Master of Legal Studies, MLS

The Master of Legal Studies (“MLS”) is a 30-credit, online degree offered by the Washington College of Law (“WCL”) in cooperation with the Kogod School of Business. Students enrolled in the program can register for the General Track or can choose to concentrate in: Business Law, Health Care Compliance, or Information Technology. The offered courses are a mix of WCL classes designed for the MLS students and courses offered in Kogod’s online MBA program. The MLS degree is growing in popularity among non-legal professionals such as such as law enforcement officers, court employees, health care administrators, compliance officers, and government officials who find that they need to gain some understanding of legal concepts. Students who successfully complete the MLS will be prepared to work with lawyers, draft legal documents such as contracts and company policies, and interpret applicable statutes and regulations. 

The courses will be 10 weeks long, beginning in October, January, April, or July.  Students will complete the degree on average in 15-18 months, enrolling in two courses per term. 

Admission to the Program

In addition to meeting the minimum university requirements for graduate study, applicants must have earned an undergraduate bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution with a satisfactory grade point average. Applicants whose first language is not English must have a satisfactory score on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).

Students are admitted on a rolling basis to the MLS for the October, January, April, or July module start dates. This program is offered on the 4-term academic calendar.

Degree Requirements

The MLS degree requires 30 credits and participation in at least one, but not more than two, 1.5 credit residential immersion programs. Students may pursue a general track or one of three concentrations in Business Law, Health Care Compliance, and Information Technology.

Course Requirements

The courses in this program are all taught in small sections of no more than 20 students per sections in a hybrid synchronous and asynchronous format. The courses will be offered on a 4-term basis starting in October, January, April, or July. 

Required courses (12 credits)

• LGLS - 600 Introduction to Courts & Law (3 hrs.)  
• LGLS - 601 Introduction to Regulatory Law & Compliance (3 hrs.)   
• LGLS - 603 Drafting Policies, Procedures & Contracts (3 hrs.)   
• LGLS - 602 Negotiation & Communication(1.5 hrs.)   
  • or LGLS - 641 Electronically Stored Information (1.5 hrs.)
    • Both can be taken if a student so chooses.
• LGLS - 604 MLS Immersion: Negotiation (1.5 hrs.)  
  • or LGLS - 695 Selected Topics in Law (1.5 hrs)
    • Both can be taken if a student so chooses.

Health Care & Compliance concentration

• Required courses (12 credits)

• LGLS - 630 Health Care Law & Compliance (3 hrs.)  
• LGLS - 631 Information Privacy & Data Security Law (3 hrs.)   
• LGLS - 632 Health Care Fraud and Abuse: Contracting & Compliance (3 hrs.)   

• Elective courses (6 credits)
  • 6 credit hours in approved graduate level coursework

Business Law concentration

• Required courses (6 credits)
  • ACCT - 635 Business Law, Ethics & Governance (3 hrs.)
  • LGLS - 620 Business Associations (3 hrs.)  
• Elective business courses (students must take at least 2 of the following courses for a minimum of 6 credits)
  • LGLS - 624 Human Resources Compliance (3 hrs.)   
  • MLS 4002 MLS - 4002 Securities Law & Corporate Finance    
  • LGLS - 621 Government Contracting (3 hrs.)   
  • LGLS - 622 Banking & Financial Services Compliance (3 hrs.)  
  • LGLS - 623 Anti-Corruption Law (3 hrs.)  
  • LGLS - 631 Information Privacy & Data Security Law (3 hrs.)  
  • LGLS - 625 Contract Drafting (3 hrs.)
• Elective courses (6 credits)
  • 6 credit hours in approved graduate level coursework

Information Technology concentration

• Required Cyber track information Technology courses (12 credits)
  • LGLS - 640 Cyber Law (3 hrs.)  
  • LGLS - 631 Information Privacy & Data Security Law (3 hrs.)   
• Elective general track Information Technology courses (students must take at least 4 of the following courses for a minimum of 12 credits)
  • LGLS - 641 Electronically Stored Information - eDiscovery (3 hrs.)  
  • LGLS - 642 Immersion: e-Discovery (1.5 hrs.)
  • ITEC - 667 Cybersecurity Governance (3 hrs.)
  • ITEC - 670 Database and Big Data (3 hrs.)
• Elective courses (6 credits)
  • 6 credit hours in approved graduate level coursework

Cybersecurity concentration

• ​Required courses: 
  • LGLS - 640 Cyber Law (3 hrs.)
  • LGLS - 631 Information Privacy & Data Security Law (3 hrs.)
  • ITEC - 616 Management of Information System (3 hrs.)
  • ITEC - 666 Cybersecurity Risk Management (3 hrs.)
  • ITEC - 667 Cybersecurity Governance (3 hrs.)

General

• Elective courses (18 credits)
  • 18 credit hours in approved graduate level coursework