Georgia Southern University

What you'll study

This master's blends contemporary approaches to health professions education with applied ethics and the medical humanities. Core themes include pedagogical theory and curriculum design for health professions; assessment and competency-based education; clinical and organisational ethics; narrative medicine and the role of humanities in patient-centred care; and qualitative and mixed-methods research approaches for educational inquiry.

• Curriculum and Instructional Design: theories of adult learning, curriculum mapping, instructional strategies for clinical and classroom settings, and interprofessional education.
• Assessment and Evaluation: formative and summative assessment, competency frameworks, workplace-based assessment, program evaluation and use of assessment data to improve learning.
• Health Care Ethics: clinical ethics consultation principles, organisational and policy ethics, ethical decision-making frameworks and contemporary ethical issues in health care.
• Medical and Health Humanities: narrative competence, literature and film in clinical reflection, history of medicine, arts-based methods and their use in fostering empathy and communication skills.
• Research Methods for Education: qualitative methods (interviewing, thematic analysis), quantitative basics relevant to educational research, scholarship of teaching and learning and project design.
• Capstone/Practicum Project: an applied educational project or thesis that typically involves curriculum development, an ethics initiative, a humanities-informed teaching intervention, or an original research study carried out in a clinical or educational setting.

Entry requirements

Applicants are usually expected to hold a recognised bachelor's degree. Competitive applicants often have professional experience in a health-related field (such as nursing, medicine, allied health, public health, or clinical social work) or in health professions education, though candidates from humanities and social science backgrounds with relevant interests are also considered.

• Academic record: a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution and an academic record that meets graduate admission standards.
• Professional experience: evidence of engagement in health care or education is advantageous; many applicants are practising clinicians or educators.
• Supporting documents: a personal statement outlining aims and relevant experience, an up-to-date CV or résumé, and references or letters of recommendation from academic or professional referees.
• Additional requirements: some applicants may be invited to an interview or asked to submit a sample of scholarly or reflective writing. Specific language proficiency evidence is required for applicants whose first language is not English.

Career prospects

Graduates leave prepared for roles that bridge clinical practice, education and ethics. Common career paths include educational leadership and curriculum development in health professions schools, clinical educator or simulation coordinator positions, membership of clinical ethics committees, roles in patient-centred care initiatives that draw on humanities methods, and educational research or quality improvement focused on teaching and learning.

• Academic faculty or lecturer in health professions education
• Director of clinical education, curriculum coordinator or programme director
• Clinical ethicist or member of hospital ethics committees
• Education specialist in simulation centres, continuing professional development or interprofessional education
• Researcher in health professions education or the scholarship of teaching and learning

Why study at Georgia Southern University

Georgia Southern provides a supportive environment for interdisciplinary study, connecting health professions practice with humanities and ethical inquiry. The university’s emphasis on applied learning and community engagement enables students to develop practical projects and partnerships with clinical and educational settings. Small cohort sizes and faculty with experience in clinical education, ethics and educational research offer mentoring and opportunities to translate scholarship into real-world curricular and policy improvements.

The programme is designed to be accessible to working professionals and to prepare graduates to lead and innovate in educational and ethical aspects of health care delivery and training.