MA Medical Ethics and Palliative Care

Keele University

MA Medical Ethics and Palliative Care

  • Country United Kingdom
  • Course Duration 12 month
  • Course Type Full Time
  • Courses Campus On Campus
  • Language Specification IELTS
  • Program Level Post-Graduate
  • Education Required Undergraduate
  • Admission intake SEP
  • Minimum GPA 70
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Application Charges

Application Fee Tution Fee
Free GBP 16,800

Application Date

Application Start Date Application Closing Date
2023-03-03
2023-08-20

Program Description

Nowhere is healthcare ethics more relevant than the difficult decisions taken during palliative care. For example, who should make medical decisions for patients who are too ill to decide for themselves? What should the response be to patients who refuse treatments likely to be beneficial or demand treatments not likely to be?The reality of these situations is rarely straight forward, especially when decision-making not only affects patients and their loved ones, but also a large, interdisciplinary support team, which can include physicians, nurses, occupational and physical therapists, psychologists, social workers, chaplains, and dietitians. Care itself can also be provided in a variety of contexts, including in hospice, hospitals, and home settings. Since multiple values such as respect for autonomy, non-maleficence, beneficence, and justice lie at the heart of care giving decisions, it’s no surprise that conflict can arise.Keele is a pioneer of medical ethics and law education: our MA Medical Ethics and Palliative Care remains the only programme of its kind in the UK which specialises in palliative care and end-of-life medical ethics.The course aims to improve your ability to examine health care contexts, identify and consider the moral issues that healthcare professionals may face, then weigh up and, if need be, effectively present and communicate alternative scenarios.Our flexible delivery allows you to study while in full-time work. Starting in September, it can be studied one year full-time, over two years part-time or up to five years if you choose to study on a modular basis. Teaching is delivered in short, intense blocks of typically three days’ duration. The part-time programme requires only 13 days attendance in Year 1 and two days in Year 2, a Research Methods study day in October and a day to present and discuss your work in progress in Semester 2.The first two modules, which are studied alongside students on the MA in Medical Ethics and Law, introduce key concepts and principles in medical ethics and law, which will provide a framework for addressing practical issues throughout the course. You’ll also develop your understanding of the language, norms and conventions used when writing or preparing academic arguments in these disciplines.On the MA, you will complete 180 credits, which comprises four 30-credit taught modules and a 60-credit dissertation, which is studied over the course of a year on a topic of your choice.The information below outlines a one-year full-time study schedule. When taken part-time, the four modules are taught in the first year, with the dissertation completed in the second year. Alternatively, you can choose to study one or more taught modules per year for a period of up to four years, followed by the dissertation in your final year. If you opt for a modular approach, modules 1 and 2 must normally be completed before modules 3 and 4.

Other Requirements

  • The MA in Medical Ethics and Palliative Care is open to graduates with a first or second class honours degree (or foreign equivalent) in a relevant subject, or appropriate professional qualifications and/or experience.
  • For IELTS Waiver : CISCE/CBSE Class XII: 70% or above. All other State Boards Class XII (except Punjab or Mohali School Education Board): 75% or above in English, depending on course.Study should be taught in English. Otherwise IELTS is required.

Extra Notes


* NOTE : The Tuition Fee is subject to change Semester wise, as such for exact Tuition Fee kindly see the Website of the respective University.
* NOTE : Pathways : Students who want to pursue a Graduate Degree through a particular University but are unable to meet the university requirements for the GPA, GRE/GMAT or English Language scores, have to take up an additional academic and language support i.e. pathways in order to ensure the admit and study at the desired University.