Bioethics at Iowa State University is an interdisciplinary study. The degree of master of science or master of arts with major in interdisciplinary graduate studies is available to graduate students who wish to have a more diversified program of advanced study than that generally permitted students who specialize in a single subject. The Bioethics Program is administered through the Interdisciplinary Graduate Studies (IGS) department in the Graduate College. You can find more information on IGS and the graduate college by following these links.

Interdisciplinary Graduate School at Iowa State University
Graduate College at Iowa State University

Bioethics Related Courses

The list below includes a collection of courses which include content relevant to bioethics, and would be appropriate for consideration in an IGS bioethics major. Most of the listed courses are not specifically bioethics courses, so students should use this list to develop an appropriate course of study that will meet their specific objectives.

Alternative Tracks, and Sample Programs of Study:

Students who are pursuing graduate training in another department and who wish to pursue an additional major in Bioethics are advised to develop a program of study that is closely related to their field of specialization. To develop an appropriate program of study, students should assemble an appropriate list of courses including 30 credits for a Masters-level major.

The lists below are simply sample programs of study that might be assembled by students interested in developing a major in Bioethics and Public Policy, or in Bioethics and Veterinary Medicine. Alternatives could be developed for Bioethics and Biotechnology, Bioethics and Conservation Biology, Life Science Ethics, or a wide variety of other alternatives.

Sample Program of Study in Bioethics and Public Policy:

Phil 480 Controversies in Science
Phil 483 Philosophy of Biology
Phil 537X Bioethics and Public Policy
PolS 586 Science, Technology, and Public Policy
PolS 531 Modern Political Thought
PolS 580 Ethics and Public Policy
GDCB Biotechnology in Agriculture, Food, and Human Health
NREM 535 Restoration Ecology
NREM 532 Human Dimensions of Natural Resource Management
NREM 460 Controversies in Renewable Resource Management

Sample Program of Study in Bioethics and Veterinary Medicine:

VCS Veterinarinan in Society, I, II, III.
VCS 459 Small Animal Overpopulation Medicine and Surgery
VMPM 388 Public Health and the Role of the Veterinary Profession
CMPM 409 Infectious Diseases of Captive Wild Animals
Phil 331 Moral Problems in Medicine
Phil 483 Philosophy of Biology
Phil 537X Bioethics and Public Policy
PolS 586 Science, Technology, and Public Policy
PolS 531 Modern Political Thought
PolS 580 Ethics and Public Policy

Other Fields of Emphasis for Graduate Work in Bioethics:

Students are invited to develop an appropriate course of study that focuses on courses, topics, and materials that are relevant to their interests. The following link provides a list to bioethics approved courses. This list is not exhaustive. Please check with the program director, the interdisciplinary graduate school, or your program advisor for additional courses which may be relevant.

Bioethics Approved Courses