The Catholic University of America’s Columbus School of Law is launching a new Master of Legal Studies (M.L.S.) degree program. The course will start from the summer of 2014 and applications are already being accepted. The program aims to help professionals in the Washington, D.C., area who want to develop specialized knowledge and enhanced understanding of law and legalities across various industries and disciplines.
The school announced that the degree will be a 26-credit program across 15 months and would provide students specific knowledge in their chosen field of law along with a general understanding of the American legal system, without incurring the time and expenses associated with a Juris Doctor program.
Initially the program would focus on intellectual property law, but will expand into other industry areas in the future. It will generally require two summers, one fall and one spring semester to complete.
Speaking on the new degree program, Dean Daniel F. Attridge said, “As the legal profession evolves, the need for non-J.D. professionals with a working knowledge of the law is increasing. Our M.L.S. degree will serve the educational needs of this expanding group of professionals, including legal support staff, scientists, and engineers, and others working in heavily regulated fields.”
The law school is clear that this program is not intended to train students to become attorneys, but to expose students who attend the course to law in general, and expertise in the area of law applicable to their chosen fields of work.
The M.L.S program is fully accredited by The Catholic University of America following an approval process by the American Bar Association. The program would accommodate both part-time and full-time students. Some courses of the program will be taken alongside J.D. students.
The program is open to working professionals and graduates of American universities and colleges, as also to graduates from foreign universities.
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