Master of Studies in Law
Encyclopedia
A Master of Studies in Law (M.S.L.) is a master's degree
offered by some law school
s to students who wish to study the law but do not want to become attorneys. M.S.L. programs typically last one academic year and put students through the same regimen as a first-year J.D. student. M.S.L. students study such staples as constitutional law, torts, contracts, civil procedure, and other requirements alongside regular law students, writing the same papers and taking the same exams. But they graduate after accumulating two semesters of credit instead of six. M.S.L. programs are usually designed for academics who hold Ph.D.
s in a discipline related to the law, and who want to add a legal dimension to scholarship. Compare Master of Laws
.
The degree has several variants, including a Master of Studies in Law degree (at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
, the University of Toronto
, and the University of Pittsburgh
), for example, or a Master in the Study of Law (at Ohio State). Georgetown Law will be adding a Masters of Studies in Law (MSL) degree for journalists beginning in 2007-08 academic year. In March 2007 The Ohio Board of Regents
approved M.S.L. Degree for the University of Dayton
School of Law. Drexel
planned to offer a Master of Legal Studies program, but that appears to be on hold as of early 2007. West Virginia University
offers a Master of Legal Studies (M.L.S.) completely online as part of its nationally ranked Division of Public Administration. Arizona State University
also offers an M.L.S. The John Marshall Law School
in Chicago, and the Albany Law School
in New York, both offer M.S. degrees in several concentrations. The Vermont Law School
offers a Masters of Environmental Law and Policy (MELP) degree (formally known as the Master of Studies in Environmental Law (MSEL) degree). As of 2011, UC Hastings will be offering a Master of Studies in Law (MSL) and LLM in Law, Science and Health Policy programs together with the University of California, San Francisco
.
From the mid-1970s until 2004, there was also a unique M.S.L. program at Yale Law School
for journalists. The program was a competitive fellowship offered to three or four applicants a year, chosen by the university. Yale provided free tuition, and the fellows also received a living stipend provided originally by the Ford Foundation
and later by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
. A number of reporters who currently cover the Supreme Court or other law-related issues for major mainstream media
organizations are former fellows, including Barbara Bradley of NPR
(1994), Linda Greenhouse
of the New York Times (1978), Charles Lane (journalist)
of the Washington Post (1997), Neil A. Lewis of the New York Times (1979), Charlie Savage
of the Boston Globe (2003), and Viveca Novak
of Time Magazine (1986). The program lost its funding after the 2003-04 academic year when the Knight Foundation declined to renew its grant. However, as of February 2007, they seem to be taking applications for the M.S.L. program.
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
offered by some law school
Law school
A law school is an institution specializing in legal education.- Law degrees :- Canada :...
s to students who wish to study the law but do not want to become attorneys. M.S.L. programs typically last one academic year and put students through the same regimen as a first-year J.D. student. M.S.L. students study such staples as constitutional law, torts, contracts, civil procedure, and other requirements alongside regular law students, writing the same papers and taking the same exams. But they graduate after accumulating two semesters of credit instead of six. M.S.L. programs are usually designed for academics who hold Ph.D.
Ph.D.
A Ph.D. is a Doctor of Philosophy, an academic degree.Ph.D. may also refer to:* Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*Piled Higher and Deeper, a web comic strip*PhD: Phantasy Degree, a Korean comic series* PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
s in a discipline related to the law, and who want to add a legal dimension to scholarship. Compare Master of Laws
Master of Laws
The Master of Laws is an advanced academic degree, pursued by those holding a professional law degree, and is commonly abbreviated LL.M. from its Latin name, Legum Magister. The University of Oxford names its taught masters of laws B.C.L...
.
The degree has several variants, including a Master of Studies in Law degree (at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign is a large public research-intensive university in the state of Illinois, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Illinois system...
, the University of Toronto
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
, and the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
), for example, or a Master in the Study of Law (at Ohio State). Georgetown Law will be adding a Masters of Studies in Law (MSL) degree for journalists beginning in 2007-08 academic year. In March 2007 The Ohio Board of Regents
Ohio Board of Regents
The Ohio Board of Regents is the coordinating board for higher education in Ohio. The board was created in 1963 by the Ohio General Assembly to: provide higher education policy advice to the Governor of Ohio and the Ohio General Assembly; develop a strategy involving Ohio's public and independent...
approved M.S.L. Degree for the University of Dayton
University of Dayton
The University of Dayton is a private Roman Catholic university operated by the Society of Mary located in Dayton, Ohio...
School of Law. Drexel
Drexel
-People:* Anthony Joseph Drexel I, a Philadelphia banker, founder of Drexel University* John Armstrong Drexel, aviation pioneer* Elizabeth Wharton Drexel, socialite and author* Francis Anthony Drexel, a Philadelphia banker...
planned to offer a Master of Legal Studies program, but that appears to be on hold as of early 2007. West Virginia University
West Virginia University
West Virginia University is a public research university in Morgantown, West Virginia, USA. Other campuses include: West Virginia University at Parkersburg in Parkersburg; West Virginia University Institute of Technology in Montgomery; Potomac State College of West Virginia University in Keyser;...
offers a Master of Legal Studies (M.L.S.) completely online as part of its nationally ranked Division of Public Administration. Arizona State University
Arizona State University
Arizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona...
also offers an M.L.S. The John Marshall Law School
John Marshall Law School
John Marshall Law School may refer to:*John Marshall Law School in Chicago, Illinois*John Marshall Law School in Atlanta, Georgia*Cleveland-Marshall College of Law in Cleveland, Ohio...
in Chicago, and the Albany Law School
Albany Law School
Albany Law School is an ABA accredited law school based in Albany, New York. It was founded in 1851 by Amos Dean , Amasa Parker, Ira Harris and others....
in New York, both offer M.S. degrees in several concentrations. The Vermont Law School
Vermont Law School
Vermont Law School is a private, American Bar Association accredited law school located in South Royalton, Vermont . The Law School has one of the United States' leading programs in environmental law, and the Law School is currently ranked #1 in Environmental Law by U.S...
offers a Masters of Environmental Law and Policy (MELP) degree (formally known as the Master of Studies in Environmental Law (MSEL) degree). As of 2011, UC Hastings will be offering a Master of Studies in Law (MSL) and LLM in Law, Science and Health Policy programs together with the University of California, San Francisco
University of California, San Francisco
The University of California, San Francisco is one of the world's leading centers of health sciences research, patient care, and education. UCSF's medical, pharmacy, dentistry, nursing, and graduate schools are among the top health science professional schools in the world...
.
From the mid-1970s until 2004, there was also a unique M.S.L. program at Yale Law School
Yale Law School
Yale Law School, or YLS, is the law school of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Established in 1824, it offers the J.D., LL.M., J.S.D. and M.S.L. degrees in law. It also hosts visiting scholars, visiting researchers and a number of legal research centers...
for journalists. The program was a competitive fellowship offered to three or four applicants a year, chosen by the university. Yale provided free tuition, and the fellows also received a living stipend provided originally by the Ford Foundation
Ford Foundation
The Ford Foundation is a private foundation incorporated in Michigan and based in New York City created to fund programs that were chartered in 1936 by Edsel Ford and Henry Ford....
and later by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
John S. and James L. Knight Foundation
The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation is an American private, non-profit foundation dedicated to supporting transformational ideas that promote quality journalism, advance media innovation, engage communities and foster the arts....
. A number of reporters who currently cover the Supreme Court or other law-related issues for major mainstream media
Mainstream media
Mainstream media are those media disseminated via the largest distribution channels, which therefore represent what the majority of media consumers are likely to encounter...
organizations are former fellows, including Barbara Bradley of NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
(1994), Linda Greenhouse
Linda Greenhouse
Linda Greenhouse is the Knight Distinguished Journalist in Residence and Joseph M. Goldstein Senior Fellow at Yale Law School...
of the New York Times (1978), Charles Lane (journalist)
Charles Lane (journalist)
Charles "Chuck" Lane is an American journalist and editor who is a staff writer for The Washington Post. His articles are concerned chiefly with the activities and cases of the Supreme Court of the United States and judicial system. He was the lead editor of The New Republic from 1997 to 1999...
of the Washington Post (1997), Neil A. Lewis of the New York Times (1979), Charlie Savage
Charlie Savage
Charlie Savage is a newspaper reporter in Washington, D.C., with the New York Times, which he joined in May 2008. In 2007, when employed by the Boston Globe, he was the recipient of the 2007 Pulitzer Prize for national reporting on the issue of Presidential Signing Statements, specifically the use...
of the Boston Globe (2003), and Viveca Novak
Viveca Novak
Viveca Novak is an American journalist. She was a Washington correspondent for Time. She is a frequent guest on CNN, NBC, PBS, and Fox.Time announced in its December 5 issue that Novak was cooperating with Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald's investigation of the Valerie Plame leak...
of Time Magazine (1986). The program lost its funding after the 2003-04 academic year when the Knight Foundation declined to renew its grant. However, as of February 2007, they seem to be taking applications for the M.S.L. program.