Master of Studies in Law (MSL)

Gain a Professional Advantage

GW Law’s MSL helps meet the growing demand for non-lawyers to be familiar with the many ways that law influences industry. The MSL program is intended for professionals who are not interested in earning a law degree or practicing law but work in jobs where knowledge of the law is important. The knowledge gained can augment career preparation or professional advancement.

Who Can Benefit?

• Federal or governmental affairs officers
• Journalists
• Consultants
• Expert witnesses who testify before government agencies
• Compliance officers
• Procurement specialists
• Policy Analysts
• Intelligence Community Analysts
• Others who seek legal insight into related careers

Enjoy a Flexible, Diverse Curriculum

With a rigorous but manageable curriculum, the MSL program offers students the flexibility to design a courseload individually tailored to meet their needs. Students will build their 24-credit MSL program by choosing to focus in one of ten areas of concentration:

Business and Finance

Mandatory Courses – 7 credits

Corporations (6250) – 4 credits Legal Writing Legal Research and Writing for MSL and International LLM Students (6692) – 1 credit

The remaining 17 credits should be taken from the full list of Business and Finance courses.

• Fundamental Issues in US Law (6694) – 2 credits

Criminal Law & Procedure

Mandatory Courses – 10-12 credits

• Criminal Law (6210) – 3 credits
• Criminal Procedure (6360) – 3 or 4 credits
• Adjudicatory Criminal Procedure (6362) – 2 or 3 credits
• Fundamental Issues in US Law (6694) – 2 credits

10-11 Credits Required from the Following Options

• Role of the Federal Prosecutor (6363) – 2 credits
• White Collar Crime (6364) – 2 or 3 credits
• Criminal Tax Litigation (6365) – 2 credits
• Computer Crime (6369) – 1, 2, or 3 credits
• Forensic Science (6370) – 2 credits
• Drugs and the Law (6372) – 2 credits
• Federal Sentencing Seminar (6374) – 2 credits
• Computer Law (6484) – 2 credits
• Internet Law (6493) – 1 or 2 credits
• International Money Laundering, Corruption, and Terrorism (6521)
• International Criminal Law (6554) – 2 credits
• Military Justice (6873) – 2 or 3 credits
• Comparative Military Law (6874) – 2 credits
• Counterterrorism Law (6875) – 2 or 3 credits
• Homeland Security Law and Policy (6876) – 2 credits
• Intelligence Law (6878) – 2 credits
• Cybersecurity Law and Policy (6879) – 2 credits

National Security & Cybersecurity Law

Mandatory Courses – 8 or 9 credits:

• National Security Law (6870) - 2 or 3 credits and Cybersecurity Law and Policy (6879) - 2 credits
• Technology Foundations for Cybersecurity (6884) - 1 credit  Or Cybersecurity Law and Technology (6890) - 3 credits
• Fundamental Issues in US Law (6694) – 2 credits
• Legal Research and Writing for MSL and International LLM Students (6692) – 1 credit

5 Credits Required from the Following Cyber-Related Courses:

• E-Commerce (6283) - 1 or 2 credits
• Reading Group (Blockchain Law & Policy) (6351) – 1 credit
• Reading Group (Disinformation and National Security:  Legal Approaches) (6351) – 1 credit
• Reading Group (Privacy and Digital Future: AI Robot, Big Data, and More) (6351) – 1 credit
• Computer Crime (6369) – 1, 2, or 3 credits
• Constitutional Law Seminar: Advanced Topics in Global Internet Freedom (6399) – 2 credits
• Constitutional Law Seminar (Cyber, Privacy, & Speech) (6399) – 2 credits
• Communications Law (6412) – 2 credits
• Telecommunications Law (6414) – 2 credits
• Public Law Seminar (Telecommunication & Technology) (6426) – 2 credits
• Space Law (6548) – 2 credits
• Computer Law (6484) – 2 credits
• Law in Cyberspace (6485) – 2 or 3 credits
• Information Privacy Law (6486) – 3 credits
• Internet Law (6493) – 1 or 2 credits
• Selected Topics in National Security Law  (6869)**
• Intelligence Law (6878) – 2 credits
• Artificial Intelligence Law and Policy (6881)
• Counterintelligence Law & Policy (6883) – 2 credits
• Foreign Access to U.S. Technology (6891) - 2 credits
• Selected Topics in Cybersecurity Law (6892)

10-11 Credits Required from the Following Options or the List Above. Program total is 24 credits.

• White Collar Crime (6364) – 2 or 3 credits
• Immigration Criminal Enforcement (6367) – 2 credits
• Congressional Investigations Seminar (6420) – 2 credits
• International Law (6520) – 3 or 4 credits
• International Money Laundering, Corruption, and Terrorism (6521) – 3 credits
• Immigration Law I (6538) – 2 or 3 credits
• Refugee and Asylum Law (6540) – 2 credits
• Law of the Sea (6550) – 2 credits
• Law of War (6552) – 2 credits
• International Criminal Law (6554) – 2 credits
• U.S. Export Control Law and Regulation (6553) – 2 credits
• Nation Building and the Rule of the Law (6559) – 2 credits
• Public International Law Seminar:  Arms Control (6562) – 2 credits
• National Security Law (6870) – 2 or 3 credits
• US Foreign Relations Law (6871) – 2 or 3 credits
• National Security Law Seminar (6872)** Military Justice (6873) – 2 or 3 credits
• Comparative Military Justice (6874) – 1 or 2 credits
• Homeland Security Law and Policy (6876) – 2 credits
• Counterterrorism Law (6875) – 2 or 3 credits
• Nuclear Nonproliferation Law and Policy (6877) – 2 or 3 credits
• Disaster Law (6880) – 2 credits
• Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (6882) – 2 credits
• Transnational Security (6885) – 2 credits
• Domestic Terrorism (6886) – 2 credits
• Problems Trying Terrorists in Article III Courts (6887) - 2 credits
• Crisis and Legal Controversy in the CIA (6888) - 1 or 2 credits
• Aviation Law and National Security (6889) - 2 credits

**For 2022–2023, Public International Law Seminars may include Arms Control; National Security Law Seminars may include Internal Investigations, Modern Politics, and the Office of the Inspector General; and Selected Topics in National Security Law may include Guantanamo Bay Detention: Ethics, Law & Policy, and Law of Secrecy.

Environmental & Energy Studies

Mandatory Courses – 10 or 11 credits

• Administrative Law (6400) – 3 credits 
• Environmental Law (6410) –3 credits
• Energy Law & Regulation (6438) - 2 or 3 credits
• Fundamental Issues in US Law (6694) – 2 credits

9 Credits Required from the Following Options

• Air Pollution Control (6432)– 2 or 3 credits each
• Water Pollution Control (6434) – 2 credits
• Trade and Sustainable Development (6435) - 3 credits
• Energy Law Seminar (6441)* - 2 credits
• Control of Solid and Hazardous Wastes (6442) – 2 or 3 credits
• Oil and Gas Law (6443) – 2 credits
• Energy Commodities, Climate Change, & Derivatives (6447) – 2 credits
• Selected Topics in Energy Law (6451) – 2 credits*
• Environmental Issues in Business Transactions (6452) – 2 or 3 credits
• International Environmental Law (6454) – 2 or 3 credits
• Climate Change Law and Justice (6455) – 2 or 3 credits
• Sustainable Communities Law and Policy Seminar (6457) – 2 credits
• Atomic Energy Law (6459) – 2 credits
• Selected Topics in Environment Law (6461) -- 2 credits*
• Environmental Law Seminar (6466)* - 2 credits
• Human Rights and the Environment (6571) – 2 credits

Electives – up to 5 credits permitted

*Students should consult the Supplement to the Bulletin for information on the available seminars and selected topics for each semester. For guidance on which seminars and selected topics meet the MSL requirements, students should consult with their program director. Permission of the program director is necessary for enrollment.

First Amendment Speech and Expression

With the intense focus on journalism in Washington, D.C., a General MSL in First Amendment Speech and Expression is an attractive option for area journalists, and graduates of GW’s Media & Public Affairs School.

Mandatory Courses – 8 credits

• Constitutional Law I (6214) – 3 credits
• First Amendment: Speech and Press Clauses (6382) – 3 credits
• Fundamental Issues in US Law (6694) – 2 credits

11 Required Credits from the Following Options

• Constitutional Law II (6380) – 3 credits
• First Amendment: Religion Clauses (6393) – 3 credits
• Constitutional Law Seminar: Cyber, Privacy & Speech (6399) – 2 credits
• Communications Law (6412) – 2 or 3 credits
• Law in Cyberspace (6485) – 2 or 3 credits
• Information Privacy Law (6486) – 3 credits
• Intellectual Property (6470) – 3 credits (for general exposure, not a practice based course)

Electives – up to 5 credits permitted

General

 Self-designed course of study with prior approval.

Government Procurement

Mandatory Courses - 11 credits

• Formation of Government Contracts (6502) - 3 credits
• Performance of Government Contracts (6503) - 3 credits
• Anti-corruption and Compliance (6511) - 2 credits
• Government Contracts Cost and Pricing (6506) - 2 credits
• Analytical Writing (6519) - 1 credit

Elective Courses - 13 Credits (to be chosen from this representative sampling)

• Government Contracts Advocacy (6505) - 2 credits
• Comparative Public Procurement (6508) - 2 credits
• State and Local Procurement Seminar (6509) - 2 credits
• Procurement Reform Seminar (6509) - 2 credits
• Foreign Government Contracting Seminar (6509) - 2 credits
• Government Procurement of Intellectual Property Law Seminar (6512) - 2 credits
• Federal Grants Law (6514) - 2 credits
• Procurement in International Development (6516) - 2 credits

Students are required to complete 1 research paper.

Government Procurement and Cybersecurity

Within the field of Government Procurement Law, there is increasing demand for cybersecurity legal expertise among government procurement practitioners. The MSL in Government Procurement and Cybersecurity Law program meets the evolving needs of professionals who work on these cutting-edge issues. This new concentration offers students a hybrid approach to learning – Cybersecurity Law courses can be taken on campus and Government Procurement Law courses can be taken on campus or online.

Degree Requirements

MSL students must complete 24 credits in order to graduate.  The current degree requirements for MSL students in the Government Procurement Law Program are as follows:

Required Foundational Courses (13 credits)

• 6518 Overview of Government Contracts
• 6502 Formation of Government Contracts
• 6503 Performance of Government Contracts
• 6519 Analytical Writing for Government Contracts
• 6879 Cybersecurity Law and Policy
• 6512 Government Procurement of Intellectual Property Seminar
• 6884 Tech Foundations for Cybersecurity (may be waived for students with demonstrated technical knowledge or experience with the permission of the Director of the National Security Law Program)

Five credits from the following Cybersecurity Law courses:

• 6414 Telecommunications Law
• 6426 Public Law Seminar: Telecommunication and Tech Policy Advocacy
• 6493 Internet Law
• 6878 Intelligence Law
• 6881 Artificial Intelligence Law and Policy
• 6883 Counterintelligence Law and Policy
• 6891 Foreign Access to US Technology
• 6893 Disinformation, National Security, and Cybersecurity: Overview and Legal Approaches
• 6894 Blockchain: Law, Policy, and Cybersecurity
• 6898 Cybersecurity Law Crisis Challenges: Protecting Critical Infrastructure, Risk Management, and Incident Response

Four credits from the following Government Procurement Law courses:

• 6511 Anti-Corruption & Compliance
• 6508 Comparative Public Procurement
• 6506 Cost & Pricing
• 6513 Selected Topics in Govt Contracts Law: Federal Appropriations Law
• 6514 Federal Grants Law
• 6509 Government Contracts Seminar: Foreign Government Contracting
• 6505 Government Contracts Advocacy
• 6515 Government Contracts Moot Court
• 6516 Procurement in International Development
• 6509 Government Contracts Seminar: Procurement Reform
• 6513 Selected Topics in Govt Procurement – Acquisition Policy-making
• 6513 Selected Topics in Government Procurement Law - Negotiations
• 6513 Selected Topics in Govt Procurement Law – Suspension & Debarment
• 6513 State & Local Procurement

Required Policy Proposal

Students must write a research paper in one of the above-listed Government Procurement Law or Cybersecurity Law Courses (or a “generic” seminar with approval of the program director) and enroll in LAW 6513 Selected Topics – Acquisition Policy-Making, in which they will translate their scholarly argument into an implementable policy recommendation.

Health Care

Mandatory Courses – 9 credits

• Administrative Law (6400) – 3 credits
• Health Care Law (6410) – 4 credits
• Fundamental Issues in US Law (6694) – 2 credits

10 Credits Required from the Following Options

• Constitutional I or II (6214 or 6390) – 3 credits each
• Insurance (6298) – 2 credits
• ACA Seminar (6352) – 2 credits
• Fraud and Abuse (6352) – 2 credits
• Reproductive Rights/Assisted Reproductive Technologies (6352) – 2 credits
• Public Health Law (6352) – 2 credits
• Medical Devices (6352) – 2 credits
• Elder Law (6353) – 2 credits
• Food and Drug Law (6408) – 2 credits
• Selected Topics in Health Care Law (6409) – 2 credits
• Health Care Law Seminar (6411) – 2 credits
• Law and Psychiatry (6614) – 2 credits
• Genetics and the Law (6616) – 2 credits
• Law and Medicine (6617) –3 credits
• Traumatic Brain Injury – 2 credits

Electives – up to 5 credits permitted

Intellectual Property

Mandatory Courses

• Legal Research and Writing for International LLM Students I (6692) --for non-U.S. university graduates only - 1 credit
• Fundamental Issues in U.S. Law (6694) - 2 credits

Minimum of 14 credits from the Following Options:

• Intellectual Property Law (6470) - 3 credits
• Patent Law (6471) - 1 or 2 credits
• Copyright Law (6472) - 2 or 3 credits
• International Copyright Law (6473) - 1 or 2 credits
• Trademark Law and Unfair Competition (6474) - 2 or 3 credits
• Entertainment Law (6475) - 2 credits
• Patent Strategies and Practice (6476) - 2 credits
• The Federal Circuit (6477) - 1 or 2 credits
• Licensing of Intellectual Property Rights (6478) - 2 credits
• Chemical and Biotech Patent Law (6480) - 2 credits
• Design Law (6481) - 2 credits
• Patent Enforcement (6482) - 1 or 2 credits
• Patent Appellate Practice (6483) - 2 credits
• Computer Law (6484) - 2 credits
• Law in Cyberspace (6485) - 2 or 3 credits
• Art, Cultural Heritage, and the Law Seminar (6488) - 2 credits
• International and Comparative Patent Law (6490) - 2 credits
• International Intellectual Property (6491) - 3 credits
• Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights in the U.S. International Trade Commission (6489) - 2 credits
• Advanced Trademark Law (6492) - 2 credits
• Intellectual Property Antitrust Seminar (6494) - 2 credits
• Intellectual Property Law Seminar (6496) - 2 credits
• Government Procurement of Intellectual Property (6512) - 2 credits
• Intellectual Asset Management

International & Comparative Law

Degree Requirements

Complete a total of 24 credit hours, including course work that satisfies the writing requirement.

A minimum of 12 credits from the ICL course offerings below, including 2 credits graded on the basis of research paper. The research paper must be at least 8,000 words in length, and U.S. graduates must achieve a minimum grade of B+. For students who choose to write a thesis, Thesis (6690-91) and a minimum of 12 credits from the following courses are required.

All students must take Fundamental Issues in US Law (6694) and Legal Research & Writing for International LLM & MSL Students I (6692).

Courses

• International Taxation (6312)
• Immigration Criminal Enforcement (6367)
• Trade and Sustainable Development (6435)
• International Environmental Law (6454)
• International Climate Change Law (6455)
• International Copyright Law (6473)
• Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights in the US International Trade Commission (6489)
• International and Comparative Patent Law (6490)
• International Intellectual Property (6491)
• Comparative Public Procurement (6508)
• Procurement in International Development (6516)
• International Law (6520)
• International Money Laundering, Corruption, and Terrorism (6521)
• International Business Transactions (6522)
• International Commercial Law (6524)
• International Trade Law (6526)
• Advanced International Trade Law (6527)
• International Litigation (6528)
• International Organizations (6530)
• Comparative Law (6532)
• International Family Law (6533)
• Law of the European Union (6534)
• Islamic Law (6535)
• Immigration Law I (6538)
• Immigration Law II (6539)
• Refugee and Asylum Law (6540)
• International Finance (6541)
• International Banking and Investment Law (6542)
• Chinese Law and Legal Institutions (6543)
• International Investment Law and Arbitration (6544)
• International Project Finance (6545)
• International Law of Human Rights (6546)
• Regional Protection of Human Rights (6547)
• Space Law (6548)
• Chinese Business Law (6549)
• Law of the Sea (6550)
• Law of War (6552)
• US Export Control Law and Regulation (6553)
• International Criminal Law (6554)
• Comparative Constitutional Law (6555)
• International Arbitration (6556)
• Introduction to Transactional Islamic Law (6557)
• International Negotiations (6558)
• Nation Building and the Rule of Law (6559)
• Public International Law Seminar (6562)
• International Business Transactions Seminar (6564)
• Human Trafficking Law (6572)
• Comparative Law Seminar (6565)
• Human Rights Lawyering (6568)
• International Human Rights of Women (6570)
• Field Placement (6668)**
• International Dispute Resolution (6682)
• US Foreign Relations Law (6871)
• Counterterrorism Law (6875)
• Nuclear Nonproliferation Law and Policy (6877)
• Conflict of Laws (6234)
• Human Rights and Environmental Protection (6571)

* With the permission of the program director
** Note: Oxford Program courses also count towards meeting the requirements for an MSL in International and Comparative Law.

Learn At Your Pace

To ensure maximum flexibility, the program can accommodate both full-time students interested in completing the degree in one year and part-time students who may wish to take one or two courses a semester or summer session, if relevant course work is offered. Not all MSL degree programs are offered fully online. However, for MSL degree programs available fully online, admitted students may enroll in available online or on-campus courses. Courses taken on the Foggy Bottom campus will be alongside JD and LLM students, thereby benefitting from the experience of faculty, budding legal professionals, and seasoned practitioners.

Access the Heart of the Nation’s Capital

All students benefit from GW Law’s incomparable location in the heart of Washington, DC, across the street from the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, two blocks from internationally known law firms on K Street, three blocks from the U.S. Department of State, and a subway ride away from the Supreme Court and a host of nongovernmental and policy agencies. Our students routinely interact with high-level practitioners and policymakers from those nearby institutions in internships, externships, other volunteer opportunities, and a host of lectures and timely programs on current issues of the day.

Application Information