Program Overview
JD/MA, University of Pittsburgh School of Arts and Sciences and the Center for Bioethics and Health Law
The School of Law and the School of Arts and Sciences (A&S) 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 Greer Donley, 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.
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 participate in rounds with residents, physicians, and other healthcare professionals, attend twice-weekly seminars, and observe ethics consultations and clinical ethics teaching sessions.
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.
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. For a list of law school courses considered to be appropriate for students in this joint degree program, consult the courses listed as electives for the Health Law Certificate Program.
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.
Credits
Students enrolled in the joint degree program accomplish this in three to four years. The degree requires 99 credits and includes 34 credits of specifically prescribed law courses, the Bioethics and Health Law Clinical Practicum (3 credits), and 18 specifically prescribed credits in bioethics. Within the remaining 45 credits, students must satisfy the 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).
Joint degree students must be coded by the University Registrar as “primary law” for at least five semesters. During these semesters, they pay tuition at the Law School rate and enroll in at least 10 credits of law school courses.
