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The essential aims of the Master on Bioethics – the first Master Course on Bioethics in Portugal – are the teaching and consequent learning of life science ethics in general and of healthcare ethics in particular. Special emphasis is devoted to the ethics of health and disease and its relationship to professionals and professions. Conceptually, it is rooted in the most relevant ethical theories, in the interface with the humanistic tradition of democratic societies. From a professional perspective, the Master Course aims both the training of ethics committees’ members (research and clinical) but also the general education of citizens in a liberal democratic society. Issues like animal ethics, environmental ethics and biodiversity are also deeply debated. The duration of the Master Course on Bioethics is four semesters. The Master should and often does require no more than two years to complete including the two semester coursework. The coursework – the Post-Graduation Course on Bioethics – with a vast array of disciplines is organised as follows: 1st Semester: - General Bioethics
- Philosophy and Bioethics
- Professional Ethics
- Ethics and Priorities in Healthcare
- Environment, Biodiversity and Biopolitics
2nd Semester: Coordinator: Rui Nunes, Ph.D. The second two semesters of the Master Program are structured to enable and encourage timely completion of the Master thesis. The 300h coursework required are completed at the end of the first year. For the typical master candidate, the program requires that the thesis topic – over a relevant and actual issue in bioethics – be approved by the end of the first year. In accordance with the Portuguese law and the Bologna Declaration a recognised specialist in the area of the research topic tutors the Master Thesis. To accomplish this goal the Department of Bioethics and Medical Ethics gives full support with regards bibliography access through its Reference Center. Teaching and learning methods are as follows: Lectures: Throughout variable periods (1-2 hours), lectures deal with selected topics supported by iconographic material.
Seminars: Prepared and guided discussions of specific topics, previously defined, with teacher and student participation.
Group work: Pedagogical activities of problem solving co-ordinated by staff members and with the students’ active participation.
Case study: Discussion of paradigmatic cases about ethically controversial situations in healthcare. Role-playing is frequently used as an educational tool.
A specific assessment is made for each discipline of the course. This assessment involves various strategies: 1) An oral or written report over the way a paradigmatic situation should be ethically managed;
2) A monograph about a paradigmatic situation;
3) A monograph of a theoretical nature on a previously presented topic;
4) A final examination with written questions; and
5) A combination of these methodologies.
The language of teaching is Portuguese or English. European Credit Units:
1st Year 1st Semester: 2nd Semester: Ethics at the Beginning of Life (6 ECTS) Ethics at the End of Life and Palliative Care (6 ECTS) Biolaw (6 ECTS) Seminars (6 ECTS) Individual Projects (6 ECTS)
2nd Year
3rd and 4th Semesters: Total: 120 ECTS Legislation:
Master Course on Bioethics
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