印第安纳大学与普渡大学印第安纳波里斯联合分校

The first is a J.D. degree from the IU McKinney School of Law, complete with the theoretical knowledge, practical skills, and hands-on experience that all of our graduates receive. The second is a graduate degree from one of our seven partner schools.

The second degree imparts an extensive knowledge base and a skill set that gives you a substantial edge over your competition and prepares you well for a career in a specialized field.

This program provides a unique and valuable perspective on the field of bioethics by combining the philosophical study of bioethics with a legal education.

As a candidate, you will spend your first year in law school, adding courses from the IU Department of Philosophy during the second year. In addition to the basic required law school courses, you must complete the requirements for the Concentration in Health Law and Bioethics.

The capstone project for this joint degree program will be a paper in a topic that addresses the fields of law and bioethics. This paper will satisfy both the advanced research and writing requirement at the law school and the thesis/research project in the Department of Philosophy.

Requirements: 84 credit hours of law courses; 30 hours of coursework in the Department of Philosophy.

In combining the philosophical study of bioethics with the study of law, students will acquire the perspective, knowledge, and expertise that will equip them to provide leadership concerning the bioethical issues faced by institutions such as state and federal agencies, healthcare organizations, research and educational institutions, corporations (national and multinational), human rights organizations, medical insurers, and religious bodies.

Students completing the program will receive a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree in Law and a Master of Arts (M.A.) degree in Philosophy, with a concentration in Bioethics.

Through the combined degrees program, the two degrees can be obtained with a total of 108 earned credits, as compared with the 120 credits required if the degrees are obtained separately.

Up to six credits of health law courses can be counted toward both the 90 credits required for the J.D. in Law and the 30 credits required for the M.A. in Philosophy.

Additionally, if a student successfully petitions to complete a 6 cr. thesis or research project addressing legal and philosophical aspects of a bioethical issue, it may also count for the senior law paper requirement unless one is electing to submit a law review note. Students who complete the combined degrees program will also receive 6 credits toward the 90 credits required for the JD in Law.