Applied Ethics Certificate

The certificate in applied ethics offers students the opportunity to develop a broad understanding of complex moral issues and to hone their moral reasoning skills. Students learn about the central theories, frameworks, and ideas in moral philosophy including deontology, consequentialism, and virtue theory; theories of value, moral emotions, and moral rights; and the concepts of personhood, character, and integrity. They explore a range of contexts in which moral problems arise, for example, issues related to the environment, to business, and to medicine. The certificate encourages students to understand the complexity of moral problems and to use reason to explore and evaluate solutions to these problems. By critically analyzing central debates in moral issues, students develop critical thinking skills required for dealing with complex moral problems in the 21st century.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon receipt of the Applied Ethics Certificate, students will be able to:

1. Recognize and understand the relationship between normative claims and empirical claims.
2. Analyze the values that are in conflict on any given moral issue.
3. Examine multiple theoretical positions on a wide range of moral issues.
4. Critically examine various solutions to moral problems.
5. Apply moral reasoning to substantive moral issues.
6. Communicate one’s well-reasoned opinion on moral issues orally and in writing.

The certificate program is 12 credit hours. Several courses are offered online.