Master of Legal Studies (MLS) Programs
Our Master of Legal Studies (MLS) degree program is specifically designed for non-lawyer professionals who hold a bachelor’s degree or equivalent and want a legal education but don’t intend to practice law. These non-thesis programs are offered in a flexible, online, or hybrid format for working professionals.
WHY TEXAS A&M SCHOOL OF LAW?
As one of the nation’s largest universities, Texas A&M ranks #1 for endowment size among public universities, ranking seventh overall. You’ll have access to the worldwide Aggie network of over 500,000 alumni, which includes more Fortune 500 Top 100 corporate CEOs than any university in the nation.
TOP 30
Texas A&M University School of Law ranks #29 among national law schools.
Esteemed Faculty
Small class sizes provide students with personal attention from our world-renowned, nationally ranked faculty.
Customized Academics
No entrance exam requirement, flexible start dates, and a full or part-time course load allow for an academic experience that fits into your personal and professional life.
Choose Your Program
Career-relevant tracks allow you to align your legal studies with opportunities in your industry. Students in the M.L.S. programs have a variety of tracks to choose from based on interests and professional needs:
Available Tracks:
Business Law and Compliance – 100% Online or Hybrid
30 credits | 12 hours core courses, 9 hours upper-level courses, 9 hours approved elective courses
Gain a unique legal perspective on an array of subject matter relevant to the business world, including legal compliance, legal concepts, and legal risk management. Our MLS program with an emphasis in Business Law and Compliance can be completed fully online or in a flexible hybrid format where certain classes can be taken over several weekends a year on the San Antonio campus.
Cybersecurity Law and Policy – 100% Online
30 credits | 12 hours core courses, 18 hours approved elective courses
Our MLS program with an emphasis in Cybersecurity Law and Policy is career-focused to provide a valuable legal perspective on the cybersecurity world, including data privacy and compliance, policies, and regulations. With this advanced degree, you’ll be well-prepared for leadership roles in the cybersecurity industry.
Energy, Oil, and Gas Law and Policy – 100% Online
30 credits | 12 hours core courses, 18 hours approved elective courses
Perfect for those who don’t intend to practice law, this program will build the kind of expertise you need to unlock new career opportunities in the energy industry. In the career-relevant track of your choosing, you’ll learn about a variety of legal issues, including how to handle common legal and ownership issues, regulatory problems, and oil and gas leasing.
Environmental and Energy Law and Policy – 100% Online
30 credits | 12 hours core courses, 18 hours approved elective courses
Created with working adults in mind, this program provides an invaluable legal perspective on the energy industry. You’ll tackle regulations, policies, and other legal complexities as they relate to economic, business, and technological practices within energy and environmental law.
General Legal Studies – 100% Online or Hybrid
30 credits | 12 hours core courses, 18 hours approved elective courses
Prepare for leadership roles benefitting from expertise in the law. Build a course load that perfectly fits with your personal career goals. Our MLS with an emphasis in General Legal studies can be completed fully online or in a hybrid option where select courses are offered on campus. Study a variety of subjects, including cybersecurity, health law, and wealth management.
Health Law, Policy, and Management – 100% Online
30 credits | 12 hours core courses, 18 hours approved elective courses
Tackle common themes related to health law, such as joint ventures, regulatory and credentialing issues, and privacy and security rules. Learn about various legal organizational and ownership models, types of healthcare liability institutions, and health insurance and employer benefits.
Human Resources and Employment Law, Policy, and Management – 100% Online
30 credits | 12 hours core courses, 18 hours approved elective courses
Gain a specialized legal perspective and training as an HR professional. Our flexible, online MLS with an emphasis in Human Resources and Employment Law is perfect for non-lawyers who want to gain an edge in the HR industry. Take courses covering common legal HR and employment law themes, including workplace rights, employment discrimination, and employee wages and benefits. Develop your own personalized curriculum covering industry-relevant subjects.
Intellectual Property – 100% Online
30 credits | 12 hours core courses, 18 hours approved elective courses
Our MLS program with an emphasis in Intellectual Property prepares non-lawyer professionals in a number of industries to enhance their careers through specialized expertise in intellectual property law grounded in fundamentals of the legal system and practice of the law. Program studies include specialty courses such as Copyright, Intellectual Property Survey, International Intellectual Property, Patent Law, and Trademark and Unfair Competition Law.
International Tax Law and Policy – 100% Online
30 credits | 3 hours core courses, 27 hours approved elective courses
Our online MLS with an emphasis in International Tax is built for non-lawyers and aims to combine up-to-date legal education with real-world skills relevant in the international tax field. The online degree program covers international taxation legal complexities from a data-management and risk analysis perspective. You can craft a personalized curriculum that will perfectly fit your professional ambitions.
Real Estate and Construction Law, Policy, and Management – 100% Online
30 credits | 12 hours core courses, 18 hours approved elective courses
Texas A&M University School of Law’s online degree program is offered in a flexible online format and allows you the opportunity to craft a personalized curriculum that will perfectly fit your professional ambitions. Tackle common real estate and construction law topics as they pertain to the ownership of land, financing, easements, contracting issues, and more.
Risk Management and Compliance – 100% Online
30 credits | 3 hours core courses, 27 hours approved elective courses
Offered in a flexible online format, this program prepares non-lawyers for leadership opportunities calling for a mastery of risk management as it relates to law. This program is perfect for working professionals who want the same education as on-campus classes but require the flexibility inherent in an online education. The curriculum itself is flexible, allowing you to create a course load that aligns with your career aspirations.
Wealth Management – 100% Online
30 credits | 3 hours core courses, 27 hours approved elective courses
Build the expertise you need to guide your high-wealth clients through a range of wealth management complexities. Offered in a flexible online format, these programs help prepare non-lawyers for leadership opportunities requiring a mastery of wealth management as it relates to law. Our curriculum is also flexible, designed to allow a student to focus on areas of study such as Estate and Wealth Planning, Income Tax Financial Planning, and Nonprofit & Fiduciary Administration.
Graduate Certificates – 100% Online
12 credits each | Credits earned through certificate can count toward a MLS degree
Graduate-level law certificates are designed for professionals holding a bachelor’s degree or equivalent who are interested in understanding the legal aspects of their industry without the monetary and time commitment of a full master’s degree. Courses are offered fully online and are stackable, meaning credits earned through a certificate program can go on to count toward a Master of Legal Studies (MLS) program down the road. Certificate programs include:
- Business Law and Compliance Certificate
- Cybersecurity Law and Policy Certificate
- Energy Law – Environmental and Energy Law and Policy Certificate
- Energy Law – Oil and Gas Law and Policy Certificate
- Health Law, Policy, and Management Certificate
- Human Resources and Employment Law, Policy, and Management Certificate
- International Tax Law and Policy Certificate
- Real Estate and Construction Law, Policy, and Management Certificate
- Risk Management and Compliance Certificate
- Wealth Management Certificate