An online Master of Legal Studies degree program is designed with non-lawyer professionals in mind—offering an actionable, skills-based curriculum that allows students to use what they learn in class today at the office tomorrow.
Course Requirement Examples in an Online Master of Legal Studies Program
The course requirements in an online Master of Legal Studies program provide students with an opportunity to analyze the laws and regulations that influence their specific industry and to simultaneously learn how to communicate information about those topics with other professionals and clients.
Established with law-adjacent professionals in mind, an M.L.S. online curriculum is a skills-based program that emphasizes relevant, practical, technical, and soft skills required to advance your career. The coursework within an online Master of Legal Studies may vary slightly based on degree program, particularly if you choose a program that offers specialized tracks.
Below are a few course requirement examples that may be included as part of your MLS online curriculum:
U.S. Law and Regulations Foundations
Traditionally, United States Law and Regulations Foundation is an introductory course to teach students advanced information about the country’s legal system and its types of regulations in place. In addition to explaining legislative and judicial processes, it focuses on certain areas of law like torts, contracts, and constitutional law. Throughout this course, students gain an in-depth understanding of regulatory power and the basis for regulations in the U.S.
Corporate Compliance
An ever-growing area, compliance plays a crucial part in law-adjacent careers. A corporate compliance course covers the role of a compliance professional—highlighting key topics such as corporate oversight, the role of regulators and prosecutors, the current compliance landscape, and growing trends within compliance. Throughout this type of course, students develop an understanding of the role of compliance in a corporate environment and how compliance standards shift based on industry.
Enterprise Risk Management
An Enterprise Risk Management course may be required as part of an online Master of Legal Studies degree, and it builds upon the foundation learned in a corporate compliance course. Students explore the most pressing risk management issues in the corporate environment, with an opportunity to develop advanced risk analysis skills relevant to any law-adjacent career.
Legal Research and Writing
Considered a core course within most M.L.S. online curriculums, Legal Research and Writing emphasizes some of the most essential practical and technical skills in law-adjacent careers. During this course, students can become proficient in the best legal research and writing practices. They have the opportunity to work with a wide range of legal research tools and use those tools to conduct legal analysis throughout a series of exercises and assignments.
Information and Data Privacy
Given technology’s prominent role in most law-adjacent careers, an Information and Data Privacy course is often a core requirement within online Master of Legal Studies programs. Throughout this course, students explore key topics, such as information privacy law, global data privacy and protection, machine learning and the law, digital commerce regulation, and trending topics in cybersecurity. In an age where data harvesting has a critical role in the business world, this course plays a pivotal part in the curriculum of an online Master of Legal Studies.
Benefits of an Online Master of Legal Studies
By investing in an online Master of Legal Studies program, you may enjoy the following benefits:
- The opportunity to complete a degree program on your schedule. Combining the flexibility of an online degree with the rigor of a respected academic program, this degree program allows you to pursue your educational goals while maintaining your focus on your career.
- The ability to explore trending topics within the legal realm. Recent advances in technology, such as AI and machine learning, are having a significant impact on the legal field—and professionals who take on the challenge of an advanced degree will have a better understanding of current industry dynamics.
- The chance to develop relevant, career-specific skills you can leverage immediately. Students who are enrolled in an online Master of Legal Studies degree program can use the skills they learn in class today at the office tomorrow.
- The ability to connect with peers across different areas and industries, allowing you to develop an extensive professional network that extends beyond your workplace and specialization.
Skills You Gain from an Online Master of Legal Studies Program
Online Master of Legal Studies curriculums emphasize practical, technical, and soft skills, allowing students to develop the core competencies required to advance their careers. These are a few online Master of Legal Studies skills that you may develop throughout the degree program:
Legal Knowledge and Expertise
Every course within online Master of Legal Studies degree programs is designed to help expand working knowledge of the legal field. By emphasizing a comprehensive understanding of the legal landscape, students can develop exceptional legal expertise for their law-adjacent careers. Whether you are working in compliance or as a risk management consultant, you need to have a solid understanding of the legal system to perform your role with precision.
Legal Research and Writing Skills
Legal research and writing skills can only be developed through advanced practice exercises. An online Master of Legal Studies degree program can give professionals in law-adjacent careers the opportunity to utilize legal research tools and learn how to effectively incorporate their research into nuanced, analytical drafts. By practicing legal research and writing techniques, students are better able to pursue careers that require candidates to have well-developed legal research and writing skills.
Communication Skills
Considered by LinkedIn to be the most in-demand skill, effective communication is crucial in any career but especially within the legal field. Throughout online Master of Legal Studies curriculums, communication is emphasized as a critical skill within each course, and students learn how to use modern communication tools to their advantage.
In addition to working on becoming more efficient and effective communicators, students learn how to translate complex legal terms and topics into information that the average person would understand. This ability to humanize the legal field is essential, particularly in regulatory compliance careers and risk management positions.
Critical Thinking Skills
Critical thinking is one of the most sought-after skills in the 21st century. With a curriculum that emphasizes the importance of data collection and analysis, online Master of Legal Studies degrees help students develop profound, intuitive critical thinking skills that can be applied instantly within their law-adjacent careers. Coursework as part of these degree programs provides students with ample hands-on learning opportunities to collect data, conduct research, analyze results, and think critically about possible outcomes.
Critical thinking is increasingly imperative within the realm of law, particularly as non-lawyer professionals adapt to changing technologies and a more complex legal landscape. As compliance standards change and technology rapidly advances, legal professionals need to be able to come up with innovative solutions for their organizations and clients to remain competitive in the field.
Organizational Skills
Online degree programs, especially graduate degrees aimed toward working professionals looking to advance their careers, are known for their flexibility and versatility. By giving students the opportunity to pursue their educational goals on their own terms, these degree programs also allow them to fine-tune their organizational skills.
An online Master of Legal Studies degree requires students to effectively balance their existing responsibilities as well as rigorous coursework. Throughout the dynamic courses, you have an opportunity to improve upon your organizational skills and learn how these can be applied within the professional sphere.
Perhaps the most advantageous part of this type of degree program is that the organizational skills you learn can be used immediately in a professional setting. As you maneuver through coursework (which is completed entirely online), you become familiar with the latest tools and most advanced technology. This way, you can begin using these newfound skills in your own career at once, allowing you to grow professionally while pursuing your degree program.
Understanding of Relevant Regulations & Compliance
Government regulations play a pivotal role in any law-adjacent career, and professionals must be able to navigate the latest regulatory changes while relying on a solid foundational understanding of U.S. regulatory requirements.
Whether you are working in risk management or regulatory compliance, you must be familiar with the most relevant regulations and compliance standards. An online Master of Legal Studies curriculum provides students with an introduction to U.S. regulatory compliance as well as an opportunity to specialize according to their chosen career path. Knowing how to interpret regulations and communicate information about regulations and compliance is a key component of any law-adjacent career.
Coursework often covers the most relevant topics in regulations and compliance—such as corporate oversight, the role of regulators, the changing compliance landscape, and critical compliance positions expected to be in demand in the coming years.
Understanding of Legal Ethics and Principles
By recognizing that non-lawyer professionals still must have a solid understanding of legal ethics and principles, an online Master of Legal Studies degree program uniquely prepares you to progress your law-adjacent career. The curriculum can delve into legal ethics and principles within a variety of sectors, including cybersecurity, regulatory compliance, healthcare, real estate, finance, and human resources.
Some topics addressed within the curriculum often include information privacy, data privacy protection, and ethical considerations in regulatory compliance. Students enrolled in these degree programs are better able to navigate complex ethical matters within their specific industries, offering a competitive advantage in a workforce that requires professionals to be responsible, aware, and moral.
Earn Your Online Master of Legal Studies Degree at the University of Miami School of Law
At the University of Miami School of Law, our online Master of Legal Studies degree program is designed to equip you with a universal foundation in legal studies. With personalized attention from faculty who are experts in the field of law, you can begin building the core competencies required to succeed.
Learn more about our online Master of Legal Studies curriculum today.
Sources
https://admissions.law.miami.edu/academics/mls/
https://admissions.law.miami.edu/academics/mls/curriculum/
https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/alternative-jobs-for-lawyers
https://smartblogger.com/legal-writing-jobs/
https://www.linkedin.com/business/learning/blog/top-skills-and-courses/most-in-demand-skills
