<p>I really like philosophy, but am adamant against it being my sole undergraduate major (I'll probably double it with economics) because the job prospects with just a philosophy degree aren't exactly bright. Anyway, bioethics is a very interesting field. What sort of advanced schooling does one need to attempt to go into that field? I'm assuming extensive study in philosophy, but surely you need a solid biology foundation as well? (at least the essentials)</p>
<p>It seems there are multiple pathways to a career in bioethics, either philosophy, religious studies, law, or one of the health professions (medicine, PH, nursing). It also seems that interdisciplinary programs in bioethics are being developed, so you wouldn’t necessarily be in one of the traditional disciplines at the graduate level. I doubt you’d get very far in the field without an advanced degree. A lawyer or a clergyman who had at least a master’s degree might get by without a doctorate, but it would at least help give you some standing with physicians.</p>
<p>I agree that training in biology or a health field is important in order ro understand the issues. So, if you approach it from one of the non-health fields, you’d probably get your biology training as an undergrad. (I’m not sure if you’d get enough preparatory biology training by doing an undergrad program in history of science, or in science, technology & society if it also required some substantial biology coursework.) If you approach it from a health profession, you’d probably get your bioethics training concurrently in a joint degree program or after your health professional training. </p>
<p>Here are some links that may interest you.</p>
<p>[Careers</a> in Bioethics - Bioethics Resources on the Web - NIH](<a href=“http://bioethics.od.nih.gov/careers.html]Careers”>http://bioethics.od.nih.gov/careers.html)</p>
<p>[Building</a> a Career in Bioethics](<a href=“http://www.bioethicsinstitute.org/web/page/509/sectionid/378/pagelevel/2/interior.asp]Building”>http://www.bioethicsinstitute.org/web/page/509/sectionid/378/pagelevel/2/interior.asp)</p>
<p>[Graduate</a> education and employment opportunities in bioethics : Article : Nature Biotechnology](<a href=“http://www.nature.com/nbt/journal/v22/n2/full/nbt0204-247.html]Graduate”>Graduate education and employment opportunities in bioethics | Nature Biotechnology)</p>
<p>[Yale</a> University’s Interdisciplinary Center for Bioethics](<a href=“Welcome | Yale Interdisciplinary Center for Bioethics”>Welcome | Yale Interdisciplinary Center for Bioethics)</p>
<p>[Bioethics</a> at the University of Virginia](<a href=“http://bioethics.virginia.edu/index.html]Bioethics”>http://bioethics.virginia.edu/index.html)</p>
<p>[Joint</a> Degrees | Center for Bioethics, Health, and Society at Wake Forest University](<a href=“http://bioethics.wfu.edu/graduate-degree-and-certificate-programs/joint-degrees/]Joint”>http://bioethics.wfu.edu/graduate-degree-and-certificate-programs/joint-degrees/)</p>
<p>[Dual</a> Degree Programs for the Department of Bioethics at Case Western Reserve University](<a href=“Bioethics | School of Medicine | Case Western Reserve University”>Bioethics | School of Medicine | Case Western Reserve University)</p>
<p>I appreciate the post, thank you.</p>