MA Ethics: Theory and Practice

MA in Ethics: Theory and Practice

In association with the Centre for Ethics in Public Life (CEPL), UCD School of Philosophy is offering an MA that provides philosophical training in Ethics, as well as enabling students to experience a context for professional Ethics through inter-disciplinary elements of the programme. Ethics is understood broadly as the study of how to behave well and includes elements of moral philosophy and political/social theory.

As graduates of this programme, you will be well-placed to understand and help deal with ethical issues in areas such as government, healthcare, business, agriculture, planning, education, law, and journalism. But you will also have had the opportunity to develop a theoretical understanding of the nature of Ethics and its place in human life more generally.  Having an understanding of Ethics, both at the level of theory and in its practical contexts is of obvious benefit in a very wide variety of career paths.

The programme is available over one year full-time or two years part-time.

Programme Content and Structure

Students must take the following six modules.

(A)  One flagship module in the Spring trimester:

• PHIL14510 Ethics: Theory and Practice

(B)  Three modules from the following list of ‘philosophical ethics’ modules:

         Autumn Trimester

• PHIL41240 Newman: Philosophical Perspectives 
• PHIL41280 Feminist & Gender Theory 
• PHIL40320 Topics in Continental Philosophy 
• PHIL41810 Critique & Destruction 
• PHIL41840 Invention of the Modern Self 
• PHIL41890 Authenticity & Attitudes 

         Spring Trimester

• PHIL40320 Topics in Continental Philosophy 
• PHIL40420 The Good Society 
• PHIL40970 Topics in Mind & Cognition 

(C)  One other module from among all those offered by the School of Philosophy:

• PHIL40250 Merleau-Ponty 
• PHIL40410 Philosophy & Literature 
• PHIL40960 The Cultural Mind 
• PHIL40970 Topics in Mind & Cognition 
• PHIL41280 Feminist & Gender Theory 
• PHIL41320 Topics in Continental Philosophy
• PHIL41660 Moral Agency 
• PHIL41880 Reading Nietzsche 
• PHIL41890 Authenticity & Attitudes 

(D)  One module from these offered by other disciplines, or two of the 5-credit modules:

         Autumn Trimester

• EDUC41250 Children's Rights and Participation
• GEOG40970 Critical Geographies
• MKT30150 Responsible Marketing (5 credits)
• POL30780 Justice in Education
• PSY40270 Ethics in Psychological Research (5 credits) 

         Spring Trimester

• EQUL40070 Human Rights Law and Equality
• IS30370 Information Ethics (5 credits)
• POL41030 Theory of Human Rights

Finally, all students must complete a 12,000 to 15,000-word dissertation by mid-August.

For eligibility criteria, please see the postgraduate admissions page.

For further information, please get in touch with the programme coordinator, Associate Professor Danielle Petherbridge.

All administrative enquiries should be sent to the School Manager.