Bioethics and Health Studies, B.A.

Bioethics is a field that analyzes the ethical questions raised by advances in medical and scientific technology. It examines these questions both in the clinical context and in health policy. Well-known bioethical topics include abortion, euthanasia and stem cell research. But the field’s area of study has grown dramatically in recent decades in keeping with the rapid pace of biotechnological advances. More recent bioethical work addresses developments in genetics, neuroscience, public health and various emerging fields in the biomedical sciences.

Saint Louis University's bioethics and health studies major gives students the tools to understand these developments. It does so through an interdisciplinary curriculum that fuses the humanities with the social sciences. It pairs this holistic education with unique service learning opportunities in health care settings, as well as a capstone project designed to guide students in their transition to a career in health care. Through their coursework, students majoring in bioethics and health studies will learn to think across the University and to mobilize their knowledge in the world.

A particular focus of the bioethics and health studies major at SLU is the relationship of religion, health care and social justice. Students will be exposed to a broad range of ideological and professional perspectives on health care dilemmas. This will prepare them to collaborate with others across existing professional and political divides. It will also help them to clarify their own views on topics that are often complex and highly personal.

The bioethics and health studies major provides a foundation for post-graduate study and employment in a broad range of health-related fields. Beyond that, it provides students with tools for addressing the ethical dilemmas they will face, not just on the job, but also in the voting booth and their own lives. This integrated approach to health care, when coupled with a strong commitment to social justice and intellectual diversity, makes the major particularly reflective of Saint Louis University’s Jesuit mission.

Curriculum Overview

SLU's bioethics and health studies major requires 36 credits of coursework to be spread over three broad distribution areas: Foundational Courses, Disciplinary Frameworks, and Advanced Issues and Practice in Health Care Ethics. 

With the exception of the major’s introductory course, HCE 2010 Foundations in Clinical Health Care Ethics (3 cr), these courses do not have to be taken in strict order. Students can choose courses to satisfy their Disciplinary Frameworks and Advanced Issues and Practice in Health Care Ethics requirements from amongst many possible options. Courses taken for the bioethics and health studies major requirements may also fulfill College of Arts and Sciences core requirements. The major’s flexible progression and course requirements give students a high degree of freedom in tailoring it to their own interests and timeframe.

SLU's bioethics and health studies major offers a pre-med track for students planning on pursuing medical school.  

Fieldwork and Research Opportunities

SLU's bioethics and health studies major has a service-learning requirement. Students can choose amongst several service-learning courses, each taking place in a distinct health care setting. Students can also receive credit for completing an internship in a professional setting related to health care ethics.

The major offers students opportunities for study abroad in Ireland and Spain.  

Careers

The bioethics and health studies major provides an excellent foundation for professional education in a number of areas, including:

• Medicine
• Law
• Public health
• Health care administration
• Public policy
• Divinity school
• Various graduate programs in the humanities and social sciences

Through their service-learning courses and capstone, students will gain practical experience that will help them in transitioning to employment in a wide range of health-related fields.

Admission Requirements

Freshman

Begin your application for this program at www.slu.edu/apply. Saint Louis University also accepts the Common App.

All applications are thoroughly reviewed with the highest degree of individual care and consideration to all credentials that are submitted. Solid academic performance in college preparatory course work is a primary concern in reviewing a freshman applicant’s file.

To be considered for admission to any Saint Louis University undergraduate program, the applicant must be graduating from an accredited high school, have an acceptable HiSET exam score or take the General Education Development (GED) test. Beginning with the 2021-22 academic year, undergraduate applicants will not be required to submit standardized test scores (ACT or SAT) in order to be considered for admission. Applicants will be evaluated equally, with or without submitted test scores.

Begin Your Application

Transfer

Begin your application for this program at www.slu.edu/apply. 

Applicants must be a graduate of an accredited high school or have an acceptable score on the GED. An official high school transcript and official test scores are required only of those students who have attempted fewer than 24 transferable semester credits (or 30 quarter credits) of college credit. Those having completed 24 or more of college credit need only submit a transcript from previously attended college(s). In reviewing a transfer applicant’s file, the office of admission holistically examines the student’s academic performance in college-level coursework as an indicator of the student’s ability to meet the academic rigors of Saint Louis University.

International Applicants

Begin your application for this program at www.slu.edu/apply. 

All admission policies and requirements for domestic students apply to international students along with the following:

• Demonstrate English Language Proficiency
• Proof of financial support must include:
  • A letter of financial support from the person(s) or sponsoring agency funding the time at Saint Louis University
  • A letter from the sponsor's bank verifying that the funds are available and will be so for the duration of study at the University
• Academic records, in English translation, of students who have undertaken postsecondary studies outside the United States must include the courses taken and/or lectures attended, practical laboratory work, the maximum and minimum grades attainable, the grades earned or the results of all end-of-term examinations, and any honors or degrees received. WES and ECE transcripts are accepted.

Scholarships and Financial Aid

There are two principal ways to help finance a Saint Louis University education:

• Scholarships: Awarded based on academic achievement, service, leadership and financial need.
• Financial Aid: Provided in the form of grants and loans, some of which require repayment.

For priority consideration for merit-based scholarships, apply for admission by Dec. 1 and complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by March 1.

For information on other scholarships and financial aid, visit the student financial services office online at https://www.slu.edu/financial-aid.

1. Graduates will be able to apply bioethical methodologies.
2. Graduates will be able to synthesize humanities and social science methods. 
3. Graduates will be able to evaluate the impact of disparities in identity categories on health care access and quality.
4. Graduates will be able to justify recommendations for resolving complex ethical health care dilemmas.
5. Graduates will be able to integrate bioethical knowledge into patient care. 

 Bioethics & Health Studies students must complete a minimum total of 36 credits for the major.

Continuation Standards

A student must maintain a GPA in coursework for the major in bioethics and health studies of at least 2.00.

Disciplinary Frameworks

These requirements expose students to diverse disciplinary approaches to bioethics and health studies. Students select one course in each of the following attribute categories: humanities, philosophy/theology, social sciences, professional. The list of courses within each attribute will be updated each semester. Listed below are some sample courses that would count for each attribute. 

Humanities Attribute (literature, history, fine arts)

Theology/Philosophy Attribute

Social Sciences Attribute (sociology/anthropology, political science, psychology, African American studies, women’s studies)

Professional Attribute (public health, social work, criminology, allied health sciences, communication)

Service-Learning Attribute 

Advanced Clinical Problem-Solving Attribute

Health Care Ethics Electives

Bachelor of Arts Core Curriculum Requirements

Graduation Requirements

• Complete a minimum of 120 credits (excluding pre-college level courses [numbered below 1000]).
• Complete either the College of Arts and Sciences Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science Core Curriculum Requirements
• Complete Major Requirements: minimum 30 credits required.
• Complete remaining credits with a second major, minor, certificate, and/or elective credits to reach the minimum of 120 credits required for graduation.
• Courses listed under the intensive English program do not count toward graduation requirements. EAP 1500 College Composition for International Students (3 cr), EAP 1900 Rhetoric & Research Strategies (3 cr) and EAP 2850 Nation, Identity and Literature (3 cr) count toward graduation requirements as equivalents to Department of English courses.
  
  In addition to those courses, six credits from EAP/MLNG courses at the 1000 level or higher may count toward graduation requirements
• Achieve at least a 2.00 cumulative grade point average, a 2.00 grade point average in the major(s) and a 2.00 grade point average in the minor/certificate, or related elective credits.
• Complete department/program-specific academic and performance requirements.
• Complete at least 50% of the coursework for the major and 75% for the minor/certificate through Saint Louis University or an approved study abroad program.
• Complete 30 of the final 36 credits through Saint Louis University or an approved study abroad program.
• Complete an online degree application by the required University deadline.

Roadmaps are recommended semester-by-semester plans of study for programs and assume full-time enrollment unless otherwise noted.  

Courses and milestones designated as critical (marked with !) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation. Transfer credit may change the roadmap.

This roadmap should not be used in the place of regular academic advising appointments. All students are encouraged to meet with their advisor/mentor each semester.  Requirements, course availability and sequencing are subject to change.

Disciplinary Frameworks

These requirements expose students to diverse disciplinary approaches to bioethics and health studies. Students select one course in each of the following attribute categories: humanities, philosophy/theology, social sciences, professional. The list of courses within each attribute will be updated each semester. Listed below are some sample courses that would count for each attribute. 

Humanities Attribute (literature, history, fine arts)

Theology/Philosophy Attribute

Social Sciences Attribute (sociology/anthropology, political science, psychology, African American studies, women’s studies)

Professional Attribute (public health, social work, criminology, allied health sciences, communication)

Service-Learning Attribute 

Advanced Clinical Problem-Solving Attribute

Health Care Ethics Electives