M.S.L. Degree Program
M.S.L. Academic Requirements
M.S.L. students must complete 30 credit hours of course work, including Introduction to the U.S. Legal System or Introduction to Business Law. Students must also take at least four core courses, approved elective courses and one course that satisfies the M.S.L. writing requirement. Optional certificates in applied business, criminal, cyber, government contracting and intellectual property law are available to students interested in pursuing an additional specialization.
The M.S.L. program may be completed on a part-time basis with the approval of the associate dean for academic affairs and the director of graduate law programs. Part-time students must complete the program within four calendar years from the date of matriculation.
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Certificates
Core Courses
Elective Courses
Writing Requirement
Academic Good Standing
M.S.L. Admission Process
Application Requirements
Core Courses
Administrative Law, 3 credits
ADR for the Litigator, 3 credits
Business Finance, 4 credits
Constitutional Law, 4 credits
Contracts I, 2 credits
Contracts II, 3 credits
Contracts I: Introduction to Contracts, 3 credits
Contracts II: Government Contracting, 3 credits
Criminal Law, 3 credits
Criminal Procedure Investigation, 3 credits
Cyberspace Law, 2 credits
Intellectual Property Law, 3 credits
Program and Project Management, 4 credits
Real Property I, 4 credits
Real Property II, 3 credits
Remedies, 3 credits
Torts I, 3 credits
Torts II, 3 credits
Elective Courses
In addition to taking the courses required for the M.S.L. degree, M.S.L. students should fulfill the remainder of their semester hour requirements by taking: 1) any required “core” course; 2) any capstone course approved for the M.S.L. degree; or 3) any elective course approved for the M.S.L. degree. In order for a capstone or elective to be approved for the M.S.L. degree, students must satisfy any course prerequisites.
Credit for Coursework Outside the Dayton Law Graduate Programs
LL.M. and M.S.L. students may earn a maximum of six semester hours of course work from elective courses offered by Dayton Law but outside of the LL.M. and M.S.L. program curriculum. Consistent with Dayton Law’s transfer credit policy, graduate law students may also take courses in related fields from other departments of the University of Dayton or another educational institution.
Requests for credit for outside coursework of this type must be approved by the associate dean for academic affairs and the director of LL.M. & M.S.L. programs.
Writing Requirement
M.S.L. candidates must complete a substantial legal research and writing paper in connection with a course or an independent study project supervised by a faculty member. Courses that satisfy the writing requirement include the Independent Study for Graduate Students as well as any of the capstone courses listed above.
This requirement may be waived by the associate dean for academic affairs, after consultation with the director of graduate law programs, in some instances where circumstances indicate a more educationally profitable use of the candidate's time and effort.
M.S.L. Admission Process
All candidates for the M.S.L. degree are required to have at least a bachelor's degree (i.e., a post-secondary college or university) from an accredited U.S. college or university or from a foreign university authorized to confer such a degree by the government of the country in which it is located.
ACADEMIC, PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Applicants will be evaluated for admission on academic and personal criteria including prior academic performance in undergraduate and other professional schools, as demonstrated by grade point average (GPA) in relevant course work, standardized test performance and other relevant criteria. We will also consider employment experience and other personal and professional accomplishments.
STANDARDIZED TESTS
M.S.L. candidates must demonstrate competitive performance on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT) or some other similar test. This requirement concerning standardized admissions tests may be waived, but only in extraordinary circumstances. Results from graduate admission tests administered by foreign countries or institutions may also be considered at the discretion of the associate dean for academic affairs and the director of graduate law programs.
The University of Dayton School of Law reporting code for GRE test results is 0002.Our reporting code for GMAT test results is KF2-36-44.
ENGLISH PROFICIENCY
All candidates for the M.S.L. degree must be fluent in English. Learn more about our requirements for English proficiency.
Application Requirements
Learn more about application requirements and how to apply to the M.S.L. degree program, click here.
