Master of Legal Studies

Seton Hall Law School offers a Master of Legal Studies (MLS) with concentrations in:

• Financial Services Compliance (FSCM),
• Health & Hospital Law (HHOS), 
• Pharmaceutical & Medical Device Law & Compliance (PMDC),
• Privacy Law & Cyber Security (PLCS),
• Law & the Creative Industries, and
• General Legal Studies.

The MLS program provides non-attorney professionals working in health care, life sciences, information technology, telecommunications, financial services, and the creative industries with the tools and expertise to navigate the complex legal and regulatory aspects of regulated industries. For recent college graduates, the General Legal Studies option allows those students the opportunity to establish a foundation in legal analytical and writing skills and develop an understanding of the way that statutes, regulations, and court decisions effectuate policy in vital and growing industries, such as technology, finance, healthcare, and entertainment. You can pursue a deeper dive in a small number of fields, or you can develop a broad base of knowledge across several—the choice is yours. Moreover, if you discover a field that you love over the course of your studies you may switch your concentration.

The MLS degree is designed to accommodate the busy schedules of working professionals:

• Courses are available online or onsite *(All required courses and some core courses must be taken online).
• Multiple degree concentrations are tailored to industry specialties.
• Classes are small, ensuring individual attention.
• Online courses run only 8 weeks each.
• Online courses are fully asynchronous.
• 3 start dates throughout the year make it easy to begin the program (January, June & September).
• Courses are offered 5 times throughout the year (January, March, June, September & November).
• Students may complete the MLS degree on a part-time basis in as little as two years. Students also may complete the degree on a full-time basis in one year.

The MLS. provides a rigorous grounding in the law for students who do not want to become lawyers, but who, instead, want to use the law to enhance their effectiveness and marketability in a primarily non-legal career. The MLS. is designed to help you acquire or develop a unique set of skills that promotes confidence, leadership, critical thinking and problem-solving – all of which are valuable to employers. Skills expand as your studies continue, but you will not have to wait to showcase your ability. Many graduates report that they have been able to apply what they learned in class to their work environment in real time. The skills they repeatedly acknowledge generally fall into three categories:

1.  Enhanced communication skills begin to develop with the very first course. The legal writing method taught by Seton Hall Law provides a strategy for creating clear and concise written products. The ability to communicate well enables you to influence others and is a sought-after leadership skill;
2. Legal analysis is a key component of the MLS curriculum. Students quickly learn to identify central issues within a specific set of facts, consult relevant law and policy for guidance, and respond with concrete conclusions and recommendations. This analytical framework becomes internalized and makes it easy for you to transfer the skill to any job in any industry; and
3. Critical thinking skills are thoroughly developed. Courses in the MLS degree program require students to think critically and creatively, share ideas and opinions, and use knowledge applied to facts to solve problems. People who can work through problems independently or as an effective member of a team are an asset to employers.

Combining this degree with their professional experiences, MLS graduates have numerous opportunities available to them. Alumni work in a broad spectrum of positions as compliance officers, HR professionals, cybersecurity and privacy officers, contract managers and analysts, healthcare administrators, nurse managers, patent/trademark assistants, pharmaceutical executives, quality assurance managers, supervisors, clinical operations or clinical trial directors, and lobbyists. Courses are offered fully asynchronously online to accommodate working students.

Admission Requirements

A candidate seeking admission to the MLS Program must have at least a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited college or university, or the foreign equivalent.

Admission decisions are based on quality of undergraduate performance and, if applicable, graduate school academic records, ability to do superior work, and writing skills.

Candidates are not required to take pre-admissions tests such as the LSAT, GRE or GMAT. Any applicant whose pre- college education was in a language other than English will be required to take the Test of English as a Second Language (TOEFL).

Admission Procedures

Interested applicants must apply directly to the Law School. Please contact the Center for Health & Pharmaceutical Law & Policy at (973) 642-8871 or go to MLS Website to request information regarding the M.S.J. degree. Applications may be accessed and submitted online at law.shu.edu/MLSapply, along with:

• 500-word personal statement outlining applicant’s professional goals;
• current résumé or employment history;
• official transcripts from all colleges/universities attended; and
• two letters of recommendation.

Financial Assistance

Financial aid may be available through the Federal Loan Program. For more information, please call the Office of Financial Resource Management at (973) 642-8744.

Course of Study

The MLS candidate must complete 31 credit-hours of coursework online or at the Law School. The MLS candidate’s curriculum is substantially made up of required foundation and core concentration courses. The program begins three times a year: in January, June or September with the 4-credit Introduction to Law and Legal Writing to orient the MLS student to the tools of legal reasoning. Thereafter, the MLS candidate must take 3 additional required foundation courses and 4 concentration core courses of 3 credits each, which are designed specifically to provide an overview of basic areas of legal study. Finally, MLS students with a single concentration will be able to take 2 electives from any concentration area.  MLS students who elect a dual concentration will need to take their electives in their secondary concentration.