MA in Applied Ethics

• Start: Autumn 2020
• Place of study: Linköping
• Level: Second cycle

Applied Ethics is a growing interdisciplinary field that strives to tackle the moral issues surrounding these challenges. If these questions engage you, this master’s program will meet your aspiration.  

The program offers a complementary education at the master’s level in applied ethics for you who already hold a bachelor’s degree in one of the various academic fields, from philosophy to health and technology, or a professional degree. The subject has its disciplinary basis in moral philosophy and ethics and requires knowledge and expertise in the various fields of application.

A leading center for applied ethics in Sweden

LiU’s Center for Applied Ethics (CTE) is a leading center in applied ethics in Sweden. We are devoted to research and teaching, with globally-minded areas and collaborative partners worldwide.

You will gain knowledge of ethical theories and methods, and examine ethical debates in different fields of application. You will acquire the skills to provide analysis of moral problems and ethical debates and be able to make critical assessments of ethical arguments and policy documents. In the latter half of the second semester, you will concentrate on a selected area of specialization.

Future opportunities

When you graduate you’ll have a unique competence that you can add to your professional or disciplinary competencies; doctor or nurse, teacher, minister civil servant, or economist, many professionals need the ability to manage ethical issues. A great number of our graduates continue to doctoral studies in different areas of applied and professional ethics.

Syllabus

The Master's program in Applied Ethics is a one-year program at an advanced level that leads to a Master's degree in Applied Ethics. The program prepares students for qualified tasks for governmental agencies, corporations, NGOs, etc, and for research. The program can also serve as a complement to previous working-life experiences and/or education.

Aim

National Qualifications according to the Swedish Higher Education Act

Knowledge and understanding

For a Master of Arts (60 credits) degree the student shall

• demonstrate knowledge and understanding in Applied Ethics, including both an overview of the field and specialized knowledge in certain areas of the field as well as insight into current research and development work, and
• demonstrate specialized methodological knowledge in Applied Ethics.

Competence and skills

For a Master of Arts (60 credits) degree the student shall

• demonstrate the ability to integrate knowledge and analyze, assess and deal with complex phenomena, issues, and situations even with limited information,
• demonstrate the ability to identify and formulate issues autonomously as well as to plan and, using appropriate methods, undertake advanced tasks within predetermined time frames,
• demonstrate the ability in speech and writing to report clearly and discuss his or her conclusions and the knowledge and arguments on which they are based in dialogue with different audiences, and
• demonstrate the skills required for participation in research and development work or employment in some other qualified capacity.

Judgment and approach

For a Master of Arts (60 credits) degree the student shall

• demonstrate the ability to make assessments in Applied Ethics informed by relevant disciplinary, social and ethical issues and also to demonstrate awareness of ethical aspects of research and development work,
• demonstrate insight into the possibilities and limitations of research, its role in society and the responsibility of the individual for how it is used, and
• demonstrate the ability to identify the personal need for further knowledge and take responsibility for his or her ongoing learning.

Research

The Centre for Applied Ethics (CTE) at Linköping University was founded in 1994 and is a leading center in applied ethics in Sweden devoted to research and teaching in applied ethics. Program professors and lecturers pursue research mainly in the following areas: political ethics and global justice, bioethics, ICT-ethics, research ethics, ethics and economics, and the theory and method of applied ethics. CTE collaborates with academic institutions in e.g. South Africa, Uganda, Malaysia, Thailand China, Japan, the Netherlands, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the USA.

Entry requirements

• Bachelor's degree equivalent to a Swedish Kandidatexamen.
• English corresponding to the level of English in Swedish upper secondary education (English 6/B). (Exemption from Swedish 3)

Special selection

Selection is based on:

Academic merits and Letter of Intent

Each applicant should, therefore, enclose a Letter of Intent written in English, explaining why they want to study this program and a summary of their bachelor’s essay or project. If applicants hold a degree that does not include a bachelor’s essay or project, their Letter of Intent should describe previous studies and any academic activities that are related to the master’s program or the programs applied for. Submit your Letter of intent along with other documents to University Admissions.