Online Master of Legal Studies (MLS) Curriculum
The online Master of Legal Studies (MLS) curriculum was developed specifically for non-lawyer professionals across several highly regulated industries. Foundation and core courses will give you a broad and solid legal background. After gaining a general grounding in the law, you will focus on legal issues in specific industries through elective courses. We offer concentrations in Business Law, Health Law, Human Resources Law, Intellectual Property Law and Public Law and Policy in addition to a general course of study.
Once enrolled in the MLS program, you have the option to work with a career counselor to ensure your path of study matches your professional passions and career goals. Courses listed here represent intended offerings, but scheduling requirements may cause changes such that actual offerings differ slightly from those listed here.
Course Format
The Master of Legal Studies is offered in a 100% online format. So, no matter where you are, you can take advantage of the program’s rewarding classes and expert faculty. This flexible format was designed to suit the needs of non-lawyer professionals. Our small online class sizes allow you to take courses on your own schedule while interacting with professors and classmates through discussion boards and other technology. Benefit from Northeastern’s signature experiential learning model, which draws on case studies, scenarios and your current professional experiences to make real-world connections.
Program Length
As a Master of Legal Studies student, you will take one course per eight-week term, with two terms in each 16-week semester (Fall, Spring, and Summer). This format allows you to complete coursework as a part-time student within 10 terms, the equivalent of five semesters, in less than two years. Students may petition to take more than one course per term.
*The academic calendar is subject to change. Not all courses are offered each academic year. Please refer to degree requirements for information about specific required courses and other requirements.
Master of Legal Studies General Requirements
The MLS program is 30 credits total:
1. Two foundation courses (LS6101 and LS6102)
2. Core Curriculum – students must take at least 4 of the 6 offerings, but can take more
3. Elective/Concentration courses*
*A concentration is not required; students may complete electives in lieu of a concentration. Everyone has room for at least one elective in their program (even with a concentration) to learn about other areas of interest.
Foundation Courses
This course will provide students with an introduction to the American legal system and legal reasoning. The course materials will cover rights and obligations created by contracts, fundamental principles of property law, accident law, the regulation of criminal conduct, and the laws associated with business formation and relationships. Students will also complete writing exercises to enable them to synthesize their understanding, and to find and use legal sources in support of their work.
This course builds on Introduction to Legal Studies and its emphasis on common law by introducing students to statutes and regulations. The setting involves federal administrative agencies governing employment, consumer protection, environment, labor, cyberlaw, intellectual property, and international trade. Exercises and discussions require finding, summarizing, applying, and arguing about the applicability of statutes and regulations in concrete situations. The capstone of the course allows students to create a project to illustrate the lessons they learned in the course.
Core Courses
Students are required to take four of the six following course offerings, but are welcome to take more.
This course will present a comprehensive survey of procedural and evidentiary rules in the context of recordkeeping, document production, due diligence, and investigations. It will include an exploration of rights to privacy, issues of confidentiality and conflicts of interest, contractual and legal liability, evidentiary consequences in administrative and court settings resulting from workplace disputes, and other related areas.
This course will introduce students to the implications and impact of law on strategy, with attention to applying legal knowledge and resources to strategic planning and strategy implementation. The course will use several examples of readily understood strategies to provide opportunities for students to identify the legal environment, consider the legal rights and requirements implicated by relevant law or regulation (e.g., intellectual property, contracts, administrative law) and their potential impact on management, incorporating law as a resource on the resource based view of the firm. The range of examples will include considering law and strategy implementation in multiple contexts. The focus will be on developing an appreciation of the legal environment and making effective use of legal resources and lawyers as advisors in strategic management aimed at attaining sustainable competitive advantage over rivals.
Students will learn core elements of negotiations that are the precursors to any final agreement or resolutions of informal disputes: negotiation planning from opposing sides and counseling, analysis of the bargaining range and opponents needs, principled concession patterns, problem-solving strategies to avoid deadlock, information bargaining and authority clarification, principles of drafting, settlement, and ethics.
Institutions increasingly face a host of regulatory compliance issues. This course will cover the challenges facing organizations in building programs that ensure adherence with legal obligations, especially regarding data. We will explore statutes covering a broad range of areas, especially when it involves data protection and privacy.
Students will learn the rules governing organizations, including corporations, partnerships, governmental organizations, and nonprofits. The focus will include relationships within the organizations and the powers of members of organizations. In addition, the course will cover employment issues relevant to relationships in organizations. Topics will include rights of workers to be free of discrimination in the workplace, the importance of workplace rules, and policies governing the workplace.
Examines the legal framework for public policymaking at all levels of government. Topics include the role of law within the legislative, executive and judicial branches of government and the contributions of local, state and federal governments in crafting and implementing public policy. Explores the history of regulation and the rise of the administrative state. Reviews the landscape of current agency activities, including investigations and the imposition of sanctions. Introduces students to legislative and regulatory drafting processes. Offers students an opportunity to draft model legislation and participate in “notice and comment” rulemaking.
Elective
A concentration is not required, and students may complete electives in lieu of a concentration. Students who prefer not to pursue a concentration may take 9–12 credits of electives in any specialty area. Everyone has room for at least one elective in their program (even with a concentration) to learn about other areas of interest.
Choose from the following
Concentration Options
Health Law Concentration
Required Courses
This course examines legal regulations governing the provision of healthcare services. Topics include access to health insurance and healthcare, healthcare financing, the organization and responsibility of healthcare institutions (especially hospitals), healthcare cost containment policies, public and private insurance programs, and the formulation of health policy. The course will also provide an introductory overview of the major statutes, regulations, and case law related to health law, including an introduction to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare.
The course covers major regulatory issues related to the healthcare field, providing in-depth regulatory overview of health programs. Statutory schemes covered will include HIPAA/HITECH, Stark/fraud and abuse. In addition, students will learn about compliance programs, including compliance operations, and the code of conduct for particular fields.
This course explores the ethical and legal obligations respecting patient records, particularly electronic records. In addition to reviewing HIPAA’s privacy and security rules, the course will cover professional ethics regarding confidentiality, common law and state protections for confidentiality, GINA, and the HITECH Act.
Business Law Concentration
Required Courses
In this course students will explore various aspects of corporate financial transactions, including vendor and supplier contracts, early-stage financing, commercial loans, initial public offerings, mergers, and the sale of assets. Issues involving valuation of assets will be covered, and students will learn basic securities laws related to the transactions covered.
This course provides an introduction to the international legal concepts, principles and institutions that define and shape international business relations. Globalization has increased the number of economic interactions across national borders. The globalization of production and consumption takes place in the background of an international monetary system and an international legal infrastructure facilitating and regulating transnational trade, international finance and global intellectual property and investment protection. The course specifically examines case studies of global governance based on codes of practice, certification and other regulatory initiatives.
Choose one of the following
In our modern day “information economy,” the law of intellectual property (IP) has taken on enormous importance to both creators and users of creative works. Such IP law is the way we provide legal protection to encourage invention and creativity by guaranteeing an opportunity for financial return to the originator of novel work. This course introduces students to the classic principles of copyright, patent, trademark, and trade secret law and explores the ways in which those principles are shifting and adapting in response to new technology.
Examines the legal relationship between employer and employee. Addresses issues and topics such as discrimination, affirmative action, the Americans with Disabilities Act, sexual harassment, health and safety, AIDS in the workplace, compliance issues, and legal issues related to downsizing and terminations. Today’s HR manager works in a highly complex environment with constantly changing laws and regulations that govern employee rights and employer obligations. Course content may vary from term to term.
Human Resources Law Concentration
This course will provide an overview of antidiscrimination laws governing the workplace. The focus will be on discrimination based on race and sex, but some attention will also be given to discrimination based on other characteristics, including age, sexual orientation, and disability. In addition to general issues of discrimination, the course will focus on specific topics of retaliation, harassment, and bullying in the workplace.
Examines the legal relationship between employer and employee. Addresses issues and topics such as discrimination, affirmative action, the Americans with Disabilities Act, sexual harassment, health and safety, AIDS in the workplace, compliance issues, and legal issues related to downsizing and terminations. Today’s HR manager works in a highly complex environment with constantly changing laws and regulations that govern employee rights and employer obligations. Course content may vary from term to term.
The course will cover topics related to wage and hour laws (federal and state), ERISA (pensions), health insurance benefits, the Affordable Care Act, and disability insurance.
Intellectual Property Law Concentration
This course will focus on intellectual property issues in employment, collaborative environments, and business transactions. It will cover common issues for founders and startups, employers, and contractors—including non-compete agreements, crowd-sourcing, and open innovation practices.
This course will cover copyrights, trademarks, and unfair competition, with a focus on media, advertising, user-generated content, and other online activities.
In our modern day “information economy,” the law of intellectual property (IP) has taken an enormous importance to both creators and users of creative works. Such IP Law is the way we provide legal protection to encourage invention and creativity by guaranteeing an opportunity for financial return to the originator of novel work. This course introduces students to the classic principles of copyright, patent, trademark, and trade secret law and explores the ways in which those principles are shifting and adapting in response to new technology.
Elective Courses
This course will provide an overview of antidiscrimination laws governing the workplace. The focus will be on discrimination based on race and sex, but some attention will also be given to discrimination based on other characteristics, including age, sexual orientation, and disability. In addition to general issues of discrimination, the course will focus on the specific topics of retaliation, harrassment, and bullying in the workplace.
This course examines legal regulations governing the provision of healthcare services. Topics include access to health insurance and healthcare, healthcare financing, the organization and responsibility of healthcare institutions (especially hospitals), healthcare cost containment policies, public and private insurance programs, and the formulation of health policy. The course will also provide an introductory overview of the major statutes, regulations and case law related to health law, including an introduction to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, otherwise known as Obamacare.
The course covers major regulatory issues related to the healthcare field, providing in-depth regulatory overview of health programs: Statutory schemes covered will include HIPAA/HITECH, Stark/fraud and abuse. In addition, students will learn about compliance programs, including compliance operations, and the code of conduct for particular fields.
In this course students will explore various aspects of corporate financial transactions, including vendor and supplier contracts, early stage financing, commercial loans, initial public offerings, mergers, and the sale of assets. Issues involving valuation of assets will be covered, and students will learn basic securities laws related to the transactions covered.
This course provides an introduction to the international legal concepts, principles and institutions that define and shape international business relations. Globalization has increased the number of economic interactions across national borders. The globalization of production and consumption takes place in the background of an international monetary system and an international legal infrastructure facilitating and regulating transnational trade, international finance, and global intellectual property and investment protection. The course specifically examines case studies of global governance based on codes of practice, certification, and other regulatory initiatives.
In our modern day “information economy,” the law of intellectual property (IP) has taken an enormous importance to both creators and users of creative works. Such IP Law is the way we provide legal protection to encourage invention and creativity by guaranteeing an opportunity for financial return to the originator of novel work. This course introduces students to the classic principles of copyright, patent, trademark, and trade secret law and explores the ways in which those principles are shifting and adapting in response to new technology.
Examines the legal relationship between employer and employee. Addresses issues and topics such as discrimination, affirmative action, the Americans with Disabilities Act, sexual harassment, health and safety, AIDS in the workplace, compliance issues, and legal issues related to downsizing and terminations. Today’s HR manager works in a highly complex environment with constantly changing laws and regulations that govern employee rights and employer obligations. Course content may vary from term to term.
This course explores the ethical and legal obligations respecting patient records, particularly electronic records. In addition to reviewing HIPAA’s privacy and security rules, the course will cover professional ethics regarding confidentiality, common law and state protections for confidentiality, GINA, and the HITECH Act.
The course will cover topics related to wage and hour laws (federal and state) ERISA (pensions), health insurance benefits, the Affordable Care Act, and disability insurance.
Public Law and Policy Concentration
Required Courses
Examines the legal framework for public policymaking at all levels of government. Topics include the role of law within the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government and the contributions of local, state, and federal governments in crafting and implementing public policy. Explores the history of regulation and the rise of the administrative state. Reviews the landscape of current agency activities, including investigations and the imposition of sanctions. Introduces students to legislative and regulatory drafting processes. Offers students an opportunity to draft model legislation and participate in “notice and comment” rulemaking.
Examines the evolving roles of courts, agencies, legislatures, citizen movements, and nonprofit organizations in policymaking through case studies of current debates in law and policy. Explores how businesses and advocacy groups combine the use of legal tools and other activities to achieve policy goals. Considers how law can be used to right past wrongs and how grassroots activities and individual actions can contribute to a fight against injustice. Focuses on a range of policy issues; possible topics include but are not limited to healthcare reform, criminal justice reform, racial justice, reproductive rights, marriage equality, and environmental justice.
Electives (choose 1):
Students will learn the rules governing organizations, including corporations, partnerships, governmental organizations, and nonprofits. The focus will include relationships within the organizations and the powers of members of organizations. In addition, the course will cover employment issues relevant to relationships in organizations. Topics will include rights of workers to be free of discrimination in the workplace, the importance of workplace rules, and policies governing the workplace.
Introduces students to concepts and approaches to analyzing significant factors and relationships in government agencies and public-oriented nongovernmental organizations as they function in their environments. Examines the legal and constitutional foundations of public administration, bureaucratic structure and administrative power, managerial accountability and ethics, human resource management, economics of organization, decision making, budgeting, implementation and “street-level” bureaucrats, and more recent developments in public administration such as performance management and public management networks.
Provides a systematic approach to understanding the origins, formulation, implementation, and impact of government outputs. Reviews key analytical concepts and competing theoretical perspectives. Considers both the political dimensions of public policymaking and the technical aspects of program design within the natural history of the policymaking process. Draws on case materials from a spectrum of policy areas.
Examines the challenges facing the nonprofit sector, particularly as it relates to civil society and public policy concerns. Emphasizes current controversies in which the nonprofit sector is involved, such as the impact of changes in government spending and tax policy, the nature and legitimacy of nonprofit advocacy, the role of faith-based organizations in providing public services, accountability and oversight of nonprofit organizations, the growth of social entrepreneurship, and the work of nonprofits in fostering social capital and supporting civic engagement.
MLS Learning Outcomes
I. Gain an understanding of the American legal system (local, state, federal), legal reasoning and the vocabulary of the law.
II. Learn how to conduct basic legal research and analyze and distinguish between various legal sources, including case law, statutes and regulations.
III. Develop the skills to determine when it is appropriate to turn to legal counsel and how to communicate with counsel verbally and in writing.
IV. Understand how laws and regulations affect your workplace and how your workplace can respond strategically to the regulatory environment and any legal challenges.
Online Master of Legal Studies
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Learn more about Northeastern Law’s online Master of Legal Studies program by filling out the form to download a free brochure. You can also call us toll-free at +1 877.375.9638 or at +1 617.655.6735 to talk with one of our admissions counselors.