acquire familiarity with the clinical setting by

• rounding in specified services with residents, attending physicians, and other health care professionals, including one night on call per service
• participating in twice weekly seminars on medical sociology and clinical ethics and to fulfill those seminar requirements of reading, writing, discussion, and case presentations
• observing ethics consultations and clinical ethics teaching sessions
• completing a self-paced programmed text covering basic medical terminology

In Clinical Practicum II, students participate in an intensive four-week rotation in the clinical area of their choice, allowing in-depth development in an area of clinical medicine. Students should relate this intensive clinical experience to their thesis topic.

Go directly to http://www.pitt.edu/~bioethic/ for detailed information about this program.

In addition to meeting the specifically required coursework for the JD degree and the MA degree, students will select electives from among an array of courses available in the two separate degree programs and in other parts of the University. For an up-to-date list of law school courses considered to be especially appropriate for students in this joint degree program, students should consult the courses listed as electives for the Health Law Certificate Program

Students in the joint law and bioethics program will ordinarily fulfill the requirements of the Health Law Certificate Program in the law school and may obtain this certificate concurrent with the joint degree.

Application Instructions

Students wishing to enroll in the joint degree program must first be admitted to each of the individual programs. Students must complete and submit two separate applications, although the bioethics program will accept the unofficial photocopies of transcripts and LSAT score, so long as the official copies are on file in the School of Law. Application to both programs may be made simultaneously, or students may apply to the bioethics program during the first or second year of law school. It is preferable for students to apply early. Students who have completed one year of the master's degree may enroll in the School of Law and have master's degree credits applied toward the law degree only if, at the conclusion of one year of the master's degree, they still require at least 12 credits to complete in that degree program.

The deadline for application for admission to the School of Law is March 1. Applications for admission to the bioethics program are first considered on February 1 and thereafter on a rolling basis until August 15. Again, earlier application is advantageous to prospective students, as the class may be filled with early applicants.

Credits

Students enrolled in the joint degree program accomplish in three to four years what would take four or more years if the two degrees were obtained separately. The total required number of credits 100, as compared with 118 credits if the two degrees were taken separately. The 100 credits include 34 credits of specifically prescribed* law courses, the Bioethics and Health Law Clinical Practicum (3 credits), and 18 specifically prescribed credits in bioethics (including 6 credits of MA Thesis Research). Within the remaining 45 credits, students must satisfy requirements for their law degree, take a course from the list of Restricted Elective courses for the bioethics degree, and take at least 3 credits in a course relevant to bioethics (either in the law school or not).

Taken as a joint degree program, the two degrees are ordinarily earned in 7 semesters and one summer. However, in unusual circumstances, students may complete the two degrees in 6 semesters plus summer work.

During at least 5 semesters, joint degree students must be coded by the University Registrar as "primary law." During these semesters, they pay tuition at the Law School rate. They must enroll in at least 10 credits of law school courses (in order to meet ABA residency requirements). Law school policies permit students to enroll in a maximum of 15 credits per semester. Any student wishing to exceed this maximum may do so by having an overload form signed by the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs.

Tuition

Students must pay tuition at the law school rate at least 5 semesters. Thus, students who complete the program in 6 semesters will be billed at FAS tuition rates for only one semester.

Students who complete the program in 7 or 8 semesters will be billed at the lower FAS tuition rate for two semesters.

When coded as "primary FAS" and paying tuition at the FAS rate, a maximum of 15 credits are paid for by the FAS per-semester tuition rate. If a student takes more than 15 credits, the student will be billed extra for any credits over 15 at the FAS per-credit tuition rate.

Advising

Students are required to consult with the Director of the Joint Degree Program during or prior to the spring registration period each year in order to assure that they meet all requirements of the Joint Degree program.

*The curriculum with specifically prescribed courses listed:

Contact Information