ABSTRACT
In this chapter I will examine the importance of virtue acquisition, or character formation, within university education, particularly but not exclusively within disciplines that lead into a profession. I am aware that the concept of a profession does not have well-defined borders, but for present purposes I will simply assume that it can be understood initially in terms of certain paradigm examples such as medicine and allied occupations, dentistry, engineering, law and accountancy. I will examine virtue acquisition in the context of the debate about the existence or otherwise of the ethical university which has been the focus of Part I. I will argue that the increased emphasis on professional and applied ethics within university curricula only reflects the long-acknowledged importance of ethics, and applied ethics in particular, within both universities and the professional world. Furthermore this importance does have significance for the nature and continued existence of the ethical university.
