Bioethics Certificate Program

The Columbia University online Bioethics Certificate program addresses critical issues concerning the ethical implications of advances in biology, biotechnology and biomedicine through live webinars, rich sets of multimedia and collaborative course activities, creating a dynamic and highly participatory online learning experience. These issues are arising with more frequency both in the United States and throughout the world, and involve critical and profound ethical and moral dilemmas at the intersections of ethics, law, society, culture, public policy, philosophy, religion, economics, history and language.

While scientific and technological advances have far out-paced our ability to understand or make key decisions about these issues, health care providers, researchers, lawyers, and policy-makers confront dilemmas of how to approach and address complex questions every day. Leaders in medicine, law and research are in need of educated professionals, equipped with cross-disciplinary knowledge and skills, to help them clarify, understand and make ethical decisions.

Columbia’s online Bioethics Certificate program answers these growing needs. This program provides perspectives from philosophy and the other humanities and from the social sciences for health care providers (including physicians and nurses), researchers, institutional review board members and staff, public health professionals, attorneys, the pharmaceutical industry, and others who confront sensitive ethical decisions concerning the interaction of health care and people. The specially-designed, dynamic online curriculum provides a sophisticated analysis of the historical, philosophical, legal, social scientific and practical “hands on” aspects of bioethics.

The program offers courses focusing on key areas such as the history and philosophy of bioethics, clinical ethics, research ethics, and global bioethics. Courses are offered online beginning in Fall 2013, making it possible for students from throughout the world to study with distinguished leaders in the field, further widening the global network of professionals devoted to this burgeoning field.

The Bioethics Certificate features select courses from the Master’s of Science in Bioethics program curriculum. The certificate curriculum has been designed to advance students' knowledge and skills for working in bioethics, using a multi-disciplinary approach that draws on medicine, law, philosophy, history, sociology, religion, and other fields. The program is best suited for highly motivated individuals with an interest in bioethics and who demonstrate leadership potential in their field. The certificate program enables students to develop an important framework, preparing them for addressing complex bioethical dilemmas that arise in their professional settings.

Curriculum

The Certificate in Bioethics is a 12-point online program and includes the following 4 existing courses:

• BIET K4310 Foundation of Bioethics, 3 pts.
• BIET K4450 Research Ethics, 3 pts.
• BIET K4440 Global Bioethics, 3 pts.
• BIET K4400 Clinical Ethics, 3 pts.

Admissions

To apply to the Bioethics Certificate Program, follow the Postbaccalaureate Studies Program application instructions.

Students seeking application guidance should contact the Office of Admissions:

Office of Admissions
School of Continuing Education
203 Lewisohn Hall
2970 Broadway, Mail Code 4119
New York, NY 10027-6902
212-854-9666
ce-info@columbia.edu

Office Hours:
Monday-Thursday, 9:00 AM-6:00 PM
Friday, 9:00 AM-5:00 PM
 

Current Student Advising

The academic adviser aids in the selection of courses and monitors academic performance throughout the program, offering advice to those who experience difficulty.

Academic Advisor to Enrolled Students
Erica Levy
510 Lewisohn Hall
212-851-9966
eml2183@columbia.edu

Faculty Adviser to Enrolled Students
Dr. Robert Klitzman
Professor of Clinical Psychiatry
Columbia University
rlk2@columbia.edu