Master of Science in Law Curriculum

The Master of Science in Law degree has a unique curriculum that focuses on the intersection of law, business, regulation, and STEM. Courses are interdisciplinary. The curriculum includes a set of required foundational courses and a rich collection of sophisticated and practical electives. Elective courses cut across four broad areas: business, regulation, intellectual property, and skills development. Within these broad areas are specific focus areas in healthcare law and policy; entrepreneurship and innovation; regulatory strategy and compliance; technology, data, and AI; environmental law and policy; and business strategy and analysis. Students can select one or two specific focus areas or they can mix and match elective classes across all of these areas. 

MSL courses were created specifically for the MSL population. They are designed to impart both a theoretical underpinning and practical, usable skills and knowledge. They often include hands-on activities and real-world scenarios to illustrate a concept or assess a student’s understanding of a concept.

28 credits are required for the MSL degree. This equates to approximately 20 courses, of which eight are required. To learn more about individual courses, please review the MSL course descriptions document (pdf).

Required Courses

Required courses provide students with a foundational understanding of the legal system, and the basic structures of business, intellectual property, and the regulatory process. These courses impart the theoretical framework on which students build with the elective part of the curriculum. 

• Business Formation & Structure
• Business Torts
• Contract Law
• Ethics (multiple courses satisfy)
  
• Intellectual Property Fundamentals
• Legal & Regulatory Process
• Effective Professional Communication
• Research in Law, Business & Technology

Major Curricular Areas

IP and Patent Design

In these courses, students learn about the different types of intellectual property, and also about the intersection of IP with business.  Classes cover what can be protected and the processes for protecting IP, managing a patent portfolio, licensing IP, preparing and prosecuting patents, investing in intellectual property, and addressing global intellectual property issues. 

Business Law and Entrepreneurship

This set of courses exposes students to the legal aspects of business formation and transactions.  Students learn about a variety of business topics, including mergers and acquisitions, tax, employment law, business strategy, commercial finance, venture capital, antitrust, and the commercialization process. Courses also focus on relevant business skills, including negotiations, communications, decision-making, leadership, and quantitative skills. 

Regulatory Analysis and Strategy

Courses in this area examine the process and structure of regulation, both in the U.S. and globally. Students learn to think strategically about regulatory processes, compliance, and how to navigate the regulatory environment. The curriculum also includes classes that focus on a variety of specific regulatory areas, including data security, food, the environment, health, privacy, gaming, medical devices, pharma, and more.  

Skills Development

Every course in the MSL program helps students develop their skills. In addition, there are a number of courses that focus specifically on improving a set of skills that are increasingly important in today's professional environment – communications, problem solving, quantitative skills, negotiations, and teamwork.

"The most valuable class for me was Business Strategy and Frameworks.

It taught a way of thinking about strategy that I can apply to many areas in business and in life."

MSL classes are taught by residential Northwestern Pritzker Law faculty and highly renowned adjunct instructors. The residential faculty are distinguished scholars and researchers, while the adjunct instructors are leaders in their respective fields who bring a wealth of real-world professional experience to their classes.

2023-2024 MSL Faculty Bios (pdf) 

For more information about Northwestern Pritzker Law faculty, please visit Northwestern Residential Faculty Profiles.

Watch: MSL Professors Present

View videos of MSL professors discussing topics covered in the MSL curriculum:

• Professor Steve Reed: 3 Tips When Starting Your Business 
• Professor Laura Pedraza-Farina: The Importance of Patent Law for STEM Professionals
• Professor Michelle Falkoff: How to Make a More Persuasive Argument
  
• Professor Janice Nadler: Why Regulation Matters for STEM Professionals