University of Pittsburgh

Jul 12, 2024

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2024-2025 Graduate & Professional Studies Catalog

Law - Professional Master of Studies in Law - Online Option

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The Professional Master of Studies in Law (“MSL”) at the University of Pittsburgh School of Law is a 30-credit advanced degree designed for graduates and mid-career professionals seeking to enhance their careers with a versatile alternative to the traditional three-year Juris Doctor degree.

Professional Master’s students gain essential, specialized knowledge of laws and legal systems. Law is a pervasive influence on almost all aspects of life across the globe, but higher education often ill-prepares students and professionals for navigating laws and legal dynamics in business and life. The degree addresses this critical knowledge gap.

Pitt Law commands one of the oldest and most established Professional Master of Studies in Law programs in the country. Students can complete this degree either online or by taking in-person classes on the Pitt Law campus in Pittsburgh. For more information about the in-person option, or a hybrid option consisting of some online courses and some in-person courses, click here.

The new Online option has been available since 2021, and is a popular and fast-growing program, providing efficiency, flexibility, and affordability. Those who choose the Online-only option can earn their master’s degree in two calendar years in a flexible part-time schedule.

The 15-credit Online MSL series of core courses consists of 7 short courses of between 5 and 8 weeks in length. Online students take one course at a time along with their starting cohort. The courses are designed as an asynchronous learning opportunity, so students work largely at their own pace, week by week. Course materials are created specifically for professional master’s students. All courses are carefully designed to combine essential legal and policy content with practice applying that content in the workplace.

Pitt Law professors guide students through the core course series, provide personalized feedback to students, and are available for online, on-on-0ne meetings and review sessions.

Degree Requirements

Applicants must have completed at least an undergraduate bachelor’s degree. Applicants need to provide official transcripts of all college, graduate and professional studies, whether a degree was obtained or not. No standardized test is required.

International students are welcome and encouraged to apply. They must have completed the equivalent of a U.S. bachelor’s degree, and they must submit a TOEFL, IELTS , or Duolingo score. International students are encouraged to apply as early as possible because of the greater amount of time needed to process their application.

Students must complete 30 course credits of School of Law coursework to receive the MSL degree. Students are required to take the entire Online MSL 15-credit core course series, which includes:

American Legal System
Contracts
Torts
Property
Constitutional Law
Criminal Law
Legislation & Regulation

Students can then complete the master’s degree entirely online by taking 15 additional credits through one of our online specializations. These specializations include Healthcare Compliance, Human Resources, Law, Corporate Compliance, and International Business Law. A Business Law specialization is expected to be added in Fall 2024. Students who successfully complete the MSL core courses and a specialization will earn a master’s degree plus a certificate in their specialization.

Note

For detailed term-specific course descriptions, please go to the Schedule of Classes Course Lists on the Law School web site.

Total Credits: 30

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