by our College Data Analytics TeamA career in bioethics or medical ethics can have far-reaching implications. Working in the medical ethics field, you will be responsible for setting policy on medical procedures and processes, often stemming from new technology. This may involve the topics of death and dying, organ transplant, the use of human and animal subjects and reproduction and fertility. Is physician-assisted death for terminal patients morally acceptable? Should fertility drugs be used to support at-risk patients? These questions and more need to be answered and policies need to be created to support these decisions.
You may work in a hospital setting, a biology company or sit on an oversight board helping make decisions related to medical ethics. You may also work in an educational setting teaching new medical students the importance of ethics in their careers.
Bioethics is an interdisciplinary field with people starting in undergraduate programs in the sciences or medicine with a minor or specialization in ethics. At the graduate level, students can focus solely on bioethics and can earn a master's or doctorate degree.
A major in Bioethics/Medical Ethics covers Health Professions Education, Ethics, And Humanities. Continue reading for the key facts every bioethics/medical ethics major should know — including career paths, salary data, the skills you will develop, and the best colleges offering bioethics/medical ethics programs.
Across the country, bioethics/medical ethics is a popular field of study, with 5,250 degrees awarded annually.
Our 2026 Best Bioethics/Medical Ethics Schools ranking analyzes these 240 schools to determine the best overall colleges for bioethics/medical ethics students. Continue reading to check out one of our many unbiased rankings of bioethics/medical ethics programs later in this article.
Coursework for Bioethics/Medical Ethics build a specific mix of skills, knowledge, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in the occupations bioethics/medical ethics graduates commonly enter.
Students attending a bioethics program can expect to have courses in medical sociology, policy analysis, decision theory, and spirituality. You will need to have a strong moral compass and a good understanding of the underlying medicine you will be making decisions on. If you plan on going into an educational setting, you will need to enjoy working with students and have an aptitude for teaching.
Skills built by a bioethics/medical ethics program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:
Per O*NET surveys, a bioethics/medical ethics major emphasizes the following knowledge areas:
There are several bioethics/medical ethics degree levels. The table below shows the typical length of the most common levels, and how many graduates earn each one.
| Degree | Typical Program Length | Graduates Annually |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate | Varies | 11 |
| Associate Degree | 2 years | 88 |
| Bachelor’s Degree | 4 years | 368 |
| Master’s Degree | 1-3 years | 4,592 |
| Doctorate | At least 4 years | 191 |
People currently working in careers related to bioethics/medical ethics tend to have obtained the following education levels.
| Level of Education | Percentage of Workers |
|---|---|
| Doctoral degree | 33.5% |
| Master’s degree | 27.3% |
| Bachelor’s degree | 12.2% |
| Postsecondary certificate | 11.0% |
| Post-baccalaureate certificate | 4.7% |
| Post-doctoral training | 4.5% |
| Some college courses | 3.0% |
| Associate’s degree (or other 2-year) | 2.2% |
| Post-master’s certificate | 0.7% |
| High school diploma or equivalent | 0.5% |
| First professional degree | 0.3% |
| Less than a high school diploma | 0.1% |
See the chart below to get an idea of what level of education most of those in bioethics/medical ethics careers hold.
Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*
In order to teach ethics, you will need an undergraduate degree in a related field along with a Master of Bioethics. Some careers will require a Doctor of Medicine degree in addition to a master's degree in ethics.
A degree in bioethics/medical ethics prepares you for numerous career paths. Here are some of the most common occupations related to bioethics/medical ethics.
The following options are some of the most in-demand careers related to bioethics/medical ethics.
| Occupation | Projected Jobs | Expected Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Midwives | 3,466,294 | 7.7% |
| Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Workers, All Other | 2,119,723 | 14.6% |
| Education Teachers, Postsecondary | 1,441,246 | 2.4% |
| Social Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary, All Other | 1,421,275 | 11.1% |
| Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary | 1,335,407 | 10.7% |
| History Teachers, Postsecondary | 1,269,153 | 10.5% |
| Philosophy and Religion Teachers, Postsecondary | 1,031,835 | 3.7% |
| Postsecondary Teachers, All Other | 964,215 | -0.1% |
College Scorecard reports median earnings of bioethics/medical ethics graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb as graduates gain experience.
| Years Out | Median Earnings |
|---|---|
| 1 year | $91,596 |
| 4 years | $89,352 |
| 5 years | $98,782 |
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.
Salaries for bioethics/medical ethics graduates vary widely by occupation. The following table shows the top highest-paying careers bioethics/medical ethics grads often go into.
| Occupation | Median Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| Education Administrators, Postsecondary | $161,927 |
| Medical and Health Services Managers | $129,557 |
| Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Workers, All Other | $117,846 |
| Midwives | $109,643 |
| Education Teachers, Postsecondary | $98,329 |
| Historians | $89,780 |
| Geographers | $77,391 |
| Sociologists | $74,866 |
With 240 different bioethics/medical ethics programs to choose from, finding the best fit can be a challenge. We have analyzed these schools to produce unbiased bioethics/medical ethics school rankings to help you.
Students interested in bioethics/medical ethics, you may also want to explore other closely related fields of study within the same broad area.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Nursing Education | 3,933 |
| Bioethics/Medical Ethics | 757 |
| Medical/Health Humanities | 352 |
| Health Professions Education | 102 |
| Health Professions Education, Ethics, and Humanities, Other | 101 |
| Arts in Medicine/Health | 5 |
More about our data sources and methodologies.
