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A Master of Studies in Law (M.S.L.), also Master of Science of Law or Master of Legal Studies (M.L.S.) or Juris Master (J.M.) or Masters of Jurisprudence (M.J.) or Master in Law (M.L.), is a
master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.
offered by some
law school A law school (also known as a law centre or college of law) is an institution specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for becoming a lawyer within a given jurisdiction. Law degrees Argentina In Argentina, ...
s to students who wish to study the law but do not want to become attorneys. M.S.L. programs typically last one academic year and put students through a similar regimen as first-year
Juris Doctor The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice l ...
(J.D.) students but may allow for further specialization. Despite having similar names, an M.S.L. is distinct from a
Master of Laws A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is an advanced postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in a related subject. In mo ...
(LL.M.), which is a postgraduate law degree. A Juris Doctor degree is a "first professional doctorate", like an MD medical degree. Both consist of overview survey courses to ''familiarize'' the student with the ''overall'' field, e.g., one course in contracts, one course in real property, one course in family law, etc. Physicians normally do Graduate Medical Education (GME) in a "residency", which is where they get specialized training such as surgery or cardiology or pediatrics. Attorneys normally do not go on to specialized education but instead learn their particular field of law on the job at the first law firm they work for. Basically, an LL.M. is the equivalent of majoring in a specific field of law with all courses taught at a college-senior honors program level—LL.M. programs typically are around 24 semester hours. M.S.L. students may study such staples as constitutional law, torts, contracts, civil procedure, and other requirements alongside regular law students, writing the same papers and taking the same exams. But they typically graduate after accumulating two semesters of credit instead of six. Some M.S.L. programs are designed for
academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, ...
s who hold Ph.D.s in a discipline related to the law, and who want to add a legal dimension to scholarship. Other programs aim to provide fundamental legal education to professionals who are not lawyers, but whose careers involve legal or regulatory issues. Responding to this need, M.L.S. degrees are increasingly offered to working professionals on an online or part-time basis, and allow professionals to tailor elective law courses to their particular career fields. Currently, there are approximately 15 online programs available from accredited universities.


Overview

The degree has several variants, including a
Master of Studies The Master of Studies or Master in Studies (M.St. or MSt; ) is a postgraduate degree at the University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, University of St Andrews, the Australian National University, University of Dublin and the University of ...
in Law degree (at
Yale Law School Yale Law School (Yale Law or YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824 and has been ranked as the best law school in the United States by '' U.S. News & World ...
,
Northeastern University School of Law Northeastern University School of Law (NUSL) is the law school of Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded as an evening program to meet the needs of its local community, NUSL is nationally recognized for its cooperative legal ...
,
The University of Iowa The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 coll ...
,
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Un ...
, the
University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the univers ...
, the
University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...
, and the
University of Western Ontario The University of Western Ontario (UWO), also known as Western University or Western, is a public research university in London, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land, surrounded by residential neighbourhoods and the Thames R ...
), for example, or a Master in the Study of Law (at
Ohio State The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...
) or Hamline University
www.hamline.edu
, or a Master in Law (at the
University of Pennsylvania Law School The University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School (also known as Penn Law or Penn Carey Law) is the law school of the University of Pennsylvania, a private research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is among the most selective and oldes ...
). In June 2015,
Fordham University School of Law Fordham University School of Law is the law school of Fordham University. The school is located in Manhattan in New York City, and is one of eight ABA-approved law schools in that city. In 2013, 91% of the law school's first-time test take ...
launched an M.S.L. with specializations in Corporate Compliance and Fashion Law. In March 2007 The Ohio Board of Regents approved M.S.L. Degree for the
University of Dayton School of Law The University of Dayton School of Law (UDSL) is a private law school located in Dayton, Ohio. It is affiliated with the University of Dayton, which is a Catholic university of the Society of Mary. The school is accredited by the American Bar A ...
, and beginning in the Fall of 2014,
Washburn University School of Law The Washburn University School of Law is a public law school located on the main campus of Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas. Washburn Law was founded in 1903. The school is accredited by the American Bar Association and has been a member of ...
offers M.S.L. classes to individuals engaged in a wide range of parallel professions.
Drexel University Drexel University is a private research university with its main campus in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Drexel's undergraduate school was founded in 1891 by Anthony J. Drexel, a financier and philanthropist. Founded as Drexel Institute of Art, ...
offers a Master of Legal Studies program as of 2013.
West Virginia University West Virginia University (WVU) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Beckley, Potomac State Coll ...
offers a Master of Legal Studies (M.L.S.) completely online as part of its nationally ranked Division of Public Administration.
University of Washington School of Law The University of Washington School of Law is the law school of the University of Washington, located on the northwest corner of the main campus in Seattle, Washington. The 2023 '' U.S. News & World Report'' law school rankings place Washi ...
offers a Masters of Jurisprudence in Employment and Human Resources, Environmental Regulation, Health Law, Indigenous Rights, Intellectual Property Law and Policy, Sustainable International Development Law, Tax Law, and Technology Law.
Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...
also offers an M.L.S.
Seattle University School of Law Seattle University School of Law, or Seattle Law School, or SU Law (formerly University of Puget Sound School of Law) is the law school affiliated with Seattle University, the Northwest's largest independent university. The School is accredit ...
offers a Master of Legal Studies degree as of 2016. The John Marshall Law School in Chicago, and the
Albany Law School Albany Law School is a private law school in Albany, New York. It was founded in 1851 and is the oldest independent law school in the nation. It is accredited by the American Bar Association and has an affiliation agreement with University at Al ...
in New York, both offer M.S. degrees in several concentrations. The
Vermont Law School Vermont Law and Graduate School (VLGS) is a private law and public policy graduate school in South Royalton, Vermont. It offers several degrees, including Juris Doctor (JD), Master of Laws (LLM) in Environmental Law, Master of Environmental Law ...
offers a Masters of Environmental Law and Policy (MELP) degree (formally known as the Master of Studies in Environmental Law (MSEL) degree). As of 2011, UC Hastings will be offering a Master of Studies in Law (MSL) and LLM in Law, Science and Health Policy programs together with the
University of California, San Francisco The University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) is a public land-grant research university in San Francisco, California. It is part of the University of California system and is dedicated entirely to health science and life science. It ...
. Since 2004,
Friends University Friends University is a private nondenominational Christian university in Wichita, Kansas. It was founded in 1898. The main building was originally built in 1886 for Garfield University but was donated in 1898 to the Religious Society of Fri ...
has offered a Master of Studies in Business Law (MSBL). Santa Barbara & Ventura Colleges of Law introduced their Master of Legal Studies (M.L.S.) program entirely online in 2012, and can be completed in under two years.
Willamette University College of Law Willamette University College of Law is the law school of Willamette University. Located in Salem, Oregon, and founded in 1883, Willamette is the oldest law school in the Pacific Northwest. It has approximately 24 full-time law professors an ...
in Oregon offers a one-year Master of Legal Studies (MLS) program designed for professionals whose job involves working within a legal or regulatory framework.
Trinity Law School Trinity Law School is the law school of Trinity International University, an evangelical Christian university in Bannockburn, Illinois. Although it is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (as part of Trinity International University) a ...
recently introduced an online MLS program that can be taken as a general degree or with one of five emphases, most of which focus on Christian topics such as bioethics, Church and Ministry Management, and Human Rights.
Loyola University Chicago School of Law Loyola University Chicago School of Law is the law school of Loyola University Chicago, in Illinois. Established in 1909, by the Society of Jesus, the Roman Catholic order of the Jesuits, the School of Law is located in downtown Chicago. ...
offers M.J. degrees in Children's Law & Policy (online), Compliance & Enterprise Risk Management (online), Health Law (online), and Rule of Law for Development. From the mid-1970s until 2004, there was also a unique M.S.L. program at
Yale Law School Yale Law School (Yale Law or YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824 and has been ranked as the best law school in the United States by '' U.S. News & World ...
for journalists. The program was a competitive fellowship offered to three or four applicants a year, chosen by the university. Yale provided free tuition, and the fellows also received a living stipend provided originally by the
Ford Foundation The Ford Foundation is an American private foundation with the stated goal of advancing human welfare. Created in 1936 by Edsel Ford and his father Henry Ford, it was originally funded by a US$25,000 gift from Edsel Ford. By 1947, after the death ...
and later by the
John S. and James L. Knight Foundation The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, also known as the Knight Foundation, is an American non-profit foundation that provides grants for journalism, communities, and the arts. The organization was founded as the Knight Memorial Education ...
. A number of reporters who currently cover the Supreme Court or other law-related issues for major
mainstream media In journalism, mainstream media (MSM) is a term and abbreviation used to refer collectively to the various large mass news media that influence many people and both reflect and shape prevailing currents of thought. Chomsky, Noam, ''"What makes ma ...
organizations are former fellows, including Barbara Bradley of
NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...
(1994),
Linda Greenhouse Linda Joyce Greenhouse (born January 9, 1947) is an American legal journalist who is the Knight Distinguished Journalist in Residence and Joseph M. Goldstein Lecturer in Law at Yale Law School. She is a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter who covered ...
of the
New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
(1978),
Charles Lane (journalist) Charles "Chuck" Lane (born 1961) is an American journalist and editor who is an editorial writer for '' The Washington Post'' and a regular guest on the Fox News Channel. He was the editor of '' The New Republic'' from 1997 to 1999. During his ...
of the
Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large na ...
(1997), Neil A. Lewis of the New York Times (1979), Charlie Savage of the
Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Gl ...
(2003), and
Viveca Novak Viveca Novak is an American journalist who has worked as the editorial and communications director at OpenSecrets since 2011. She was previously a Washington correspondent for ''Time'' and ''The Wall Street Journal''. She is a frequent guest on ...
of
Time Magazine ''Time'' (stylized in all caps) is an American news magazine based in New York City. For nearly a century, it was published weekly, but starting in March 2020 it transitioned to every other week. It was first published in New York City on Ma ...
(1986). The program lost its funding after the 2003–04 academic year when the Knight Foundation declined to renew its grant, but i
still offered
to doctoral students and graduates and journalists on a tuition basis. M.L.S programs offered throug
Stanford Law School
and th
University_of_Arizona's_James_E._Rogers_College_of_Law
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">James E. Rogers College of Law">University of Arizona's James E. Rogers College of Law
provide the opportunity for interdisciplinary research as well as a foundational legal education in U.S. law. The University of Colorado Boulder offers an MSL degree in Ethics and Compliance, with the opportunity for a variety of specializations including: cyber-security/information privacy, health care, marijuana, and finance among some others. Appalachian School of Law also offers a Juris Masters (J.M.) to students who complete their first full semester of full letter-graded course work (Typically after the completion of their second year of law school). Covering Contracts, Professional Responsibility, Property, Civil Procedure, All legal writing courses, Wills and Estates, Business Association or Agency/Corporations, Evidence, Constitutional Law, and Torts.


See also

*
Legum Doctor Legum Doctor (Latin: “teacher of the laws”) (LL.D.) or, in English, Doctor of Laws, is a doctorate-level academic degree in law or an honorary degree, depending on the jurisdiction. The double “L” in the abbreviation refers to the ear ...
(LL.D.) *
Doctor of Canon Law Doctor of Canon Law ( la, Juris Canonici Doctor, JCD) is the doctoral-level terminal degree in the studies of canon law of the Roman Catholic Church. It can also be an honorary degree awarded by Anglican colleges. It may also be abbreviated ICD ...
(J.C.D.) * Magister Juris * EMLE


Notes and references


External links


The Faculty of Law at the Bar Ilan University, IsraelThe Faculty of Law at the University of Haifa, IsraelThe Faculty of Law at the University of Toronto, CanadaThe Faculty of Law at the University of Pittsburgh, United States of America

The Faculty of Law of Paris, France French courses
{{Academic degrees Laws, Master Law degrees