Master of Legal Studies

DePaul’s Masters of Legal Studies (MLS) program is specifically designed for professionals who do not seek to practice law but who encounter legal issues in their work and would benefit from a sophisticated and nuanced understanding of legal reasoning and doctrine. With such specialized legal knowledge, MLS graduates stand out as professionals who can effectively and comfortably communicate with legal counsel and can assess the needs of their organizations as the laws and regulations change in their professions.A great variety of professionals would benefit from the MLS credential to enhance their current positions or to advance within their organizations. Examples include:Doctors, nurses, public health workers and other health care administratorsPatent and trademark assistants, engineers and other technology-related professionalsCompliance professionalsContract analystsBusiness executives, supervisors, managers and entrepreneursRisk and quality assurance managersFinancial and estate planners and other investment advisorsTax specialists, accountants and CPAsPolicy makers, lobbyists and government regulatorsNonprofit professionalsDevelopment officersJournalistsLibrarians and educatorsReal estate professionalsHuman resource and employee benefits professionalsMediators and labor and employment negotiatorsPolice officers, social workers and psychologistsThrough the program, MLS students gain general and specialized legal knowledge related to their areas of interest. Students learn the process of legal analysis by examining cases, laws and regulations. They develop the abilities to conduct effective and relevant legal research as well as to communicate clearly and analytically. Students also acquire the ability to think critically about legal issues and correctly apply current legal authority.

All MLS applicants are required to have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree from an accredited U.S. college or university, or the foreign equivalent from a university authorized to confer such a degree by the country in which it is located.