Doctor of Philosophy in Theology and Health Care Ethics

Students who are interested in both bioethics and theological ethics and who wish to write a dissertation on bioethics from a theological perspective should consider Saint Louis University's joint Ph.D. in Theology and Health Care Ethics, offered by the Gnaegi Center for Health Care Ethics and the Department of Theological Studies. Unlike a dual degree, this program offers one degree: a Ph.D. in Theology and Health Care Ethics. The degree consists of 60 credits: 27 credits in health care ethics, 21 credits in theology and 12 dissertation research hours. Pre-comprehensive exam coursework can usually be completed in three years (nine credit hours each fall and spring). Non-coursework requirements include reading comprehension of French or German (or another language with approval of both programs), three research tools requirements in Library Database Skills, Medical Terminology and Statistics and Study Design, and written and oral comprehensive exams.

A viable applicant must possess, minimally, a baccalaureate degree or the equivalent from an institution that is accredited by one of the six regional accreditation agencies.

English Language Proficiency Requirements

To ensure a successful academic experience at Saint Louis University, we require international applicants to demonstrate they are proficient in the English language by submitting scores from any one of the following standardized tests:

IELTS minimum score of 6.5; Internet-based TOEFL (IBT) minimum score of 80; Paper-based TOEFL (PBT) minimum score of 550; PTE minimum score of 54; Duolingo minimum score of 125.

Application Deadline

Interested students should apply by Jan. 1.