Designing a Good Student Orientation and Time and Commitment - this is actually a project that I worked on at my previous position. I was very essential in creating an orientation guide for our students. This came from the document that I created for the AMBI student handbook, that originally was mailed to each student, along with a Sakai Quick Start Guide.

Introduction

Welcome to the Alden March Bioethics Institute (AMBI) graduate programs. Our Certificate and Master of Science (M.S.) programs are registered with and approved by the New York State Department of Education. This handbook is intended to give an overview of our programs and requirements.

Staff

Institute Director
The Director of the Institute has overall responsibility for leadership and administration of the Alden March Bioethics Institute.

Director of Graduate Studies
The Director of Graduate Studies has overall responsibility for the graduate program including faculty and student recruitment, curriculum development, course oversight and adherence to the policies and procedures of the AMC graduate curriculum committee.

Coordinator of Graduate Studies
The Coordinator is the first source of information for all students. S/he is responsible for the day-to-day operations including registration, grade reporting, technical support and program organization including the annual calendar. S/he can be contacted at 518 262 2639

Faculty
AMBI faculty members have appointments through the Albany Medical College. The faculty is multidisciplinary representing the fields of medicine, nursing, law, humanities, social sciences and public policy. Several faculty members have additional teaching responsibilities at other major educational institutions.

Academic Advisors
Upon admission each student is assigned to a faculty advisor. The student and faculty are expected to be in contact as students enter the Program thereafter at each new term. Advisors will make course recommendations to students as they map out their certificate/degree plan of study.

Faculty Mentor
As students select a topic for their AMBI 700 Master’s Project, they will be matched with a mentor whose expertise can best support the student’s area of interest. The faculty mentor will be available for ongoing input and advisement for each student as he or she designs and executes the project.

Graduate Program Objectives

Our programs are aimed at developing analytical and practical skills and competencies as well as basic knowledge for use in the clinical, research and policy arenas associated with bioethics. Specifically the program goals are:

To increase professionals’ ability to recognize and analyze ethical dilemmas in healthcare, policy and research arenas
To increase professionals’ ability to engage in normative and empirical scholarship concerning ethical dimensions in healthcare, research and policy
To cultivate professional integrity among colleagues and within the onsite and online community at large

Student Responsibilities

All students in the Alden March Bioethics Institute’s Graduate Programs are expected to

Uphold the student Code of Academic Integrity
Register for courses and pay tuition within the designated timeframes
Participate regularly and appropriately in online forums, and complete all course requirements according to the course specifications
Complete required coursework within the designated time frame established with their advisor and the Graduate Program Director
Adhere to online etiquette at all times, maintaining respectful communications with other class participants and faculty

Faculty Responsibilities

Provide course syllabus and resources before the course start date
Participate in online forums
Respond to all assignments in a timely fashion
Advise students regarding course selection
Mentor students on individual Master’s Projects

Master of Science in Bioethics

The AMBI M.S. in Bioethics degree is designed to provide physicians, nurses, lawyers, social workers, administrators and other qualified applicants access to a rigorous and challenging online educational opportunity. Students come from a range of professional disciplines related to healthcare in order to learn applied content and skills of bioethics to accomplish their own individual goals. This degree can be useful, not only for those with an interest in clinical and applied bioethics, but also for those with administrative, research or policy backgrounds. Most students will complete their course of study in two or three years.

Curriculum

The M.S. in Bioethics degree requires a student to complete six “core courses” (18 credits) and three electives (9 credits), in addition to a final Master’s project (3 credits). This final course is broken into two terms (700-701) in order to provide the student sufficient time to complete the project.

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