Healthcare law is a strong specialization for professionals who work in hospitals, insurance companies, healthcare administration, life sciences, compliance, risk management, medical billing, patient privacy, human resources, and health policy. Unlike an LLM, which is generally designed for attorneys who already have a JD or a foreign law degree, a Master’s in Healthcare Law is built for professionals who need legal knowledge but do not plan to practice law. Though it is often called a Master of Legal Studies with a concentration in healthcare law, the program title will vary by school.
The healthcare industry is also one of the most important employment sectors in the country. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that healthcare occupations will continue to add jobs as demand for healthcare services grows, and its employment projections identify healthcare and social assistance as a major driver of overall job growth. Healthcare law training can be especially useful for professionals who need to understand HIPAA, compliance programs, healthcare fraud and abuse, Medicare and Medicaid rules, insurance regulation, risk management, patient rights, and administrative law.
Top Master’s in Healthcare Law Programs
| Rank | School | State | Online? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Seton Hall University School of Law | New Jersey | Yes |
| 2 | Loyola University Chicago School of Law | Illinois | Yes |
| 3 | Wake Forest University School of Law | North Carolina | Yes |
| 4 | Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law | Arizona | Yes |
| 5 | William & Mary Law School | Virginia | Yes |
| 6 | University of Oklahoma College of Law | Oklahoma | Yes |
| 7 | Texas A&M University School of Law | Texas | Yes |
| 8 | University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law | Arizona | Yes |
| 9 | Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law | Pennsylvania | Yes |
| 10 | UCLA School of Law | California | |
| 11 | Northeastern University School of Law | Massachusetts | Yes |
| 12 | Albany Law School | New York | Yes |
1. Seton Hall University School of Law
Seton Hall University School of Law offers a 100 percent online MLS with a concentration in Health & Hospital Law. The program is designed for working professionals who want to build legal knowledge in healthcare, hospital operations, life sciences, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and related regulated industries. Seton Hall’s program is connected to its Center for Health & Pharmaceutical Law, which focuses on the laws governing patients, healthcare providers, manufacturers, and suppliers.
This is one of the strongest MLS options for students who want a healthcare-focused legal studies degree from a law school with a long-standing health and pharmaceutical law identity. It is especially useful for healthcare administrators, compliance officers, paralegals, pharmaceutical professionals, risk managers, and professionals who regularly interact with legal or regulatory teams.
2. Loyola University Chicago School of Law
Loyola University Chicago offers a fully online Master of Jurisprudence in Health Law. While the degree title is MJ rather than MLS, it serves the same general purpose: graduate legal education for professionals who do not need a JD and do not plan to become attorneys. The program is 30 credit hours and is designed for full-time, working, and busy professionals who want to understand legal and regulatory issues affecting the healthcare industry.
Loyola is a strong choice because of its long-running reputation in health law education. The program is particularly well suited for healthcare executives, clinicians moving into administration, compliance professionals, and healthcare workers who want a legal foundation without pursuing law school.
3. Wake Forest University School of Law
Wake Forest University School of Law offers a 100 percent online MLS with a Health Law and Policy track. The program is designed to help professionals understand the legal framework of the healthcare industry, including HIPAA, healthcare fraud prevention, bioethics, medical decision-making, and health policy development.
Wake Forest is a strong addition to this list because it combines the reputation of an established law school with a flexible online format. The Health Law and Policy track is a practical fit for healthcare administrators, compliance staff, patient services professionals, nonprofit healthcare workers, and others who need to understand the rules shaping healthcare delivery.
4. Arizona State University Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law
Arizona State University offers an online MLS with an emphasis in Healthcare Law and Administration. The program is designed for healthcare professionals who want to understand the legal framework governing healthcare operations, policies, and patient care. ASU also offers an MLS emphasis in Corporate and Health Care Compliance, giving students another healthcare-related legal studies pathway.
ASU is a strong choice for students who want a large public university, an online format, and a practical curriculum tied to healthcare administration and compliance. It may be especially useful for professionals working in hospitals, clinics, insurance organizations, healthcare startups, and health policy roles.
5. William & Mary Law School
William & Mary Law School offers an online MLS with a Health Law concentration. The program is 100 percent online and asynchronous, with 32 credits, eight-week courses, and an estimated 16-month completion timeline. Its Health Law concentration is designed for professionals seeking careers in healthcare compliance, administration, and policy.
William & Mary is a good option for students who want a well-known law school name and a structured online legal studies program. The curriculum is especially relevant for students who want exposure to HIPAA, the Affordable Care Act, Medicare and Medicaid regulation, biotechnology law, and healthcare compliance.
6. University of Oklahoma College of Law
The University of Oklahoma College of Law offers an online MLS in Healthcare Law. The program is designed specifically for nonlawyers whose careers require an understanding of healthcare-related legal issues. OU describes the degree as a 32-credit-hour online program that can be completed in 15 months.
OU’s MLS is a strong fit for working professionals who want a direct healthcare law degree rather than a general MLS with only a few healthcare electives. Its curriculum is designed for professionals whose work intersects with healthcare delivery, access, quality, liability, operations, organization, and finance.
7. Texas A&M University School of Law
Texas A&M University School of Law offers an online MLS in Health Law, Policy, and Management. The program is designed for professionals who want legal and regulatory knowledge connected to healthcare operations, administration, and policy.
Texas A&M is a good choice for students who want a public university law school with a practical online MLS structure. The health law, policy, and management focus makes it useful for professionals in healthcare administration, compliance, operations, insurance, and regulated healthcare organizations.
8. University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law
The University of Arizona offers an MLS with a Health Law and Policy emphasis. The program is available fully online or in person and is designed for nonlawyers who need to identify and resolve legal problems in the highly regulated healthcare environment.
Arizona is a strong choice for students who want flexibility in format. The program may be useful for healthcare workers, administrators, compliance professionals, and policy-focused students who want a legal studies degree connected to healthcare regulation and health policy.
9. Drexel University Thomas R. Kline School of Law
Drexel University’s Kline School of Law offers an MLS in Healthcare Compliance. The program includes core legal studies coursework and a healthcare compliance concentration with classes in healthcare rules and regulations, patient privacy, HIPAA-related regulations, healthcare quality, patient safety, and risk management.
Drexel is a strong option for students who are specifically interested in compliance rather than broader health policy. This program may be especially useful for professionals working in hospital compliance, healthcare privacy, risk management, medical billing, insurance, auditing, or healthcare operations.
10. UCLA School of Law
UCLA School of Law offers an MLS specialization in Health Law & Policy. The specialization is designed for professionals seeking careers in healthcare administration, compliance, policy, or clinical settings. UCLA describes the program as providing a foundation in health law, bioethics, healthcare finance, and related legal issues.
UCLA is a strong choice for students who want a highly recognized law school with a healthcare law and policy pathway. The program may appeal to healthcare administrators, clinicians, public policy professionals, and professionals working in large healthcare systems or public health organizations.
11. Northeastern University School of Law
Northeastern University offers an online MLS with a Healthcare Law concentration. The program is designed to introduce students to legal regulations and compliance concerns in the healthcare sector, including healthcare financing, insurance access, institutional responsibilities, and cost containment policy. Northeastern describes the online program as flexible and asynchronous for working professionals.
Northeastern is a good fit for students who want a flexible online MLS with an emphasis on healthcare regulation and compliance. Its program may be especially useful for professionals who need to understand the legal rules affecting healthcare systems, insurance, finance, and institutional decision-making.
12. Albany Law School
Albany Law School offers online graduate programs in Health Law and Healthcare Compliance, including a Master of Science option. While the degree title is MS rather than MLS, it serves a similar audience of nonlawyer professionals who need legal and regulatory knowledge for healthcare roles. Albany describes the program as focused on healthcare regulations, policies, legal issues, compliance, risk management, ethics, and practical problem-solving.
Albany is a practical option for students who are more interested in healthcare compliance than in a broad legal studies curriculum. It may be a strong fit for compliance officers, healthcare administrators, paralegals, medical office managers, risk professionals, and others working in heavily regulated healthcare environments.
Who Should Consider an MLS in Healthcare Law?
An MLS in healthcare law is generally designed for professionals who want legal knowledge but do not intend to become licensed attorneys. It may be a good fit for paralegals, healthcare administrators, nurses, compliance analysts, medical billing managers, human resources professionals, insurance professionals, pharmaceutical employees, nonprofit healthcare workers, and public health professionals.
These programs can help students understand how law affects day-to-day healthcare decisions. Common topics include HIPAA, privacy, fraud and abuse, healthcare compliance, patient rights, Medicare and Medicaid, bioethics, insurance rules, healthcare employment law, administrative law, and risk management. For professionals who regularly work with lawyers, regulators, auditors, compliance officers, or healthcare executives, an MLS can provide the legal vocabulary and analytical framework needed to participate more confidently in legal and regulatory conversations.
MLS vs LLM in Healthcare Law
Students should be careful not to confuse an MLS or other masters programs with an LLM. An MLS is usually for non lawyers who want legal knowledge for their existing profession. An LLM is generally a post-JD or foreign-lawyer degree for people who already have formal legal training. For example, a hospital administrator, paralegal, nurse manager, compliance analyst, or healthcare consultant would usually look at MLS, MJ, JM, or MS programs in health law. A practicing attorney who already has a JD and wants advanced legal specialization would usually look at LLM programs.
The American Bar Association lists post-JD and non-JD programs by school, but it also explains that acquiescence in a non-JD program is not the same as ABA approval of that degree. Students should review each law school’s accreditation status, admissions requirements, degree title, curriculum, and career fit before enrolling.