Master of Legal Studies, MLS (Effective April 2019)

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)

• MLS - 1001 Introduction to Courts & Law (3 hrs.)  (Q1)
• MLS - 1002 Introduction to Regulatory Law & Compliance (3 hrs.)   (Q1)
• MLS - 1003 Drafting Policies, Procedures & Contracts (3 hrs.)   (Q2)
• MLS - 1004 Negotiation & Communication(1.5 hrs.)   (Q2)
• MLS - 1005 MLS Immersion (1.5 hrs.)   (Q2)

Health law concentration

• Required courses (12 credits)

• ACCT - 635 Business Law, Ethics & Governance (3 hrs.)
• MLS - 3002 Introduction to Health Care Law & Compliance (3 hrs.)  (Q3)
• MLS - 3003 Information Privacy & Data Security Law (3 hrs.)   (Q3)
• MLS - 3001 Health Care Fraud and Abuse: Contracting & Compliance (3 hrs.)   (Q4)

• 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.)
  • MLS - 4001 Business Associations (3 hrs.)  (Q3)
• Elective business courses (students must take at least 2 of the following courses for a minimum of 6 credits)
  • MLS - 4003 Human Resources Compliance (3 hrs.)   (Q3)
  • MLS - 4002 Securities Law & Corporate Finance (3 hrs.)   (Q4)
  • MLS - 4004 Government Contracting (3 hrs.)   (Q4)
  • MLS - 4005 Banking & Financial Services Compliance (3 hrs.)  (Q4)
  • MLS - 4006 Anti-Corruption Law (3 hrs.)  (Q4)
  • MLS - 3003 Information Privacy & Data Security Law (3 hrs.)  (Q3)
• Elective courses (6 credits)
  • 6 credit hours in approved graduate level coursework

Information Technology concentration

• Required Cyber track information Technology courses (12 credits)
  • MLS - 5001 Cyber Law (3 hrs.)  (Q3)
  • ITEC - 666 Cybersecurity Risk Management (3 hrs.)
  • ITEC - 667 Cybersecurity Governance (3 hrs.)
  • MLS - 3003 Information Privacy & Data Security Law (3 hrs.)   (Q3)
• Elective general track Information Technology courses (students must take at least 4 of the following courses for a minimum of 12 credits)
  • MLS - 5002 Electronically Stored Information - eDiscovery (3 hrs.)  (Q4)
  • ITEC - 616 Management of Information System (3 hrs.)
  • MLS - 5001 Cyber Law (3 hrs.)  (Q3)
  • ITEC - 666 Cybersecurity Risk Management (3 hrs.)
  • ITEC - 667 Cybersecurity Governance (3 hrs.)
  • MLS - 3003 Information Privacy & Data Security Law (3 hrs.)   (Q3)
• Elective courses (6 credits)
  • 6 credit hours in approved graduate level coursework

General

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

 

Plan for April and July 2019 Admits

American University and WCL are committed to providing Veteran and Active Duty students the benefits and resources due to them. Therefore, while the MLS programs admit students at four times during the academic year - October, January, April and July - and will be moving to a 4-term calendar to properly support this, we are committed to taking the following steps to ensure our Veteran students understand the program and the aid disbursement policies during this calendar transition.

• All students who identify as a Veteran or Active Duty will continue to work with the American University Veteran’s Office to ensure proper certification.
• As a means to identify Veteran students earlier in the process, WCL has added the following question to the MLS application, “Will you be using Veteran’s Affairs education benefits?” Applicants that answer “yes” to this question will be notified of the calendar change occurring in October 2019 and will be referred to the Veteran’s Office to understand the resources available to them.
• All students who identify as a Veteran or Active Duty and who are looking to enroll in the April 2019 or July 2019 term will be encouraged to wait until the October 2019 term to begin the program to maximize Veteran educational benefits.
• All students who identify as a Veteran or Active Duty will continue to be notified of the policies and procedures associated with the MLS programs.