The Gallatin School of Individualized Study and the School of Global Public Health (CGPH) offer an accelerated program to enable students to earn both a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Gallatin’s Individualized Major and a Master of Arts (MA) in Bioethics in less time than it would take to complete the programs separately, and at a reduced cost.
By challenging students to enhance and focus their opportunities for learning, this accelerated program is designed for academically strong students with an interest in critical thought about pressing challenges in the broad field of bioethics.
While enrolled as undergraduates in the Gallatin School, students eligible to enroll in the accelerated master’s program complete 6 credits of the 32 credits required for the MA during their undergraduate program. These 6 credits comprise two Bioethics core courses:
After completing these courses as undergraduates, students go on to the master’s degree where they can focus on electives that match their area of interest within the larger field of Bioethics. During their graduate school year, Bachelor's-Master's students receive a scholarship from CGPH covering 50% of up to 26 credits-worth of graduate tuition.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The Bioethics Master's courses taken as an undergraduate CANNOT count towards the 128 credits required for the BA degree. These Master's credits must be reserved, and not count towards the undergraduate degree, in order to be counted towards the completion of Master's degree requirements. For example, a student would need to complete at least 134 credits while they are an undergraduate (128 undergraduate credits + 6 Bioethics Master's credits), in order to fulfill the conditions of the Bioethics Bachelor's-Master's track.
Admission to the BA-MA in Bioethics program is open to Gallatin undergraduate students who have completed at least three semesters at NYU (transfer students must complete at least one semester in Gallatin before applying), who have at least two semesters remaining at Gallatin, and who have and maintain a GPA of 3.3 or higher.
For more information, please visit the BA-MA in Bioethics FAQ page.
BA-MA in Bioethics students are eligible for a 50% tuition scholarship once they matriculate into the Bioethics program as a full-time graduate student. This scholarship:
Students should visit the CGPH Financial Aid site for more information about financial aid once they have matriculated in the Bioethics Master's program. Additionally, students may want to consult the Association of Schools & Programs of Public Health's database of funding resources for a full range of options.
US citizens or permanent residents should also consider filing a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Graduate-level students are automatically considered "independent" from family support, so you will likely be eligible for a different level of aid than you were as an undergraduate.
Gallatin students may apply to the BA-MA in Bioethics program if they:
Applicants must submit their completed BA-MA in Bioethics application by the deadlines indicated below for the Fall and Spring semester. Applicants may be considered after the deadline on a case by case basis — consult Gallatin’s BA-MA in Bioethics adviser, Cameron Williams, for more information.
Fall application: October 9th
Spring application: March 4th
A. Meet with the Gallatin BA-MA in Bioethics adviser, Cameron Williams
You will not be able to submit your BA-MA in Bioethics application materials until after you meet with Cameron Williams.
B. Prepare the Application Materials
The materials required for BA-MA in Bioethics application are explained below. (Do not use the admissions information on the CGPH MA in Bioethics Admissions page as these materials are only for standard Master's applicants. BA-MA in Bioethics applicants are not required to submit GRE / other standardized testing scores.)
BA-MA in Bioethics applicants are required to submit:
C. Submit the Application Materials
The application materials (except for letters of recommendation) will be submitted via NYUBox - students will be given access to the submission portal after they have been cleared by the BA-MA in Bioethics adviser, Cameron Williams.
A 1-2 page statement of purpose (single-spaced) should describe:
Bioethics asks that applicants submit a 10-page, double-spaced writing sample that discusses an issue in Bioethics. This may touch on a variety of topics, including biomedical or environmental affairs.
Undergraduate transcript(s) are required to apply. Please upload your unofficial NYU transcript (link leads to instructions for access and downloading this unofficial transcript).If you transferred to NYU, please also upload official transcripts from any previous undergraduate institution where you have earned credit. You can upload a PDF scan of an official non-NYU transcript, or an official electronic copy ordered directly from your previous school's Registrar. If you do the latter, you may be sent a PDF portfolio (a bundle of several official documents). You will not be able to upload the entire portfolio into our online application system - instead, please save/print each of the documents as individual PDFs and then upload them.
You will need to submit an up-to-date resume or CV with your application. If you have any concerns about updating or creating a resume, we recommend that you speak with a Career Coach at the Wasserman Center for resume review and assistance.
Two letters of recommendation are required to apply. Ideally these letters of recommendation should come from faculty or colleagues who work in areas connected to the field of Bioethics. They should be able to speak to your readiness for graduate study in Bioethics, either with reference to your academic history or practical experiences that might have shaped your understanding of relevant ethical questions.
Your recommenders will need to submit their recommendations through NYU Box. You will receive further instruction for registering recommenders once you have been given access to the main Bioethics Bachelor's-Master's application.
Although you will need to wait until you access the online application to request your letters officially, it is always a good idea to contact your recommenders in advance of sending them an official request, even as soon as you think you will apply to a Bachelor's-Master's track. It is courteous to give your recommenders at least a month's notice to produce a new letter of recommendation.
For more information, please visit the BA-MA in Bioethics FAQ page.