Overview of Postgraduate Degrees in Philosophy & Bioethics
Research degrees are courses of study where the primary or only assessment is a thesis project. Entry to research degrees requires the equivalent of an Australian Honours degree with at least an H2A result. Your Honours degree need not be in Philosophy or Bioethics, but it should be in some cognate discipline.
If you already have an undergraduate degree (BA, BSc, BEng, etc) and have always wanted to study Philosophy, the Graduate Diploma in Philosophy is the course for you. You will complete the equivalent of a Philosophy major in one year of full time study. This course can be undertaken on campus or through off-campus learning mode.
If you have an undergraduate degree in Philosophy or some cognate discipline and wish to go on to a research degree such as the PhD, you will need to enrol in the Postgraduate Diploma in Arts (Research) in either Philosophy or Bioethics.
If you are a health care professional or involved in research in the biological sciences, you can deepen your understanding of ethical issues in your profession through any of several coursework degrees in Bioethics. These degrees are intended for people who may have no prior background in Philosophy or Bioethics but who encounter ethical questions in their professional lives.
Further information on postgraduate degrees in philosophy and bioethics can be found in the online Monash University Handbook: