by our College Data Analytics TeamIn the latest year, 235 U.S. colleges awarded 5,489 degrees and certificates in Bioethics/Medical Ethics. Master’s degrees are the most popular award, at 87% of graduates. College Factual ranks 95 schools in its 2027 Best Bioethics/Medical Ethics Schools ranking and compares their cost in a Best Value ranking. Graduates earn a median $90,296 one year after completing, rising to $98,461 after four years.
A career in bioethics or medical ethics can have far-reaching implications. Working in the medical ethics field, you will be responsible for setting policy on medical procedures and processes, often stemming from new technology. This may involve the topics of death and dying, organ transplant, the use of human and animal subjects and reproduction and fertility. Is physician-assisted death for terminal patients morally acceptable? Should fertility drugs be used to support at-risk patients? These questions and more need to be answered and policies need to be created to support these decisions.
You may work in a hospital setting, a biology company or sit on an oversight board helping make decisions related to medical ethics. You may also work in an educational setting teaching new medical students the importance of ethics in their careers.
Bioethics is an interdisciplinary field with people starting in undergraduate programs in the sciences or medicine with a minor or specialization in ethics. At the graduate level, students can focus solely on bioethics and can earn a master's or doctorate degree.
A major in Bioethics/Medical Ethics covers Health Professions Education, Ethics, And Humanities.
Source: IPEDS 2025; College Scorecard July 2026; BLS; O*NET; College Factual rankings 2027. Data as of: July 2026.
Across the country, bioethics/medical ethics is a popular field of study, with 5,489 degrees awarded annually. 235 colleges award bioethics/medical ethics degrees, an average of 23 graduates per school; the largest program awarded 1,059.
By level, the 5,489 awards include 15 certificates, 66 associate degrees, 415 bachelor’s degrees, 4,794 master’s degrees and 199 doctorates.
Women earned 87% of bioethics/medical ethics degrees and certificates in the latest year (4,778 of 5,489). The largest groups of graduates by race and ethnicity are White (3,053) and Black or African American (704), and international students earned 90.
College Factual ranks 95 schools in its 2027 Best Bioethics/Medical Ethics Schools ranking, including 2 for associate degrees, 10 for bachelor’s degrees, 61 for master’s degrees and 10 for doctorates. It also ranks bioethics/medical ethics schools within 29 states. In all, 235 colleges offer bioethics/medical ethics programs; compare them by degree level below or in the Best Value Bioethics/Medical Ethics Colleges ranking, which weighs quality against cost.
The most common bioethics/medical ethics credential is the master’s degree: 4,794 of the 5,489 awarded in the latest year. Jobs related to bioethics/medical ethics call most for Speaking, Reading Comprehension and Active Listening, and for knowledge of English Language, Education and Training and Customer and Personal Service, according to O*NET. The most important abilities are Oral Expression, Written Comprehension and Oral Comprehension.
Students attending a bioethics program can expect to have courses in medical sociology, policy analysis, decision theory, and spirituality. You will need to have a strong moral compass and a good understanding of the underlying medicine you will be making decisions on. If you plan on going into an educational setting, you will need to enjoy working with students and have an aptitude for teaching.
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How long a bioethics/medical ethics degree takes:
| Degree | Typical Program Length | Graduates Annually |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate | Varies | 15 |
| Associate Degree | 2 years | 66 |
| Bachelor’s Degree | 4 years | 415 |
| Master’s Degree | 1-3 years | 4,794 |
| Doctorate | At least 4 years | 199 |
Doctoral degree is the most common level of education among workers in jobs related to bioethics/medical ethics, at 33.5%.
| Level of Education | Percentage of Workers |
|---|---|
| Doctoral degree | 33.5% |
| Master’s degree | 27.3% |
| Bachelor’s degree | 12.2% |
| Postsecondary certificate | 11.0% |
| Post-baccalaureate certificate | 4.7% |
| Post-doctoral training | 4.5% |
| Some college courses | 3.0% |
| Associate’s degree (or other 2-year) | 2.2% |
| Post-master’s certificate | 0.7% |
| High school diploma or equivalent | 0.5% |
| First professional degree | 0.3% |
| Less than a high school diploma | 0.1% |
Source: O*NET Online.
19 occupations are related to Bioethics/Medical Ethics, with an average median salary of $79,276; the strongest outlook belongs to Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Workers, All Other, at 14.6% projected job growth. Typical job titles include Lecturer, Assistant Professor, Adjunct Instructor and Associate Professor.
In order to teach ethics, you will need an undergraduate degree in a related field along with a Master of Bioethics. Some careers will require a Doctor of Medicine degree in addition to a master's degree in ethics.
The occupation related to bioethics/medical ethics with the most projected jobs is Midwives, at 3,466,294.
| Occupation | Projected Jobs | Expected Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Midwives | 3,466,294 | 7.7% |
| Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Workers, All Other | 2,119,723 | 14.6% |
| Education Teachers, Postsecondary | 1,441,246 | 2.4% |
| Social Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary, All Other | 1,421,275 | 11.1% |
| Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary | 1,335,407 | 10.7% |
| History Teachers, Postsecondary | 1,269,153 | 10.5% |
| Philosophy and Religion Teachers, Postsecondary | 1,031,835 | 3.7% |
| Postsecondary Teachers, All Other | 964,215 | -0.1% |
Bioethics/Medical Ethics graduates earn a median $90,296 one year after completing their program, $98,461 after four years and $100,667 after five years, according to the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard.
| Years Out | Median Earnings |
|---|---|
| 1 year | $90,296 |
| 4 years | $98,461 |
| 5 years | $100,667 |
Source: College Scorecard.
The highest-paying occupation related to bioethics/medical ethics is Education Administrators, Postsecondary, with a median salary of $161,927.
| Occupation | Median Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| Education Administrators, Postsecondary | $161,927 |
| Medical and Health Services Managers | $129,557 |
| Healthcare Practitioners and Technical Workers, All Other | $117,846 |
| Midwives | $109,643 |
| Education Teachers, Postsecondary | $98,329 |
| Historians | $89,780 |
| Geographers | $77,391 |
| Sociologists | $74,866 |
Bioethics/Medical Ethics includes 6 concentrations that together award 5,489 degrees a year; by graduates, the largest are Nursing Education (3,970), Bioethics/Medical Ethics (813) and Medical/Health Humanities (421). It has 30 similar majors in the Health Professions field, which together award 1,031,971 degrees a year; the largest are Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (318,053), Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants (110,132) and Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (98,474). Browse all Health Professions majors or the full list of college majors.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Nursing Education | 3,970 |
| Bioethics/Medical Ethics | 813 |
| Medical/Health Humanities | 421 |
| Health Professions Education | 141 |
| Health Professions Education, Ethics, and Humanities, Other | 138 |
| Arts in Medicine/Health | 6 |
More about our data sources and methodologies.
