Professional Ethics
Certificate Program
Certificate in Professional Ethics is available to students in any academic program. It is designed for a broad range of professions, including business, engineering, politics, law, medicine, nursing, social work, counseling, and teaching. Topics covered include ethical theory, professional codes of conduct, moral reflection, and ethical argumentation and debate. The emphasis and ultimate goal of the program is the development of a deeper understanding of oneself as a responsible professional.
Requirements: To attain the certificate, students will need to complete four courses (12 credits), with:
- at least one course from Category A,
- at least two courses from Category B,
- and a fourth course from any category (including Category C)
Courses within Category A involve profession-specific coursework and provide students the opportunity to consider applied ethical issues in the fields of business, medicine, engineering, and environmental policy. The courses within this category introduce students to a variety of concrete problems and case studies, ranging from euthanasia, physician-assisted suicide, and organ transplantation (for those pursuing medical degrees) to corporate social responsibility, environmental sustainability, and the ethical permissibility of whistleblowing (for those pursuing degrees in business, engineering, or environmental policy), to name just a few.
Such issues, however, gesture at deeper and more profound questions, and the courses in Category B provide students with the opportunity to consider these more abstract problems, answers to which are necessary for any informed and rigorous approach to applied ethics. What, for instance, are the ethical merits or demerits of capitalism? Which of the main normative ethical theories should one utilize when approaching applied issues? What is the nature of happiness and the good life? The courses in Category B offer students the opportunity to reach informed and reasoned convictions about such questions.
Finally, the courses in Category C permit students the flexibility to pursue topics unique to their chosen career path or field of interest. Students are not required to choose from Category C to attain the certificate; they may choose from among Categories A and B to satisfy this fourth-course requirement.
Learning Outcomes: By completing a professional ethics certificate, students will be able to
- enhance their careers by attaining a greater knowledge of ethics,
- develop an ability to recognize and address ethical questions,
- learn to make ethical decisions on the basis of sound reasoning and informed thinking, and
- become familiar with various ethical case studies as it pertains to the professions.
Students must attain at least a B in all courses and can pursue these courses in any order.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Category A (choose one course): | 3 | |
| Biomedical Ethics | ||
| Environmental Ethics | ||
| Business Ethics | ||
| Category B (choose two courses): | 6 | |
| Introduction to Philosophy | ||
| Contemporary Ethical Issues | ||
| Logic and Reasoning | ||
| Is Morality for Sale? | ||
| Biomedical Ethics | ||
| Philosophy, Religion, and Science | ||
| Freedom and Individuality | ||
| Introduction to Asian Philosophy | ||
| Environmental Ethics | ||
| Business Ethics | ||
| Ethical Theory | ||
| Contemporary Philosophy | ||
| Philosophy, Politics and Law | ||
| Happiness and the Good Life | ||
| Category C (choose one course): 1 | 3 | |
| Principles of Sustainability in Business | ||
| Introduction to Business | ||
| Philosophy of Athletics and Coaching | ||
| Environmental Sustainability | ||
| Global Climate Change | ||
| Natural Resources Policy, Law, and Administration | ||
| Introduction to First Nations Studies | ||
| First Nations Justice and Tribal Governments | ||
| Ethical issues, Security Management and Compliance | ||
| Global Environmental History | ||
| Biotechnology and Ethics | ||
| Ethnic Diversity and Human Values | ||
| Sustainability through the Humanities | ||
| Basic Leadership and Management I | ||
| Conservation Psychology | ||
| Public and Non-Profit Management | ||
| The Social Work Profession | ||
| Cultura Latina | ||
| Total Credits | 12 | |
- 1
Students may instead opt to choose a course not already used from Category A or B to satisfy the overall 12 credit requirement.
