GENERAL STRUCTURE OF THE STUDY PROGRAM

GENERAL STRUCTURE OF THE STUDY PROGRAM

The curriculum is structured in a way that helps students attain, according to the specific level of each cycle:
- sufficient knowledge of philosophy to offer an adequate anthropological foundation and the methodological tools for correct ethical judgment;
- sufficient knowledge of Catholic theology to permit them to situate and resolve new ethical and moral problems under the light of Revelation, Tradition and the Catholic magisterium;
- sufficient knowledge of the biological and medical aspects related to the problems faced in bioethics;
- sufficient knowledge of the foundations of law and juridical implications of problems related to bioethics, both at the national and international levels;
- deep formation, based on the aforementioned areas, of principles, ethical norms and working solutions in the field of bioethics, in accordance with the Christian view of the human person.

The curriculum for the School of Bioethics is divided into three cycles: Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral degrees. For students coming directly from pre-university studies, a propadeutic year is required.

PROPADEUTIC YEAR

1. The propadeutic year serves as an introduction to the field of bioethics and other important disciplines to help students effectively carry out their studies during the first cycle, above all, in philosophy and theology.

2. For admission to the propadeutic year one must provide an original or certified copy of the diploma or certificate that demonstrates a satisfactory completion of the studies necessary for admission to university-level studies in the student’s country of origin.

3. Students are required to understand Italian adequately. Non-Italian students must demonstrate this knowledge by handing in a study certificate to the general secretary when they register or by presenting an exam at the beginning of the academic year.


BACHELOR’S DEGREE

1. The first cycle or Bachelor’s Degree program lasts two years (four semesters) and includes required and elective courses and seminars. This program is designed to provide students with the founding principles in five formative areas—Philosophy, Theology, Medicine, Law and Bioethics—in order to form a solid and adequate basis that will help the students confront bioethical issues and problems.

2. For admission to the first cycle, one must have either successfully passed the propadeutic year or taken some university-level or equivalent studies.

3. Students are required to understand Italian adequately. Non-Italian students must demonstrate this knowledge by handing in a study certificate to the general secretary when they register or by presenting an exam at the beginning of the academic year.

4. Students of the first cycle must attend all the required courses, two optional courses, and two seminars, and pass the corresponding exams.

5. Each student is required to submit a written work of 15-20 pages (Laboratum) under the direction of a professor. The Laboratum is worth eight credits. The Handbook of Procedures and Norms for Preparing a Written Work gives useful indications and precise norms about this written work. It can be obtained at the Athenaeum’s secretariat.

6. Second-year students must fill out a specific form at the secretariat to register the theme of their written work and obtain the name and signature of approval of a director chosen from among the School faculty. This form is to be handed in within the date specified in the general calendar. The student should later confirm the final approval of the theme by the school dean with the secretariat. Two copies of this work must be handed in to the secretariat, again within the date specified in the general calendar.


MASTER’S DEGREE

1. The second cycle or Master’s Degree program lasts two years (four semesters). It aims at a deeper understanding and specialization within the different themes and areas of bioethics.

2. There are two modes for the Master’s degree: a) Weekly courses, which are lessons given weekly throughout the semester; b) Intensive courses, which are given in two separate intensive weeks in each semester.

3. For admission to the Master’s program, students are required to have one of the following:
- Bachelor’s degree in Bioethics.
- Bachelor’s degree in Theology from an ecclesiastic institute.
- A six-year course of philosophical-theological seminary studies recognized by the Church.
In all other cases, the dean will carefully analyze the candidate’s previous studies and fulfillment of objectives through the relevant documents or appropriate exams.

4. In general, only those who hold an average of 8/10 or higher in the Bachelor’s degree of Bioethics or Theology will be admitted to the Master’s Degree program. Those who do not reach this average need to pass an admission exam.

5. Students are required to understand Italian adequately. Non-Italian students must demonstrate their understanding by handing in a study certificate to the general secretariat when they register or by presenting an exam at the beginning of the academic year.
Students who do not pass this exam must attend an Italian language course during their first academic year. In the case of overseas students who only attend the intensive and/or summer courses, knowledge of Italian is not strictly necessary, though it is highly recommended.

6. The total number of credits necessary for obtaining the academic title of Master’s is 80 (eighty) and is divided in the following way:
- 11 Prescribed courses 22 credits
- Optional courses 12 credits
- 3 Seminars 6 credits
- Theme paper 16 credits
- Final written exam 12 credits
- Final oral exam 12 credits

7. Prescribed courses: All students are expected to attend all 11 prescribed courses and pass the respective exams. Only the dean can dispense a student from any of these courses if he can prove having undertaken equivalent studies.

8. Optional courses: All students are expected to take optional courses equivalent to 12 credits and pass the respective exams. Only the optional courses proposed by the program should be taken; however, with the dean’s approval it is possible to take up to 3 courses offered by other faculties or from the Bachelor’s program of Bioethics.
NB: Students not coming from the Bachelor’s program of Bioethics who have not yet completed their philosophical-theological studies are expected to take the course BO2079 “Meta-bioethical Issues”; those who lack medical training must take the course BO2080 or BO2088 “Introduction to Medicine”; those who do not have university training in law should take BO2081 “Introduction to Law.” All these courses are valid as optional courses of two credits. Those who have prior formation in these areas cannot obtain credits by taking these optional courses.

9. Seminars: All students should take the synthesis seminar during the semester before their final exam for the Master’s degree. They should also take two other seminars in the program. To obtain credits for each seminar, students must fulfill the assignments the professor gives; these count as evaluation for the course.

10. Dissertation: All students are expected to write a dissertation (tesina), of at least 50 pages, under the guidance of a faculty professor (or, with the dean’s authorization, under the guidance of a professor from another faculty). After obtaining a registration form from the secretariat, first-year students of the Master’s Degree program must submit to the secretariat the name of the professor who accepts to direct their research within the date specified in the general calendar. The students must later go to the secretariat to confirm the final approval by the school dean. Second-year students must submit three copies of their final draft to the secretariat two months before the end of the last session, in which they take the final comprehensive exam.
NB: The Handbook of Procedures and Norms for Preparing a Written Work gives useful indications and precise norms about this written work. It can be obtained at the secretariat.

11. Final exams: At the end of the cycle, students must present two comprehensive exams for final evaluation: one written and one oral.
To present the written exam, students must have attended and passed all the courses of the cycle and handed in the written dissertation in due time. The subject of the written exam is the list of themes published in the school’s Comprehensive Exam Guide Book obtained at the secretariat.
To present the oral exam, students must have passed the written one. The oral exam lasts 30 minutes and covers the themes mentioned in the Exam Guide Book as well as issues found in the student’s own dissertation.


DOCTORAL DEGREE

1. The third cycle or Doctoral degree program consists in preparation of the doctoral thesis, under the guidance of a professor, in which the student offers an original contribution to the bioethical field. The minimum duration of the program is two years. The Doctorate title is granted after the defense of the thesis and its publication (at least partially).

2. For admission to the doctoral program, students must possess a Master’s degree in either Bioethics or Theology. In the latter case, they are required to attend some courses in either the Bachelor’s or the Master’s program in Bioethics, above all in the areas of medicine, law and bioethics, and to present a comprehensive oral exam in order to prove an adequate knowledge of bioethics.

3. Admission to the doctoral program requires a minimum score of 8.6/10 (Magna Cum Laude) (GPA 3.44/4.00) from the Master’s Degree program in Bioethics or Theology.

4. The doctoral degree follows these stages:
- Registration in the doctoral program
- Approval of the theme and director of the thesis
- Revision of the theme
- Handing-in of the thesis
- Defense of the thesis
- Publication of the thesis
5. Registration in the doctoral program: To be assured of acceptance into the doctoral program, students must hold a dialogue with the dean. Then they can formalize the process with the secretariat using the proper application forms. Students should also register for the bioethics courses indicated by the dean in the Academic Judgment and begin the research necessary for deciding on their thesis and appropriate director.
6. Students should decide on a theme and a thesis director and contact him frequently to check their research progress and the redaction of the thesis.

7. The thesis director can be chosen from among the faculty professors; however, with the dean’s authorization, a professor from another faculty or university may also be the director.

8. Approval of the theme and the director: Once they have decided on the theme and a director, students must fill out another application form and hand it in at the secretariat to have the theme approved. This application form should contain the following elements: a) information about the student, b) title of the thesis, c) name of the director, d) brief explanation of the foreseen work: the theme’s significance, importance and novelty, some essential bibliographies, research methodology and specificity, and a synthetic description of the content.
The theme of the thesis ought to be approved by the dean and the director with their respective signatures. Fifteen days after handing in the application, the student should receive from the secretariat the certificate of approval of the theme or subsequent annotations and indications of what is necessary for approval.

9. To change the theme or thesis director, the doctoral student needs to hand in a new application form at the secretariat for the approval of the theme, signed by the director, and follow the same procedures as described in the previous paragraph.

10. The theme chosen is reserved to the doctoral student alone for five years. To prolong this period, the student must request permission from the dean with the previous consent of his director.

11. Revision of the theme: Once students are ready to present the definitive draft of their thesis, they hand in to the secretariat the petition for the revision of the theme, signed by the director. Other than the general information requested on the form, students should present a synthesis of the thesis’ progress and other timely considerations concerning the principal sources used for its elaboration. After consulting two of the school’s experts, and after the rector of the Athenaeum’s approval, the dean will decide whether to grant the approval for the final drafting of the thesis. A month after handing in this definitive draft, students can receive at the secretariat the certificate of approval of the theme or subsequent annotations and indications of what is necessary for approval.

12. Handing-in of the thesis: When the final draft is finished, five copies must be submitted to the secretariat together with another form.
The thesis can be written, with the consent of the director, in any of these languages: Italian, English, French, German, Spanish and Latin. With the dean’s permission, it is possible to write the thesis in a different language.
The redaction, format, printing and binding of the thesis should respect the school’s established norms, which can be obtained at the secretariat.
Once the thesis has been handed in at the secretariat, the dean names a second examiner of the thesis. Students are not informed of the name of this second examiner.

13. Public Defense: Once a second examiner approves the doctoral thesis, its public defense can take place within two working months after it has been submitted. The director, the second examiner and the president make up the board of the public defense.
80% of the evaluation of the doctorate is the written dissertation, and 20% is the public defense. The board of the defense authorizes the publication of the thesis in its totality or partially.

14. If the judgments of two of the examiners indicate a modification or further correction as condition for its publication, students must again hand in at the secretariat three copies of the definitive version of their thesis, approved and signed by the two examiners. About 15 days after handing this in, students can obtain at the secretariat the certificate of approval for publishing the thesis.