MSc in Global Ethics and Justice
Birmingham, United Kingdom
DURATION
1 up to 2 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time, Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline
EARLIEST START DATE
Request the earliest start date
TUITION FEES
GBP 10,530 / per year *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* for UK full-time Students. £24,120 for International full-time students
Introduction
The MSc Global Ethics and Justice will develop your knowledge of key global issues, and provide you with conceptual and analytical frameworks to enable you to understand and reflect on the ethical dimensions of these issues. It offers a range of core modules that provide a foundation for your studies, with the opportunity to apply your learning to areas of specific interest through your choice of dissertation topic.
Delivered by the Department of Philosophy, this flexible program offers a range of modules in the field of ethics. It also provides the opportunity to participate in a research seminar or undertake a placement with an NGO or the equivalent.
The Department is home to a team of world-leading researchers, working on topics such as health and well-being, climate change and the environment, human rights and global justice, war and intervention, bioethics, and gender justice. Often these topics require an interdisciplinary approach to ethics and international affairs in order to critically analyze complex issues in a globalized world.
The program is designed to accommodate those wishing to study part-time around other commitments. It is equally suitable for recent graduates or post-experience students, for those wishing to pursue PhD research in one or more of the topics, or for those with a personal interest in the field of global ethics.
We also offer this program by distance learning - see Global Ethics and Justice MSc (Distance Learning). The qualification you will gain is the same as whichever mode of study you choose.
Why Study This Course?
- Taught by experts – You will study alongside some of the finest minds in Philosophy. The Philosophy department was ranked 1st in the UK in the Research Excellence Framework exercise 2021 based on Grade Point Average (Times Higher Education)
- Optional placement – Gain hands-on experience by exploring the practice of global ethics by undertaking a placement in an organization of your choice, such as a non-governmental organization (NGO) or policy-making organization. Previous students have enjoyed placements with Oxfam, development NGOs in Tanzania, and UK-based Human Rights and activist organizations
- Optional practice-based dissertation – in addition to the optional placement, you can choose to write a practice-based dissertation instead of a standard dissertation. This allows you to spend time at (e.g.) an NGO or policy-based organization, produce a practical output, and write a theoretically informed dissertation about the experience. This may be especially appealing to those already established in their careers or those who want to enhance employability skills.
- Friendly and relaxed atmosphere – Staff within the Department of Philosophy are very approachable and happy to offer additional advice on academic performance
- Be a part of an active postgraduate community – You will join a lively and stimulating Department where you can contribute to ongoing research activities, including research seminars and events such as our speaker series and various workshops, reading groups, and conferences throughout the year.
Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
Scholarships and Studentships
Scholarships to cover fees and/or maintenance costs may be available. To discover whether you are eligible for any award across the University, and to start your funding application, please visit the University's Postgraduate Funding Database.
International students can often gain funding through overseas research scholarships, Commonwealth scholarships, or their home government.
Postgraduate Loans
Government-backed master loans are available to help UK and EU students to finance their studies. For those starting courses after 1 August 2020, loans are available of up to £11,836 for Masters students in all subject areas. Criteria, eligibility, repayment, and application information are available on the UK government website.
Curriculum
Core Modules
You will study three core modules:
Ethics and Global Ethics
This module aims to introduce you to key concepts and debates in ethics, with some focus on the global dimension of current ethical problems. First, we will explore several prominent traditions in ethical theory; next, we will apply these normative ethical theories to concrete ethical questions. In investigating these theories and applications, you will be encouraged to question your presumptions about the nature of ethics and moral values. The module also develops critical reasoning and argumentative skills through philosophical discussion and writing. The theoretical tools of analysis and argument can be applied to all aspects of ethics and global ethics.
Topics in Global Justice
This module will focus on applications of the dominant contemporary moral theories to significant issues in global ethics and politics. The topics to be approached on the basis of these theories are a selection of the following debates: world poverty and the obligations of the affluent; justice and the global economic order; global distributive justice; structural injustice; human rights theory; human development and care ethics; climate change; cosmopolitanism vs priority for compatriots; immigration and freedom of movement; just war theory; terrorism, humanitarian intervention; global gender justice; issues around a global ‘democratic deficit'.
Research Skills and Methods in Philosophy
This module provides an introduction to the methods of contemporary philosophy. Topics addressed typically include critical thinking in philosophy, reading in philosophy, research skills, dissertation planning, and presenting philosophical arguments in written work. You will also participate in online sessions focused on generic research skills.
Assessment: Two 2,000-word essays
Optional Modules
Your remaining three modules are optional and can be chosen from a range that typically includes:
- Bioethics
- God, Freedom, and the Meaning of Life
- Human Rights
- Philosophy and Mental Health
You also have the opportunity to undertake a placement for one of your options:
Global Ethics Placement
You will undertake a placement in an organization of your choice, such as a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) or policy-making organization. This module allows you to explore the practice of global ethics. Previous students have enjoyed placements with Oxfam, development NGOs in Tanzania, and UK-based Human Rights and activist organizations.
Dissertation or Practice-Based Dissertation
You will then complete the program with a research project.
If you choose to complete a written dissertation, this will be a substantial and sustained investigation of a topic related to global ethics and justice, culminating in a 15,000-word dissertation.
The practice-based dissertation is ideal for those who have begun careers and are returning to study after time in employment, or those who are aiming to enhance their employability by obtaining (further) experience within related professional contexts. It offers a more applied, contextualized approach to independent research than the more traditional dissertation route. In addition to completing 160 hours on placement, you are asked to produce a practical output/project for the organization hosting your placement. This can take various forms, such as a report for internal use, a piece of research, a contribution to a report or policy document, a video, a feature article for a newspaper, or another form of media output. You complete the placement with a 12,000-word report encompassing aspects including the rationale for the placement, a reflection on the tasks performed, and a theoretical discussion of an issue related to the placement.
Program Tuition Fee
Career Opportunities
Your degree will provide excellent preparation for your future career, but this can also be enhanced by a range of employability support services offered by the University and the College of Arts and Law.
The University's Careers Network provides expert guidance and activities, especially for postgraduates, which will help you achieve your career goals. The College of Arts and Law also has a dedicated careers and employability team that offers tailored advice and a program of College-specific career events.
You will be encouraged to make the most of your postgraduate experience and will have the opportunity to:
- Receive one-to-one career advice, including guidance on your job applications, writing your CV, and improving your interview technique, whether you are looking for a career inside or outside of academia
- Meet employers face-to-face at on-campus recruitment fairs and employer presentations
- Attend an annual program of careers fairs, skills workshops, and conferences, including bespoke events for postgraduates in the College of Arts and Law
- Take part in a range of activities to demonstrate your knowledge and skills to potential employers and enhance your CV
What’s more, you will be able to access our full range of career support for up to 2 years after graduation.
Postgraduate Employability: Philosophy
Birmingham's Philosophy postgraduates develop a range of skills that are highly desirable in the job market including articulacy, precise analytical thought, and the ability to analyze and construct sound arguments.
Due to the transferable nature of these skills, Philosophy postgraduates traditionally enter a wide range of employment areas, from teaching and lecturing to social work. Employers that graduates have gone on to work for include BBC, Friends of the Earth, Birmingham Children's Hospital, Highways England, Ministry of Justice, and the University of Birmingham.
Program delivery
You will take six taught modules and write a 12-15,000-word dissertation (depending on whether you select a practice or standard dissertation). Modules run for one term, and each module involves a two-hour weekly seminar which you are required to attend.
Studying Full-time
You will spread your module work over the first two teaching terms, ideally studying three modules in each term. However, this depends on your module choices and it is also possible to study two in one term and four in another. Most of the work for your dissertation takes place in the summer, though practical work for practice-based dissertations usually commences earlier.
Studying part-time
If you do a part-time program, you spread your modules over four teaching terms (autumn and spring of year one, and autumn and spring of year two). You will work on your dissertation in year two; again, most of the written work takes place in the summer.
Teaching Year
We have three teaching terms per year, the autumn, spring, and summer terms. Term dates can be found on our website.
As a full-time student, you will typically take three modules in each of the first two terms, followed by your dissertation. If you are a part-time student, you will typically take three modules each year, followed by your dissertation.
Each module represents a total of 200 hours of study time, including preparatory reading, homework, and assignment preparation.