This 33-credit-hour program leading to a Master of Science in Bioethics and Medical Humanities is completed while earning the MD, with all coursework normally completed in the first two years of the MD program. The MS is granted at the same time as the MD and adds no additional time to the four years of medical school. MS coursework is done on Wednesday and Friday afternoons — reserved specifically in Years 1 and 2 for all of the School of Medicine's dual degree program students and for medical student electives — and through elective coursework offered in the summers before and after Year 1.

Students in professional schools may also complete the program in its one-year format in a gap year, allowing them to graduate with the MD and MS in 5 total years.

The core courses provide essential grounding in the foundations of bioethics and medical humanities, current controversies in health care ethics, and the social and ethical contexts of health care decision-making; participation in hospital rounds emphasizes the practical realities of clinical ethics, and a capstone seminar integrates program courses with one another and with students’ experience in the health care professions. The program also offers elective courses and with permission other relevant courses from other schools and departments at Tulane University may be taken as electives. Students can focus on either bioethics or medical humanities, and upon graduation will be well-suited for roles on clinical ethics committees and consultation, IRBs, and teaching ethics and medical humanities in schools of medicine and elsewhere. 

Applicants interested in additional information on MD degrees, contact the Office of Admissions and Student Affairs:

Hours: Monday – Friday 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. (CST)
Phone: 504-988-5331
Email: medsch@tulane.edu

For Master Programs in Biomedical Science information, contact bms@tulane.edu.