The Masters of Science in Legal Studies (MSLS)

Students may complete the requirements to earn their master’s degree in legal studies in as little as one year or as many as four years (pending visa restrictions for international students). Students may take day or evening courses full-time (nine or more credits) or part-time (eight or fewer credits) during the Fall, Spring or Summer terms (summer option available for part-time applicants only).

Making the decision to advance your legal career with our master of science in law is an incredible return on your investment. Prospective students should familiarize themselves with the tuition, fees, and living expenses outlined on our cost of attendance page.

The University of San Diego School of Law does not currently offer an online option for our masters of legal studies program.

The University of San Diego School of Law has no restrictions against students working while enrolled in our master’s degree in legal studies program, provided it does not interfere with their successful completion of the courses.

All applicants must provide the following documents as part of their application packet for our MSLS degree program:

• Official Transcript(s) from All Undergraduate and Graduate Institutions
• Résumé or Curriculum Vitae
• Personal Statement
• Writing Sample
• Letters of Recommendation
• Official TOEFL or IELTS English Language Exam Score for most international applicants

Information about our MSLS degree program admission requirements, as well as details about each of the required documents, can be found on our MSLS admission page.

The University of San Diego School of Law is seeking masters of legal studies program applicants who are not planning to become attorneys but will benefit from attaining additional legal knowledge to advance their current or planned careers. Prospective applicants must possess an academic record (bachelor’s degree minimum with graduate coursework/degree preferred) that demonstrates their ability to handle graduate-level law courses.

To graduate with a masters of studies in law, each candidate must successfully complete 26 credits of required courses. Courses are graded on a four-tiered pass/fail basis, including at least two from the first-year JD curriculum, such as Torts, Contracts, Criminal Law, Constitutional Law, Property, or Civil Procedure. Students have a maximum of four years to complete the program and must earn a grade of “Pass” or better in at least 22 credits.

We assign an academic advisor to each candidate, who will work with you to design a masters of legal studies program that fulfills not only the law graduate degree requirements, but also helps you achieve your professional goals. From offering continued mentoring, support, advice and guidance, our dedicated academic advisors help students remain focused and on track to earn their degrees.

The master of studies in law degree is not designed for candidates with prior law school education. Rather, it is intended for graduate students and professionals who are seeking to expand their legal knowledge but do not wish to become attorneys. Credit will not be offered for previous JD courses, and required master of science in law coursework will not be waived due to completion of a substantially similar curriculum part of another degree program. It is also essential for prospective candidates who wish to continue on to an accredited JD program to check with individual institutions for specific rules and regulations surrounding transfer credits, as many schools (including the University of San Diego School of Law) prohibit this.

Interested parties should complete our PDF application and mail a signed copy with all supporting documents to:

University of San Diego School of Law
Graduate and International Program
Warren Hall, Room 218
5998 Alcalá Park
San Diego, CA 92110-2492
USA

The signed application and supporting documents may also be emailed to llminfo@sandiego.edu. For additional information about the application process, please visit our MSLS admission page.