Master of Arts in Applied Ethics & Policy
Tech Ethics & Innovation Policy Concentration
Technology is changing the world at an unprecedented pace. The decisions made today will define how technology shapes society for decades to come. From artificial intelligence and cybersecurity to digital privacy and climate innovation, today's biggest challenges require leaders who understand both technology and its impact on society. Receive more info Join an Online Info SessionExplore Emerging Technologies and Their Transformative Effects On Society and Public Policy
The Tech Ethics and Innovation Policy concentration examines how industries, governments, and organizations worldwide grapple with unprecedented ethical challenges posed by technological advancement. Our goal is to train the next generation of experts, leaders, and innovators to help ensure that new technologies are developed and deployed in ways that are responsible, safe, and trustworthy, and that the interests of all stakeholders are adequately considered.
Develop the Skills That Matter
Our curriculum combines technical analysis with ethical reasoning, public policy, and strategic decision-making. You’ll learn how to evaluate the societal impacts of emerging technologies while developing practical tools for addressing real-world challenges.
Throughout the program, you will develop the ability to:
- Analyze the ethical implications of artificial intelligence, data analytics, biotechnology, robotics, cybersecurity, and other emerging technologies.
- Design policies and governance frameworks that promote responsible innovation.
- Navigate legal, regulatory, and international policy landscapes.
- Assess technology-related risks involving privacy, security, fairness, transparency, and accountability.
- Engage diverse stakeholders and communicate complex issues to technical, business, government, and public audiences.
- Lead interdisciplinary teams in developing technology solutions that reflect ethical principles and societal values.
- Drive responsible innovation by prompting organizations to think more critically about context and potential or unexpected impacts of cutting-edge technology
- Build, evaluate, improve, and oversee enterprise-wide governance frameworks to shape the way decisions are made, risks are managed, and ethical standards are upheld.
Join the Next Generation of Responsible Technology Leaders
Technology has enormous potential to improve lives, strengthen communities, and help address global challenges. Realizing that potential requires professionals who understand not only what technology can do, but also what it should do.
As a graduate of this program, you’ll be prepared to help organizations develop technologies that are fair, transparent, inclusive, secure, and sustainable. You’ll contribute to policies that protect individual rights while encouraging innovation. You’ll help organizations anticipate unintended consequences, reduce risks, and build public trust in emerging technologies.
Whether you’re shaping AI governance, developing responsible data practices, creating technology policy, or advising leaders on ethical decision-making, your work can have a lasting impact on people, communities, and the planet.
Popular Courses
SCISOC 690
Applying Ethics to Innovation
This foundational course is a core requirement in the Applied Ethics Master’s program. Students are immersed in practical methodologies for identifying and addressing ethical challenges in diverse real-world contexts.
SCISOC [TBD]
Advancing Responsible Innovation: Ethical and Beneficial Implementation of Emerging Technology
This course examines how organizations and policymakers can promote innovation while ensuring that new technologies are developed and deployed in ways that are responsible, safe, trustworthy, and beneficial to society.
SCISOC 590
AI & Financial Services Policy
Artificial intelligence is rapidly transforming financial services, reshaping activities such as lending, trading, fraud detection, compliance, and customer service. This course examines how AI is being deployed across the financial system and how policymakers and regulators are responding.
SCISOC 590:
AI, Ethics & Creative Economic Policy
This discussion-based class explores how artificial intelligence is impacting creative sectors like music, journalism, film, and visual arts, and what policy solutions are needed to maximize benefits, while minimizing risks to humans.
PUBPOL 590S
Governing AI
Predictive technology is reshaping service delivery, public engagement, resource distribution, and organizational efficiency across every sector, yet with little oversight. This course examines policy challenges to governing artificial intelligence and other emerging predictive data technologies.
SCISOC 614:
Privacy and Ethical Decision-Making in Our Digital Era
Emerging technologies and data use in our digital economy affect privacy. This course evaluates the ethical issues raised when emerging tech and data use intersect with Americans’ privacy interests in a variety of current contexts:
SCISOC 615S
Privacy: Concepts and Culture Informing Law and Policy
This course explores conceptual understandings of privacy with class sessions dedicated to consent and control, anonymity and obscurity, personality and identity, freedom from surveillance, manipulation and attention, power, and trust.
SCISOC 552S
Cybersecurity and Health Data Policy
This class uses interactive exercises to analyze the issues of how best to optimize health data public policy for the innovative and ethical use of data to enable better health outcomes and lower costs.