Curriculum

As part of the Master of Science in Law program, all students must complete a Capstone Project under the guidance of a faculty member or practitioner advisor. Your project must demonstrate that you are able to apply at least three of the Program’s core competencies to a practical challenge. The core competencies are:

• An ability to recognize and understand the legal regimes and structures that regulate or otherwise affect their professional roles;
• A capacity to read and understand legal documents, including contracts, judicial opinions, statutes, regulations, executive orders, legislative commentaries, and legal opinion letters;
• An ability to identify the legal context for effectuating policy, and thus to recognize and better appreciate the legal risks that may affect decision-making in public and private organizations;
• An understanding of major modes of dispute avoidance and resolution, including negotiation, private settlement, mediation, arbitration, and litigation;
• The ability to conduct basic legal research and draft documents for internal use; and
• The ability to assess more effectively when legal issues require or justify the engagement of legal professionals and the ability to communicate more effectively with those professionals in identifying and evaluating the range of options appropriate to specific circumstances.

Samples of the types of projects you may use as the basis for your capstone include researching and developing policies; conducting regulatory analysis; or working on legislative advocacy. Projects may relate to specific situations in the your own work setting; may be real-life projects submitted by external agencies or institutions to the administrators of the Program; or may be based on topics of particular interest to you. You will work with a capstone advisor in your specialty area to obtain approval for your project, develop the topic and the parameters for the project; and receive guidance throughout the process. Final work products may vary depending on the project but students should complete a final paper with research and recommendations of approximately 25-30 pages in length or an equivalent product appropriate to the project. The final product will be formally evaluated by a Maryland Carey Law faculty member with input from external supervisors if appropriate.

Previous Capstone Project Topics

• State Approaches to Tackling Rising Prescription Drug Prices
• Interoperability and Workflow Barriers to the Meaningful Use of Digital Health Information Technology and Policy Recommendations to Ameliorate Them
• Is the Exclusive Remedy under Workers’ Compensation a Fair Substitute for a Common Law Remedy?
• Attempts to Weaken the ACA Birth Control Benefit and Implications for Women of Advanced Maternal Age
• Workplace Violence against Healthcare Workers and the Legal Implications
• Ripe for Change: Coverage of Family Planning Services and LARCs For Medicare Enrollees of Reproductive Capacity
• Protecting Children, Treating Parents, and Rebuilding Families Beyond Child Welfare
• Improving Infant Health Outcomes by Expanding Prenatal Care to Unauthorized Immigrant Women

First Semester
US Law and Legal System (3 credits)
Legal Methods (3 credits) 
Legal Research (2 credits)

Second Semester
Public Law & the Regulatory Process (3 credits) 
Survey Course in Specialty (3 credits) 
Ethics in Law & Public Policy (1 credit)

Third Semester
Course or Seminar in Specialty (3 credits)
Course or Seminar in Specialty (3 credits)
Dispute Resolution & Negotiation (2 credits)

Fourth Semester
MS in Law Course or Seminar (3 credits)
Capstone Project in Specialty (4 credits)

Total: 30 Credits

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: 

• An ability to recognize and understand the legal regimes and structures that regulate or otherwise affect their professional roles; 
• A capacity to read and understand legal documents, including contracts, judicial opinions, statutes, regulations, executive orders, legislative commentaries, and legal opinion letters; 
• An ability to identify the legal context for effectuating policy, and thus to recognize and better appreciate the legal risks that may affect decision-making in public and private organizations; 
• An understanding of major modes of dispute avoidance and resolution, including negotiation, private settlement, mediation, arbitration, and litigation; 
• The ability to conduct basic legal research and draft documents for internal use; and 
• The ability to assess more effectively when legal issues require or justify the engagement of legal professionals and the ability to communicate more effectively with those professionals in identifying and evaluating the range of options appropriate to specific circumstances.

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. 

Students may choose a modified schedule and reduce the number of courses taken per semester with approval from their academic advisor. For sample modified schedules, please see:    

• Homeland Security and Crisis Management Law Standard and Alternate Schedules
• Cybersecurity Law Standard and Alternate Schedules

Alternate schedules are not available for the Health Care Law specialty.

Students may not transfer or apply credits earned elsewhere toward Master’s program degree requirements.

The Master’s programs are designed for professionals who desire education in the law without becoming practicing lawyers. Graduates will not be eligible to sit for any bar exam.