150 points Master of Arts (Professional and Applied Ethics) (MC-ARTPAE_INFSPC_3)

You’re currently viewing the 2023 version of this component

Overview

This program is offered by the Centre in Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics (CAPPE) and is available through the philosophy discipline in the School of Historical and Philosophical Studies in the Faculty of Arts.

Organisational change, political change, wars, globalisation, new technologies and practices, corporate collapses, corruption, scandals in the health and research sectors, environmental disasters, conflicts of interest, all raise distinctive and pressing issues of policy and practice. Finding practical and ethically sustainable solutions requires a thorough understanding of both the ethical and the empirical aspects of the situation.

Completion of this program will equip graduates to conduct research on and analyse key ethical concepts and arguments in their field of specialisation, enabling them to contribute to policy discussion and development in a wide range of professional, institutional and industry settings. There is scope for students to follow their own interests, with a substantial thesis component and specialisations such as the ethics of health care, computing, business, politics and criminal justice; as well as the broad themes of bioethics and global justice.

Intended learning outcomes

Students who complete the Master of Arts (Professional and Applied Ethics) should:

better appreciate the ethical dimensions of all they do in their professional lives;

understand and analyse complex ethical issues;
detect ambiguity, vagueness, inconsistency, and other weaknesses in the expressions of ideas;
distinguish different types of question, claim or argument, and respond to them appropriately;
distinguish what is relevant to a given issue from what is not; and
see ways in which an argument or explanation could be improved.

Last updated: 4 March 2025

Structure

150 Point Program

Duration: 1.5 years full-time / up to 3 years part-time

two compulsory subjects (25 points)
minor thesis parts 1 and 2 (50 points total)
elective subjects (75 points)

Capstone Requirement:

All students are required to complete the Capstone Requirement for the program. Students must complete the following capstone -

Capstone: PHIL90038 Applied Ethics Thesis Part 1 and PHIL90039 Applied Ethics Thesis Part 2 (50 points total)

Purpose: To conceptualise, plan and execute a substantial, independent, research-based project in the form of a minor thesis in applied or professional ethics, demonstrating high level skills in interdisciplinary and comparative research, analysis and critique, underpinned by a thorough understanding of academic protocol and presentation.

For policies that govern this degree, see Academic Services Policy in the University Melbourne Policy Framework. Students also should also refer to information in the Student Policy Directory.

Subject Options

Compulsory subjects

25 points

Code	Name	Study period	Credit Points
PHIL90004	Ethical Theory and Practice	No longer available
PHIL90032	Inequality and Public Policy	No longer available

Thesis Subject

50 points

Please note: the thesis requires two consecutive semesters of enrolment.

Code	Name	Study period	Credit Points
PHIL90038	Applied Ethics Thesis Part 1	No longer available
PHIL90039	Applied Ethics Thesis Part 2	Semester 1 (On Campus - Parkville)	25

Elective Subjects

75 points

Please note: the program coordinator may give permission for graduate subjects other than those listed as elective subjects, provided that:

the subject/s is at an appropriate level;
they are relevant to the program; and
permission to enrol has been given by the program/subject coordinator

Code	Name	Study period	Credit Points
		No longer available Semester 2 (Dual-Delivery - Parkville) Not available in 2023 March (Dual-Delivery - Parkville) July (On Campus - Parkville) August (On Campus - Parkville) July (Dual-Delivery - Parkville) August (Dual-Delivery - Parkville) Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville)
AHIS40007	The Artist's Body	No longer available
ASIA90001	Human Rights in Southeast Asia	Semester 2 (Dual-Delivery - Parkville)	12.5
CRIM40003	Drugs and Justice	Not available in 2023	12.5
CRIM90007	Genocide, State Crime and the Law	No longer available
CRIM90008	Sovereignty, Justice, Indigenous Peoples	Not available in 2023	12.5
CRIM90011	Research and Criminal Justice Governance	March (Dual-Delivery - Parkville)	12.5
CRIM90016	Community Justice Project	July (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5
CRIM90017	Violence, Trauma and Reconciliation	August (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5
DEVT90040	Gender Issues in Development	July (Dual-Delivery - Parkville)	12.5
GEND40003	Gender in Cross-Cultural Perspective	Semester 2 (Dual-Delivery - Parkville)	12.5
GEND90006	Gender, Globalisation and Development	March (Dual-Delivery - Parkville)	12.5
GEND90007	Rethinking Rights and Global Development	August (Dual-Delivery - Parkville)	12.5
HPSC90012	Trust, Communication and Expertise	Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5
PHIL40003	Topics in Moral Psychology	Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5
PHIL90005	Applied Ethics: Directed Research	No longer available
PHIL90009	Violence, War and Terrorism	No longer available
PHIL90027	The Moral Limits of Markets	No longer available
PHIL90030	Professional & Applied Ethics Internship	No longer available

Code	Name	Study period	Credit Points
POLS90038	Human Rights	Semester 2 (Dual-Delivery - Parkville)	12.5
PUBL90014	Legal Issues in Arts and Media	Semester 1 (Dual-Delivery - Parkville)	12.5
SCRN40002	Screen Theory, Style & Spectators	Semester 2 (On Campus - Parkville)	12.5
PHIL90029	Climate Ethics and Ethical Dilemmas	No longer available
PHIL90041	The Ethics of Gaming	No longer available

Links

http://shaps.unimelb.edu.au/