This paper explores the role of ethics in higher education by examining the academic training and departmental home of professors who teach courses in ethics. In particular it examines the extent to which individuals teaching courses related to ethics have formal disciplinary education either in philosophy or religion,the two academic disciplines that historically have been most closely associated with the formal study of ethics. The authors found that about 46% of ethics courses are taught in the philosophy or religion departments, and the professors of these courses usually come from this discipline. However, 54% of ethics classes are taught outside of the religion or philosophy departments, typically by professors without graduate degrees in religion or philosophy.
