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Ethics Courses

Study bioethics, business ethics, political ethics and more with in-depth online courses from leading institutions. Explore the moral philosophy and thought process behind major decisions on foreign policy or learn about the science of everyday thinking.

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What is Ethics?

Ethics dictate human conduct and behavior; in business ethics, in the application of ethical standards of medicine, and in our daily lives. The study of ethics and ethical principles (also known as moral philosophy), explores the definition of ethics, the origins of our ethical principles, and how we define ethical issues.

Ethics as an academic pursuit explores how past civilizations have defined standards of ethics, applied social ethics, or shaped our contemporary definition of ethics and ethical responsibility. It also imagines new implications for ethics training in the digital age.

The study of ethics has many applications and can lead to a career in law, or as the Chief Compliance Officer (COO) of a fortune 500 Company. Essentially the study of our guiding principles and the concepts of right and wrong that govern civilization, ethics permeates many areas of life and business.

Courses in Ethics

Ethics is an exciting field that poses new questions about how humans define right and wrong across cultures, religions, and generations.

What, for instance, are the ethical implications of the Internet and Artificial Intelligence (AI)? Analytics and AI are powerful tools that have real-word outcomes. Learn how to apply practical, ethical, and legal constructs and scenarios so that you can be an effective analytics professional by signing up for Microsoft’s Ethics and Law in Analytics and AI.

If you are more interested in how ethics can be applied to the food industry, you can sign up for Cornell University’s The Ethics of Eating. Join a diverse group of philosophers, food scientists, activists, industry specialists, and farmers in this exciting discussion regarding the ethical issues we confront each time we purchase food.

Alternatively, if you want to learn how to become a more ethical leader, you can explore theoretical and practical elements of ethical leadership with emphasis on leaders’ personal narratives within social and historical contexts through Boston University’s Ethical Leadership: Character, Civility, and Community.

Jobs in Ethics

Options abound for students interested in building a career in ethics, with implications for a diverse range of industries.

An ethics background offers a strong framework and analytical skills, needed to understand the implications and consequences of medical procedures and treatment decisions in the fields of Healthcare and Bioethics.

Similarly, a Masters in ethics and society can lead to legal career where an understanding of ethics is essential to the practice and application of legal standards.

There is also great demand for professionals with ethics backgrounds in the fields of business and finance where many companies and organizations are seeking innovative solutions to complex ethics dilemmas.

A search for ethics jobs on indeed.com yields over 36,000 search results with over 12,000 positions offering salaries of $50,000 or more, making it a rewarding and lucrative career option. In the legal sphere, there are more than 22,000 jobs listed for attorneys on Indeed; a third of which start above $75,000 a year.

Career in Ethics

The study of ethics can lead to any fast-paced career in which businesses, nonprofits, and government institutions need ethical compliance in the pursuit of their mission and goals. Consider signing up for ethics courses on edX today!