MSt in Practical Ethics

The course is structured around six taught modules and a dissertation, part-time over 2–3 years.

Core module

Ethical Concepts and Methods

Typical option modules

You will choose five modules from the list of available options:

• Artificial Intelligence Ethics
• Climate, Environment and Animals
• Data and Digital Ethics
• Ethics of the Beginning and End of Life
• Neuroethics
• Philosophy, Psychiatry and Mental Health
• Research Ethics and Empirical Ethics
• Well-Being, Disability and Enhancement

The compulsory module runs yearly and five of the eight option modules should run each year.

This course welcomes applicants from a wide range of academic and professional backgrounds. It is particularly relevant for those in fields such as medicine and the health sciences, cognitive science, philosophy, bioethics, as well as law and public policy. If your work engages with complex ethical, scientific, or societal questions, the programme offers a valuable opportunity to advance your understanding of these topics.

In this course, students undertake six taught modules and a dissertation. There is one compulsory module and a choice of five out of eight option modules.

Each module will be taught over an intensive residential teaching week (around 25 contact hours) in Oxford to include lectures, seminars, and discussion groups. Modules are normally provided in clusters, offering students options around the number of visits to Oxford each year. Online materials are available, including essential readings, alongside forums where students can communicate and continue discussion when away from Oxford.

It is expected that students undertake significant independent study in order to complete the assessments to the appropriate level. This will vary from student to student and over the period of the course according to the modules taken, but is expected to be around 16 hours of independent study per week for periods equivalent to the length of term (three sets of eight weeks) throughout the year, although the course will not stick rigidly to the term structure.

Oxford College affiliation

As a matriculated postgraduate degree student, you will become a member of one of the University’s multidisciplinary colleges, enabling you to encounter new perspectives in your field or learn more about many other subjects from fellow college members.

The collegiate system makes studying at Oxford a truly special experience. Oxford colleges are friendly and diverse communities, where you could find yourself absorbed in fascinating conversations with students and academics from a variety of disciplines at college seminars, dinners, and informal occasions.

For a list of colleges that accept students on the MSt in Practical Ethics, please see the ‘college preference’ tab on the Graduate Admissions course page.

To find out more about Oxford University colleges, please consult the University’s Graduate Admissions website.

Oxford’s research in practical ethics is led by the Uehiro Oxford Institute, and the MSt in Practical Ethics course is led by the Uehiro Oxford Institute’s Dr César Palacios-Gonzalez, with additional teaching from the Medical Division’s Ethox Centre.

Other researchers from the Uehiro Oxford Institute and beyond will contribute to the course, including Dr Jonathan Pugh, Professor Dominic Wilkinson, Professor Thomas Douglas and the Ethox Centre’s Dr Mark Sheehan. There will also be lectures delivered by other world experts.

Assessment for each module is based on one essay per module. Students will also complete a dissertation on a topic chosen in consultation with a supervisor.

Degree-level qualifications

As a minimum, applicants should hold or be predicted to achieve the following UK qualifications or their equivalent:

• a first-class or strong upper second-class undergraduate degree with honours in any subject.

However, in the absence of an appropriate undergraduate degree, sufficient relevant professional experience and/or other educational attainment may be considered as evidence of suitability in some circumstances.

For applicants with a bachelor’s degree from the USA, the minimum overall GPA that is normally required to meet the undergraduate-level requirement is 3.6 out of 4.0.

If your degree is not from the UK or another country specified above, visit our International Qualifications page for guidance on the qualifications and grades that would usually be considered to meet the University’s minimum entry requirements.

English language proficiency

This course requires proficiency in English at the University’s higher level. If your first language is not English, you may need to provide evidence that you meet this requirement. Further information on English language requirements can be found here.

Please visit the MSt in Practical Ethics course page on the University of Oxford Graduate Admissions website for details of course fees and costs.

Please see our funding page for help and information with regard to funding postgraduate studies. We further recommend that applicants search for funding opportunities via the online Fees, Funding and Scholarship search tool.

In order to be considered for many scholarships, applicants are required to apply by the January deadline. However, applicants should note that some scholarships require additional application materials and may have different deadlines, so applicants should make sure they check the application process for each scholarship carefully.

Applications for this course should be made via the University of Oxford Graduate Admissions website. This website provides information on fees and entry requirements, along with help on preparing and submitting your application.

Application deadlines

12:00 midday UK time on:

• Stage 1: Friday 14 November 2025 (Applications more likely to receive earlier decisions)
• Stage 2: Wednesday 28 January 2026 (Latest deadline for most Oxford scholarships)
• Stage 3: Tuesday 3 March 2026

When to apply

Early application for the programme is strongly advised. After the March deadline, the course will only stay open for that year’s entry if places are still available.

Remember that it can take a number of weeks to obtain all of the documents you need and to prepare a competitive application. You should also allow your referees plenty of time to submit your references. We therefore recommend you apply as soon as possible.

Interviews are normally held as part of the admissions process within six weeks of the application deadline.