Applied and Professional Ethics MA

Course overview

This online masters course can be studied full-time over 12 months or part-time over 24 months. It consists of eight taught modules (with the option to switch one out for an independent research project) and a supervised dissertation.

Using a blend of theory and real-life case studies, you’ll gain a critical understanding of ethical issues in professional contexts such as trust, integrity, privacy, consent and professional responsibility. The taught modules are delivered through online material that combines insights from industry professionals with the latest in ethical research. Online discussions with students are facilitated by ethics lecturers throughout the modules. These discussions can be contributed to at any time of day, giving the needed flexibility for our students across the world.

Our diverse community includes people from a wide variety of countries, backgrounds and professions, with many opportunities to network and connect during your time studying with us, including various events and activities we run as an active and thriving applied ethics research centre. Several of our students have achieved the publication of a paper as a result of their time studying with us, or appeared on podcasts where they have been interviewed about an ethical issue they worked on. Whether you’re looking for a career progression, a change of direction, or knowledge of a new subject area, you’ll receive the support you need to succeed.

The course equips students with many transferrable skills. You'll learn how to engage with multiple perspectives, to interpret viewpoints charitably, to communicate your ideas clearly, and to form strong arguments for your views and decisions. You'll develop your independent research skills and you will be able to apply specialist knowledge in new contexts. This can provide the springboard for many career paths or for further study.

We live in a rapidly changing world. The inequalities of wealth and power in the workplace and across the globe, the role of businesses in ethically compromised supply chains, the impacts of climate change and the need for economic and environmental sustainability, and the growing prevalence of artificial intelligence and data collection technologies raises huge ethical problems that require our careful attention.

This online course introduces you to debates and theories around the application of ethics to professional issues such as these, helping you to navigate our complex and increasingly interlinked working environments and to think about how we might change them for the better.

Specialist support

We have extensive experience in providing high quality online learning, having run this course for over a decade. You’ll study at the times and pace that suit you, whether taking the course full time or part time, sharing insights with other students as you learn. Throughout the course, you’ll receive expert support as well as opportunities for live discussions with your module leaders, and your academic personal tutor.

Extensive resources

You’ll study using course materials that have been specially designed for online distance learning, including reading, supplements and exercises. You can easily access these at any time using the University’s virtual learning environment, Minerva.

The IDEA Centre is an active and thriving centre of research and learning, with regular research seminars, podcasts, and annual events such as our Medical Ethics Evening and Ilkley Colloquium all available for you to take part in. We maintain close ties with our alumni and external professionals who often share their insights and expertise at our events.

Leeds University Library is one of the UK’s major academic research libraries, and has extensive holdings to support your studies. You can access a wide range of books, journals and other items online, as well as webinars on academic skills.

Scholarships

The University offers a range of postgraduate funding opportunities to help support you during your time studying with us.

Across our faculty, we also have a number of generous awards and scholarships.

Course details

You’ll study modules designed to give you a solid base of theoretical knowledge and high level research skills.

As you progress through your studies, you’ll apply what you’ve learned in an independent research project on a topic of your choice.

If you choose to study part-time, you’ll study over a longer period and take fewer modules in each year.

For more information and a full list of typical modules available on this course, please read Applied and Professional Ethics MA Full Time in the course catalogue

For more information and a full list of typical modules available on this course, please read Applied and Professional Ethics MA Part Time in the course catalogue

Year 1 compulsory modules

Year 1 optional modules (selection of typical options shown below)

Learning and teaching

This course is taught entirely online, so there are no lectures or seminars. You won’t have to attend Leeds at any point during the course, although if you can travel there may be chances to meet other students.

Instead, you’ll used specially designed interactive teaching materials and participate in structured collaborative activities. You’ll contribute to discussion groups in Minerva, our Virtual Learning Environment, so you can share experiences and perspectives with students from different backgrounds worldwide. Our tutors respond to queries by email as well as contributing to the online discussion groups and holding live webinars for each module.

Watch our Applied, Professional and Biomedical Ethics subject talk to get a flavour of what it’s like to study at Leeds.

On this course, you’ll be taught by our expert academics, from lecturers through to professors. You may also be taught by industry professionals with years of experience, as well as trained postgraduate researchers, connecting you to some of the brightest minds on campus.

Assessment

Because you study online, you won’t have to take any exams during this course. Instead, most of the time you’ll be assessed using essays and coursework assignments. You’ll receive support from our tutors and be able to discuss your work with them before you submit it. Group projects, presentations and regular contributions to discussion forums may also be used to assess your progress in some modules.

Applying

Entry requirements

A bachelor degree. Professional experience may also be considered. If you want to apply for this MA course but don't have a degree, you could begin your studies by completing the PGDip before applying for the MA.

We look for your willingness and ability to think clearly and independently, as well as good writing skills, a basic understanding of philosophical ethics and any relevant experiences of ethical issues in practice

We accept a range of international equivalent qualifications. Contact the Admissions Office for more information.

English language requirements

IELTS 6.5 overall, with no less than 6.0 in all components.. For other English qualifications, read English language equivalent qualifications.

Improve your English

International students who do not meet the English language requirements for this programme may be able to study our postgraduate pre-sessional English course, to help improve your English language level.

This pre-sessional course is designed with a progression route to your degree programme and you’ll learn academic English in the context of your subject area. To find out more, read Language for Arts and Humanities (6 weeks) and Language for Social Science and Arts: Arts and Humanities (10 weeks).

We also offer online pre-sessionals alongside our on-campus pre-sessionals. Find out more about our six week online pre-sessional.

You can also study pre-sessionals for longer periods – read about our postgraduate pre-sessional English courses.

How to apply

Documents to include:

• your degree certificate and transcripts of all relevant qualifications, or a partial transcript if you’re still studying

• CV (optional)

• details of two academic referees whom we can contact if needed

• evidence of your English language test scores, if English isn’t your first language

• a personal statement in response to the questions asked in the supporting statement section of the application form. There's no word limit but you should include:

  • why you want to study your chosen course at Leeds.

  • what role ethics play in your professional life (if relevant).

  • what knowledge and understanding you currently have of ethics (if relevant).

  • how studying ethics will contribute to your academic and/or professional development.

• application essay: this will be used to assess your ability to construct arguments and defend a coherent ethical position. It should be approximately 500 words long and address a topic relevant to your chosen course. You can choose from the questions below, or contact us about an alternative:

  • can personal integrity and professional integrity ever conflict? If so, which should win out?

  • what is trust, and why is it so important in professional life?

  • is a system of bonus pay compatible with a fair system of rewards?

  • what is Corporate (Social) Responsibility and to whom is such responsibility owed?

  • does justice require equal pay for equal work?

  • can deception in the workplace or in professional life ever be justified?

  • can deception in research ever be justified?

  • when, if ever, would a professional be justified in breaching a client's confidentiality?

  In line with the University of Leeds’ AI and assessments guidance, and as an applicant is a prospective University of Leeds student, the use of AI in generating writing samples is not permitted. As part of further verification, all writing samples supplied during the application process will be put through an AI detector, and applications that have used AI in this way will be rejected. For further information on Applicant and student responsibilities, please see University of Leeds Admissions Policy 2025-26 | University of Leeds.

  Application deadlines

  Please see our How to Apply page for information about application deadlines.

  Next steps

  If we're interested in making you an offer to study with us, we'll invite you to an interview, which will usually be conducted online.

Personal Statement Requirements

Please answer the following questions in separate numbered paragraphs. These questions provide us with important information on your suitability for the course, so please complete them carefully and in detail. In addition, please upload a 500 word sample of your academic writing on a topic relevant to your proposed programme of study (a list of suggested titles are provided on our website).

1. Why you have chosen to apply to this programme?
2. How this programme relates to your professional life, and how you see it contributing to your professional development (if relevant)?
3. Detail any previous experience of ethics that you may have.

Find out more: University of Leeds Admissions Policy 2025-26 | University of Leeds.

The ‘Apply’ link at the top of this page will take you to information on applying for taught programmes and to the University's online application system.

If you're unsure about the application process, contact the admissions team for help.

Read about visas, immigration and other information in International students. We recommend that international students apply as early as possible to ensure that they have time to apply for their visa.

Admissions policy

University of Leeds Admissions Policy 2025

This course is taught by

Inter-Disciplinary Ethics Applied Centre

Contact us

Admissions Team

Email: admissions@idea.leeds.ac.uk
Telephone:

Fees

UK: £12,000 (Total)

International: £12,000 (Total)

For fees information for international taught postgraduate students, read Masters fees.

Read more about paying fees and charges.

Part-time fees
Fees for part-time courses are normally calculated based on the number of credits you study in a year compared to the equivalent full-time course. For example, if you study half the course credits in a year, you will pay half the full-time course fees for that year.

Additional cost information

There may be additional costs related to your course or programme of study, or related to being a student at the University of Leeds. Read more on our living costs and budgeting page.

Scholarships and financial support

If you have the talent and drive, we want you to be able to study with us, whatever your financial circumstances. There may be help for students in the form of loans and non-repayable grants from the University and from the government.  Find out more at Masters funding overview.

We offer a number of scholarships to help support you while you're studying with us, and will consider flexible fee payment options if you're studying part-time or through online learning.

Find out more about our applied and professional ethics scholarships.

Career opportunities

Studying applied ethics will allow you to develop transferable skills in research, critical thinking and communication. It will also give you more confidence to handle situations with ethical implications in the workplace.

All of this is good preparation for a range of careers, while it could also benefit you in your current role. In particular, this course gives you scope to develop your career in growing areas such as compliance and corporate social responsibility.

Careers support

We encourage you to prepare for your career from day one. That’s one of the reasons Leeds graduates are so sought after by employers.

The Careers Centre and staff in your faculty provide a range of help and advice to help you plan your career and make well-informed decisions along the way, even after you graduate. Find out more about Careers support.