School of Law-MSL Degree

The Master of Studies in Law (MSL) degree will provide graduates with an opportunity to learn about the law and the legal process in general and to concentrate their studies in an area of law relevant to their particular professional interests. It is especially well-suited for individuals who already have attained a professional or graduate degree or are in the process of acquiring one, and who have an interest in learning about law related to that substantive area but do not desire to practice law. For those individuals with existing careers (or students preparing for careers outside of law), this degree is intended to provide a better understanding of how the law works and to assist them in using law in their professional field. It is intended to complement a student's existing skills rather than to prepare the student for a new career. It is a 30 credit degree that may be taken full-time in one year or part-time over the course of as many as four years.

See the First-Professional Programs section of this bulletin for a listing of the School of Law's other degree offerings and for a brief description of the School of Law's mission and goals.

Contact Information

University of Pittsburgh
School of Law

3900 Forbes Avenue

Pittsburgh, PA 15260

Phone: (412) 648-7120

E-mail: msl@law.pitt.edu

Web site: http://www.law.pitt.edu/msl/

Admissions

Applicants to the MSL program must submit the following application materials to be considered for admission:

Admissions decisions will be made on a rolling basis. Applications will be accepted until all places are filled.

Financial Assistance

No University of Pittsburgh School of Law stipends or loans are available for students in the MSL program. For information on other sources of financial aid, including Stafford Loans, see the Financial Aid section of this bulletin.

Academic Standards

All MSL students must maintain a B (3.00) cumulative quality point average. They must complete degree requirements within four years of commencement of the degree program. MSL students are bound by the same general academic policies as students in the Juris Doctor (JD) program (see the School of Law's entry in the First-Professional Programs section of this bulletin). The School of Law policy on Written Work for Credit, its Standards of Academic Integrity, and other academic policies of the School are included in the Standards section of the School of Law's Student Handbook, which is available online at the following address: http://www.law.pitt.edu/.

Advising and Placement

A faculty concentration advisor is assigned to each MSL student. Faculty concentration advisors may provide informal career counseling.

Degree Requirements

Students must complete 30 course credits in the School of Law to receive the MSL degree. Students are required to take Constitutional Law, Introduction to Law and Legal Reasoning, and one first-year course.

Major and Degree Options

Each student selects a concentration. At the present time, no joint degree programs exist. However, students in another master's or doctoral program may have up to three credits of relevant course credits from that program applied toward the MSL.

The concentrations from which students may choose are as follows:

Business Law

Commercial

Disability Law

Dispute Resolution

International Business

Tax

Constitutional Law

Corporate Law

Criminal Justice

Cyber Law

Education Law

Elder Law

Environmental and Real Estate Law

Family Law

General Law and Jurisprudence

Health Law

Intellectual Property Law

International and Comparative Law

Labor and Employment Law

Personal Injury and Litigation

Regulatory Law

Faculty of School

See the First-Professional Programs section of this bulletin for a listing of the faculty of the School of Law.