Health Law and Policy Academics

JD Concentration

For JDs who would like to formally declare a Health Law and Policy concentration, please visit the GW Law Forms webpage and fill out the JD Concentration Declare/Withdraw Form for the Records Office.

Courses

JD candidates may earn a JD Concentration in Health Law and Policy by successfully completing a minimum of 12 credits from the list of courses below, which must include at least one of the following foundational courses, although all three can count toward the concentration:  Health Law and Policy (6410), Law and Medicine (6617), or Public Health Law and Ethics (6407).

Students must also produce a paper on a topic related to health law and policy that meets the standards for the law school’s upper-level writing requirement. If the paper is produced in conjunction with one of the courses below, and it meets the standards for the upper-level writing requirement, then it will fulfill the writing requirement for the concentration. With approval of the Health Law and Policy Concentration Coordinator, a student may also use a piece written for a journal, independent legal writing, or from a course that is not included in the list below to meet the Health Law and Policy writing requirement.

In addition to the courses listed below, credits earned through additional courses, study abroad programs, or relevant moot court competition may also qualify, with approval of the Health Law and Policy Concentration Coordinator.

Foundation Courses

• Public Health Law and Ethics (6407)
• Health Law and Policy (6410)
• Law and Medicine (6617)

Additional Courses

• Employee Benefit Plans (6272)
• Domestic Violence Law (6350)
• Elder Law (6353)
• Administrative Law (6400)
• Selected Topics in Advanced Antitrust Law (Antitrust in the Healthcare Sector) (6405)
• Food and Drug Law (6408)
• Selected Topics in Health Law and Policy (6409)**
• Health Law and Policy Seminar (6411)**
• Environmental and Toxic Torts (6449)
• Environmental Law Seminar (Urban Environmental Justice and Public Health) (6466)
• Information Privacy Law (6486)
• Genetics and the Law (6616)
• Vaccine Injury Litigation Clinic (6626)*
• Health Law Rights Clinic (6631)*
• Disability Rights Law (6635)
• Client Interviewing and Counseling (6650)*
• Legal Drafting (False Claims Act/Healthcare Fraud) (6652)*
• Field Placement (6668)*
• Access to Justice Clinic – Environmental Justice Division (6711)
• Domestic Violence Project (6674)*
• Health Justice Policy and Advocacy Clinic (6712)*

*Note that students may count up to 4 credits of experiential learning, toward the concentration.

**Multiple sections for these course numbers may be offered during a given academic year; please consult the course schedule for specific course names.

Joint Degree Programs

Milken Institute of Public Health

• JD/MPH (8 JD credits are applied toward the MPH and up to 12 MPH credits may be applied toward the JD)  
• JD/Public Health Certificate (2 JD credits are applied toward the MPH and up to 6 MPH credits may be applied toward the JD)  
• JD/Health Policy Certificate (Both schools allow up to 6 credits to be applied toward the other’s program)  
• LLM/MPH (8 LLM credits are applied toward the MPH and up to 6 MPH credits may be applied toward the LLM)  
• LLM/Public Health Certificate (2 JD credits are applied toward the MPH and up to 6 MPH credits may be applied toward the JD)
• LLM/Health Policy Certificate (Both schools allow up to 6 credits to be applied toward the other’s program) 

Master of Studies in Law - Health Law and Policy Concentration

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.

Curriculum

Mandatory Courses – 9-10 credits

• Administrative Law (6400) – 3 credits
• Health Law and Policy (6410) – 3 or 4 credits
• US Law and Legal Writing for MSL Students (6950) - 3 credits

10 Credits Required from the Following Options

• Constitutional I or II (6214 or 6390) – 3 credits each
• Insurance (6298) – 2 credits
• Elder Law (6353) – 2 credits
• Food and Drug Law (6408) – 2 credits
• Selected Topics in Health Care Law (6409)** – 2 credits
• Law and Psychiatry (6614) – 2 credits
• Genetics and the Law (6616) – 2 credits
• Law and Medicine (6617) –3 credits
• Disability Rights Law (6635) – 2 credits

* Electives – up to 5 credits permitted

** May include Public Health Law and Ethics, Vaccines and Preventive Services Law, and Legal and Other Nonmedical Approaches to Health Reform 

***May include Assisted Reproductive Technologies, Fraud and Abuse, Managed Care Law and Policy, Medical Devices, Traumatic Brain Injury

Clinics

Students at GW Law have the opportunity to develop hands-on lawyering skills in a supportive environment through participation in the Jacob Burns Community Legal Clinics. Several of these clinics have direct application for students interested in health law, and students who participate in the following clinics earn credit towards the Health Law JD concentration.