The Master of Science in Law is a part-time program structured for working professionals. To complete the program, you must earn 30 credits spread over four semesters, with a focus in one of the offered specialty areas: Environmental Law, Health Care Law, Patent Law, Cybersecurity Law, or Homeland Security and Crisis Management Law.
New cohorts begin each fall. A spring start is offered for our online Master of Science in Cybersecurity Law and Master of Science in Homeland Security and Crisis Management Law programs. Online students complete the program in about 16 months, including a summer semester. Students in the on-campus specialties (Environmental Law, Health Care Law, or Patent Law) complete the program in about two years.
During the first two semesters, you will take foundational courses, research and writing classes, and a survey of your chosen specialization. During the last two semesters, you will take seminars in your specialty area and work on a faculty-supervised capstone project. A sample schedule is included below, and we encourage you to review course descriptions for more details.
| First Semester | Cr. | Third Semester | Cr. |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Law and Legal System | 3 | Course or Seminar in Specialty | 3 |
| Legal Methods | 3 | Course or Seminar in Specialty | 3 |
| Legal Research | 2 | Dispute Resolution & Negotiation | 2 |
| Second Semester | Cr. | Fourth Semester | Cr. |
| Public Law & the Regulatory Process | 3 | MS in Law Course or Seminar | 3 |
| Survey Course in Specialty | 3 | Capstone Project in Specialty | 4 |
| Ethics in Law & Public Policy | 1 | ||
| Total Credits | 15 | Total Credits | 15 |
Students will develop an understanding of the law within their chosen field while simultaneously gaining a fluency in the principles and modes of analysis that will complement their existing professional knowledge and experience. The program will allow students to develop necessary core competencies, such as:
Courses are taught by a mixture of Maryland Carey Law faculty members and substantive experts from government agencies, the judiciary, and the practicing bar. The foundational and survey courses will mainly be taught by faculty members, while the specialty seminars and capstone courses will be taught by experienced practitioners in the relevant field.
Classes for students specializing in Environmental Law, Health Care Law, or Patent Law are held at the University of Maryland, College Park campus on Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm, and on selected Saturdays between 10 am and 1:30 pm. The campus is easily accessed by the D.C. metro system (Green and Yellow Line) and several bus routes. With the campus located directly off of Interstate-495 and with ample parking available, students can easily drive to classes as well.
Courses in the online Master's programs (Cybersecurity Law and Homeland Security and Crisis Management Law) are all offered asynchronously online, and follow the MS in Law online academic calendar. This means that there is no “set” class schedule. However, you can expect that professors will interact with you weekly, and you will be required to complete modules within set timeframes. Also, students are expected to interact with the instructor throughout each course, including group breakout sessions, the posting of questions and commentary via discussion boards, module assessments and quizzes, multiple choice polling, requesting short answer responses via submissions, chat rooms, office hours, or postings, video simulations, and other means. Attendance is tracked automatically each time you log into your course, and the system also tracks all submitted work.
