Inside the Master of Science in Law

Five New Courses Expand the MSL Curriculum

September 18, 2026

MSL classroom

Northwestern’s Master of Science in Law (MSL) program is adding five new classes to the curriculum this year, allowing students the opportunity to examine complex questions across a wide range of exciting fields. These new classes expand an already diverse MSL curriculum that connects legal knowledge with emerging industries, technologies, and policy issues. The new courses are: 

  • Human Research Protections & Regulatory Compliance 
  • Medical Malpractice 
  • Music, Copyright and Technology 
  • Space Law 
  • Export Controls & Research Security 

Human Research Protections & Regulatory Compliance 
Fall 2 | 7-Week | Online 
Instructor: Ianthe “Cookie” Bryant-Gawthrop 

Biomedical and social-behavioral research operates within a complex system of legal and ethical requirements designed to protect human research participants. Human Research Protections & Regulatory Compliance explores the regulatory and ethical frameworks governing human research, including the roles of federal agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). 

Students will examine the legal frameworks surrounding clinical investigations and the marketing of new drugs and medical devices in the United States. The course will help students understand how and why regulations are applied to evolving research practices, while considering the balance between research innovation and integrity. 

Medical Malpractice 
Spring 1 | Power Week | Residential 
Instructor: Jill Horwitz 

Medical malpractice is a hotly debated issue in health law and policy, with thorny questions about malpractice costs, health care quality, and spending. The MSL Medical Malpractice course provides an introduction to malpractice law, with a focus on the duties that individual and institutional health care providers owe to their patients.  

Students will receive an introduction to the common law of torts, examine the elements required to establish a malpractice claim, explore the role of medical malpractice insurance, and consider potential policy reforms. The course gives students a window into the legal and policy debates surrounding one of the most consequential issues in health care. 

Music, Copyright and Technology 
Spring 1 | Power Week | Residential 
Instructor: Peter DiCola 

Technology has transformed the music industry – and continues to raise new questions about copyright, business models, and public policy. In Music, Copyright and Technology, students will examine the history of technological developments in the music industry, with particular attention to two of the most rapidly evolving areas in music today: streaming and AI-generated music. 

Students will explore the policy questions emerging from these developments and consider how the law might respond as technology continues to reshape the music industry. The course considers the business models of copyright holders, including record labels and music publishers, as well as technology companies such as streaming services, internet platforms, and AI companies. 

Space Law 
Spring 1 | Power Week | Residential 
Instructor: Charles Mudd 

What happens when human activity moves beyond Earth? As commercial, technological, and geopolitical activity beyond Earth continues to evolve, new questions are emerging about how that activity should be governed. Space Law examines the legal architecture governing human activity in space, beginning with the international framework established by United Nations space treaties and connecting that framework to U.S. regulation of private space activity. 

The course applies developing legal structures to some of the most pressing questions in space governance today, including orbital sustainability, large satellite constellations, protection of the night sky, space resources, cybersecurity, and emerging space-based computing and artificial-intelligence infrastructure. 

Export Controls & Research Security 
Spring 2 | Weekend | Residential 
Instructors: Amy Weber and Sylvia Garcia 

Export controls, economic sanctions, and research security are important tools of national security and economic policy. Export Controls & Research Security provides an overview of these U.S. legal frameworks and examines their role in addressing evolving geopolitical challenges and emerging technologies. 

Students will apply the frameworks to real-world scenarios, identify regulatory risks, and develop practical compliance strategies. 

Expanding the MSL Curriculum Over the Years 

From the laboratory to the hospital, from the recording studio to outer space, these new courses reflect a broad goal of the MSL program: preparing professionals to navigate complex questions arising at the intersection of law, business, regulation, and policy. As industries evolve and technology progresses, the MSL curriculum continues to adapt while remaining grounded in its central mission: to provide students with portable skills and a way of thinking that can be put to use no matter what field an MSL graduate pursues.  

The courses added for 2026-27 join a growing roster of offerings that have been added in recent years, including: Along the Regulatory Frontier: New Issues and Emerging Technologies; Change Management & Corporate Compliance; Environmental Law; Evolution of AI; Legal & Policy Issues in College Athletics; and Medical Ethics & the Law, to name just a few. By continuing to expand the curriculum in response to changes across industries and professions, the MSL remains at the cutting edge of curriculum innovation and value. Thanks to those of you who over the years have provided us with advice about what new areas to explore and what to offer in the curriculum – keep those ideas coming! 

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