Frequently asked questions

Bioethics is concerned with the ethical questions arising in contexts of biological and health sciences. Traditional topics in bioethics include abortion, euthanasia, relationships between health care providers and patients, research involving humans and animals, and justice in distribution of health resources. Emerging topics include genetic enhancement and modification of humans, risk and health, nanotechnology, and global public health.

These programs have been designed to meet the widely recognised growing need for ethics education for scientists, researchers and professionals working in medicine, nursing, psychology, allied health, pharmacy, dentistry, public health, health law, health and public policy, science communication and related fields, as well as students with backgrounds in applied philosophy, politics, law, sociology and anthropology. You should have an undergraduate degree in any of these related fields or comparable experience.

If you are a full time student, graduate certificates will take half a year, the graduate diploma and Masters will take one year and the Masters (Honours) will take one and a half years. If you are a part time student, completing these degree programs can take anywhere from one to four years.

Full time students usually take four units of study per semester to complete the degree in the allocated time. Part time students should take one or two units of study per semester.

Application instructions vary for domestic and international students.

Check the instructions on the “how to apply” section of this website and at Future Students University of Sydney Information

Also find information about applying to the Faculty of Science at Future Students Science Information

If you wish to commence your degree in the first semester of the year, beginning March, the due date for applications is usually 31 October of the preceding year.

If you wish to commence your degree in the second semester of the year, beginning July, the due date for applications is usually 31 March of the preceding year.

While it is best to apply by the required dates, late applications will usually be considered up until about one month before the start of semester.

International applicants should submit their forms early to allow sufficient time for visa documentation to be processed.

Once you have received an offer of admission to a degree in the Bioethics Program, you need to complete the enrolment process by attending the Faculty of Science Enrolment Day. This is usually held about 10 days before the beginning of semester.

You need to bring documentation such as your letter of offer, your tax file number, and a method of paying fees.

For more information see the Faculty of Science enrolment page

In 2009, the university fees for local students are calculated at $325 per credit point. Each unit of study is worth 6 credit points, so the cost per unit of study is $1950.

This means that the fees for each degree is:
Graduate certificates: $7,800
Graduate diploma: $11,700
Masters: $15,600

If you are an international student, the university fees in 2009 are set at $27,120.

Please note that fees are set by the University and may change. For further information about fees, go to the Faculty of Science Fee page.

While scholarships are not usually available for postgraduate coursework degrees, the Australian Government provides a service that allows you to defer all or part of your tuition fees. For more information on this, go to FEE-HELP

Yes. If you work full time, you can be a part time student, as classes are held after working hours, on evenings and weekends. If you are a full time student, it is also possible to work part time.

Yes - all Bioethics units of study are stand-alone and may be taken one at a time by students not enrolled in Bioethics or any other degree programs.

Yes - units of study such as BETH5204 Clinical Ethics, BETH5202 Human and Animal Research Ethics, BETH5203 Ethics and Public Health and BETH5205 Ethics and Mental Health can be completed for professional development purposes. You attend the intensives, but don't complete assessment. For more information about Professional Development (PD), go to the PD page. (Forthcoming)

An intensive is a unit of study that is offered over three or four day-long learning sessions (instead of weekly seminars), supplemented by online weekly tasks and discussion forums. This is especially useful for people who work full-time, or who live outside of Sydney.

We are currently introducing distance learning modules for our units of study to allow them to be completed while not in Sydney. In 2009, BETH5204 Clinical Ethics and BETH5202 Human and Animal Research Ethics will be available online. Other units of study will become available as distance modules in 2010 and 2011.

Additionally, units of study that are run as intensives are possible to complete without living in Sydney, if you are able to visit for the days that intensives are run (2-3 days in the semester).

For further information, please check with the Bioethics coordinator whether you will be able to complete your degree without living in Sydney.

You can start the program either in semester one, which begins in early March of each year, or semester two, which begins in late July of each year.

You should spend approximately four to six hours per week on readings and online activities in addition to approximately two hours in seminars per week for each unit of study. If you are a full time student with a full study load, this amounts to approximately 24-32 hours per week.

Students enrolled in a Masters in Bioethics (Honours) undertake a research project over 1 or 2 semesters. To enrol in the Honours degree, you must first complete at least 4 units of study in the BETH program at a Distinction or higher level.

Satisfactorily completing an Honours degree can allow you to apply for subsequent postgraduate research degrees, such as a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). If you think you may be interested in undertaking research, please see the University of Sydney information pages on postgraduate research degrees.