Ethics and Society

certificate

The Ethics and Society certificate trains students in the ethical analysis of problems in public life and the professions. Learn about major theories and issues in ethics as a scholarly field and have the opportunity to gain specialized knowledge in areas such as medical, engineering, business, or environmental ethics.

About this Program

Certificates must comply with the Certificate Policy.

Contemporary public discourse is teeming with issues of urgent moral concern. From climate change to police violence, artificial intelligence to health care access, we face complex challenges that have ethical problems at their core. It is not always easy, however, to think through these challenges in a responsible and productive way. The Ethics and Society certificate teaches students to understand and analyze the moral dimensions of contemporary issues in public life and the professions. These topics are relevant for students in diverse majors, including professional schools as well as the liberal arts and sciences. Required courses in philosophical and religious ethics will provide students with the necessary skills to conceptualize ethical issues, providing an intellectual foundation for the analysis of applied and professional problems.

Admission Requirements

Current UF undergraduates in any major with a 2.0 GPA. Students minoring in Religion or Philosophy are eligible for the certificate so long as no more than one of their certificate courses are counted towards their minor.

Required Courses

PHI 3650Moral Philosophy3
REL 3082Global Ethics3
or REL 3171 Ethics in America
At least one Philosophy or Religion course3
Contemporary Moral Issues
The Self, Reason and Ethics
Bioethics
Ethics and Innovation
Ethics, Data, and Technology
Ethics and Ecology
Sustainability and Religion
Environmental Ethics
Global Ethics 1
Religion and Violence
Ethics in America 1
Religion Ethics and Nature
Religion and Social Change
Environmental Values and Practice
At least one additional course, which can come from the list below or the list above. 3
Agricultural and Natural Resource Ethics
Ethics in Global Business
Engineering Ethics and Professionalism
Ethical Issues in Family, Youth and Community Sciences
Ethics and Problems in Mass Communications
Policy, Ethics and Public Leadership
Ethics in American Politics
Environmental Ethics and Politics
Special Interdisciplinary Topics in Women's Studies
Total Credits12
1

If not previously taken. 

The certificate advisor may approve other relevant ethics courses for the certificate (e.g., a course taught under a special topic number).