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Bioethics/Medical Ethics

Instructional content is defined in code 51.3201.

Types of Degrees Bioethics/Medical Ethics Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Bioethics/Medical Ethics may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	11
Associate’s Degree	88
Bachelor’s Degree	368
Master’s Degree	4,592
Doctor’s Degree	191

What Bioethics/Medical Ethics Majors Need to Know

Programs in Bioethics/Medical Ethics emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Bioethics/Medical Ethics graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Bioethics/Medical Ethics emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.4 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Sociology and Anthropology — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills developed in a Bioethics/Medical Ethics program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Bioethics/Medical Ethics careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Bioethics/Medical Ethics graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.3 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.2 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.2 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.1 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.1 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.1 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Bioethics/Medical Ethics professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Google Docs	Word processing software	—
DOC Cop	Information retrieval or search software	—
Course management system software	Computer based training software	—
Sakai CLE	Computer based training software	—
Blackboard Learn	Computer based training software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Bioethics/Medical Ethics graduates include:

• Lecturer
• Adjunct Instructor
• Instructor
• Assistant Professor
• Associate Professor
• Professor
• Faculty Member
• College Professor
• University Faculty Member
• College Faculty Member
• Licensed Direct Entry Midwife
• Doula
• Direct-Entry Midwife
• Licensed and Certified Midwife
• Certified Midwife

What Can You Do With a Bioethics/Medical Ethics Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Bioethics/Medical Ethics commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Community Health Workers	13.4%	$73,901	$61,028–$86,775
Directors, Religious Activities and Education	-2.3%	$64,599	$53,067–$76,131

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Bioethics/Medical Ethics graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share 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%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Bioethics/Medical Ethics?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 87.5% of Bioethics/Medical Ethics degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	4,596	87.5%
Men	654	12.5%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Bioethics/Medical Ethics graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	2,995	57.0%
Asian	320	6.1%
Hispanic or Latino	672	12.8%
Black or African American	643	12.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native	27	0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	20	0.4%
Two or More Races	110	2.1%
Race Unknown	372	7.1%
International Students	91	1.7%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Bioethics/Medical Ethics Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Bioethics/Medical Ethics graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$91,596
4 years	$89,352
5 years	$98,782

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $98,782 — roughly 8% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Bioethics/Medical Ethics Programs

Distance learning are documented by IPEDS for Bioethics/Medical Ethics. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Bachelor’s	6	1
Master’s	97	26
Doctoral (Research)	13	1

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Bioethics/Medical Ethics Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Bioethics/Medical Ethics graduates earn a median of $89,352 four years after completion — roughly 135% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Health Care Professions	994,689
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing	311,372
Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants	99,987
Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions	90,379
Health and Medical Administrative Services	90,166
Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services	80,693
Public Health	41,086
Mental and Social Health Services and Allied Professions	33,946
Medicine	29,737
Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions	29,603
Dental Support Services and Allied Professions	24,761
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services	23,250

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.