Bioethics and Medical Law
MA, PGDip, PGCert

I cannot recommend the Bioethics and Medical Law degree highly enough. The MA brought together a diverse and engaging group of people, with different backgrounds, ideas and experiences, to learn with and from each other. Thought-provoking and rewarding, the course challenged me to examine and understand not only why I hold the beliefs and opinions that I do but also why others hold their beliefs and opinions.

The course material is presented in an accessible and understandable way, backed up by an excellent teaching team, so despite having no philosophy background I quickly found my feet. As a distance learner, I found the course well structured and felt fully engaged throughout all the modules, including writing my dissertation.

I thoroughly enjoyed my Master's degree and plan to take my studies further. I would recommend this course to anyone with an interest in biomedical science (human or animal), or to anyone with an interest in bioethics.

I felt like I gained a thorough exposure to historical and contemporary issues within the field of bioethics and medical law, and had been introduced to the research of world-class lecturers. I was very pleased with my course which helped me in understanding more of the why of my Christian beliefs, in a supportive and loving environment. It has enriched me academically, insofar as it has challenged me to formulate and articulate myself according to a high academic standard, and has provided a richness of resources to draw upon. The lecturers have been extremely supportive, prompt with responding and marking, and available for help when necessarily.

I am still extremely pleased at having successfully completed this course, which was undoubtedly a very interesting and eye-opening experience.  I'm sure that all the knowledge gained during these last three years will remain with me for a long time, hopefully serving as a reference point for my future career in healthcare. The structure of the course and dedication of all those involved was impeccable!

The Master's in Bioethics offered by St Mary's is one of the best of its kind. The staggering amount of significant material conveyed in this degree is at once relevant, stimulating, challenging and enlightening. I am extremely grateful for this outstanding course curriculum, and the astute expertise of the faculty behind it who make every effort to promote thought-provoking analysis as well as a structured foundation to understanding the complex world of Bioethics. My professional practice is all the better for it and it has, without a doubt,prepared me to face the challenges of healthcare ethics in such a way that I would be almost at loss without it.

Reading a Master's in Bioethics at St Mary’s has been a great experience and I will always remember it with a thankful heart. I still treasure the friendships and the great support received from all the academic staff. I still find them encouraging, helpful and ready to give advice whenever I contact them. I will never regret my choice of St Mary’s University.

I thoroughly enjoyed the course and recommended it to others. Having been to a number of higher education institutions since I began my undergraduate studies, I found St Mary's is one that really exceeded my expectations in terms of the quality of the delivery but also the contact I have had with teaching staff and what I have learned along the way.

The contemporary debate about the status and moral value of human life has implications for everyone of us by definition. I found the MA in Bioethics at St Mary's a highly stimulating and rewarding way of equipping myself to enter that debate.

I cannot rate the Bioethics and Medical Law MA at St Mary's highly enough; studying this Master's was quite possibly one of the best decisions I've ever made. The course material was engaging and challenging, the teaching was thorough and nurturing, but most importantly, I grew as a person.

This programme demands you to examine yourself and your beliefs, and leaves you no choice but to ask, 'who am I as a person and who do I want to become?' Not only will your response be evident in your writing, but it will shape your future career and what you bring to the world. You cannot passively study this course, it requires your head and your heart, but I thoroughly recommend you take the plunge - you won't regret it.

Studying abroad in the UK is not only an opportunity to learn from some of the best minds in the world, but also an opportunity to network and form relationships. I chose London because of its accessibility in terms of direct flights from Malaysia, and also with multiple airports that link London to the rest of the world and Europe.

The best thing about the course was the accessibility to the teaching staff, and the relationships that we developed. I was treated well, and respected as an equal. I was left to a lot of self-initiated reading for the Masters, which is something that I enjoyed.

Upon my return to Malaysia last September, I was transferred to the Headquarters of the Ministry of Health Malaysia. I am currently a Principal Assistant Director in the Medical Legislation and Globalisation branch of the Medical Practice division. The degree has increased my knowledge and widened my perspectives of ethical issues in medicine, and will influence my clinical practice.

Without exaggeration, this MA course has changed my life. It has opened new horizons on both professional and personal levels. Any debate concerning bioethical issues can be rather intense and emotional and one has to know the subject in depth. St Mary's is certainly the place to go to gain the necessary knowledge, skills, support and to be challenged to find out where one really stands when it comes to moral values concerning human life in today's society.

The course has been certainly enabled me to challenge received opinion and contribute to contemporary debates in an informed manner. However, the impact of the course has been transformative at a personal level too, making me think about what it is to be to be human and what is a good life. I have no religious faith but have experienced the ethos of the University as entirely supportive and enriching. I also enjoyed studying alongside people with diverse backgrounds and different objectives which have increased my appreciation of alternative perspectives.

I found each member of the course team to have great credibility and they were always facilitative. I was encouraged me to give of my best in my studies and take my achievements further through publication, presentations and higher studies. Any queries I had were responded to in a timely and constructive manner.The course also provides access to excellent, interactive on line resources which allow for high quality learning. This course is not for the faint hearted but I have no hesitation in recommending it as a life enhancing experience. 

Having always believed that as a nurse I was the patient's advocate, this degree not only solidified my belief, but also broaden my knowledge and skill set in understanding and accepting the many aspects that may come together to create the 'bigger picture'. The open discussions and online debates with my fellow students were thought provoking, enlightening and at times challenging. I would highly recommend this to any health care professional and in particular to my fellow nurses as we navigate the minefield of health care today."

This Master's degree has truly made me rethink many of the day-to-day aspects of clinical practice. It has challenged the assumptions that are laid down from medical school onwards, and made me a more reflective practitioner. When faced with ethical dilemmas, I now feel that I have a philosophical footstool to stand on.

The MA in Bioethics and Medical Law provided a fascinating and comprehensive insight into the contemporary bioethical debate, exploring how both classical and modern philosophical discourse have shaped how we see ourselves and the rest of the living world.

I found the dissertation element of the course particularly fulfilling, as it enabled me to make use of all the preceding taught material while delving into a contentious bioethical issue of my own choosing, before reaching an independent conclusion.

The teaching staff are excellent and deserve a special mention; never before have I enjoyed such a personal level of interaction with lecturers at a higher education institution.

I would thoroughly recommend the degree to anybody with an interest in philosophy and ethics or wishing to gain a greater understanding of how and why we govern medical practices.