Ethics, Certificate

(Code 400-601)

Advisor:  S. McAleer (Philosophy and Religious Studies).

The Ethics Certificate is for students in a variety of majors and minors, especially pre-professional programs with existing ethics requirements, and students interested in graduate study and careers in health care ethics, legal ethics, business and corporate ethics and compliance. The Ethics Certificate is a natural complement to the Leadership Studies Certificate currently offered through the College of Business’s Department of Management and Leadership Programs.

Students are required to complete a minimum of 12 credits and complete a reflection essay.
Required Courses
PHIL 120Ethical Reasoning3
PHIL 331Philosophical Ethics3
The remaining six credits are from ethics-relevant electives:6
PHIL 234
Classical Chinese Philosophy
PHIL 305
Ethics and Business
PHIL 306
Ethics of Health Care
PHIL 308
Ethics in Computing and Engineering
PHIL 320
Environmental Ethics
PHIL 333
History of Ethics
PHIL 334
Philosophical Perspectives on Forgiveness
RELS 210
Religion and Morality
With advisor approval, the following may be applied to the certificate program:
PHIL 395
Directed Studies
PHIL 399
Independent Study - Juniors
PHIL 499
Independent Study - Seniors
After their course work is completed, students must submit to the certificate advisor an essay in which they reflect on their learning experiences with respect to the certificate's goals.
Total Credits12

Note 1:  Up to three credits from ethics courses from the student’s major or minor field of study (e.g., CJ 413, ACCT 425) may be applied with advisor approval.

Note 2:  Students must earn at least 48 unique credits between the certificate program and major for purposes of meeting graduation requirements for first and second degree programs.  Students cannot pursue the Philosophy Major and Ethics Certificate to meet graduation requirements for completing a first and second degree program.

Program Learning Options

Students completing this program will be expected to meet the following learning outcomes:

  • Demonstrate an understanding of the major ethical theories and be able to thoughtfully apply them to particular ethical issues and dilemmas.
  • Approach questions of value with clarity, balance, open-mindedness, and rational rigor. 
  • Clearly articulate ethical concepts and arguments in writing and speech. 
  • Engage in self-reflection and achieve greater self-understanding of themselves as moral agents.