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 & U.S. Legal Research for Graduate Students. 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 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.

Learn More

Certificates
Core Courses 
Elective  Courses 
Writing Requirement 
Academic Good Standing 
M.S.L. Admission Process 
Application Requirements

Related Links

Core Courses

Administrative Law, 3 credits
ADR for the Litigator, 3 credits
Constitutional Law, 4 credits
Contracts I, 2 credits
Contracts II, 3 credits
Criminal Law, 3 credits
Criminal Procedure Investigation, 3 credits
Cyberspace Law, 2 credits
Intellectual Property Law, 3 credits
Real Property I, 4 credits
Real Property II, 3 credits
Remedies, 3 credits
Torts I, 3 credits
Torts II, 3 credits

Elective Courses

M.S.L. candidates may select their elective courses from any core course listed above and the following courses:

Antitrust Law, 3 credits
Business Organizations, 3 credits
Civil Practice & Procedure, 4 credits
Conflict Management & ADR, 3 credits
Copyright Law, 2 credits
Electronic Commerce, 2 credits
Entertainment Law, 3 credits
Externship in Law and Technology, 4 credits *To learn more about Externships, click here.
Federal Taxation of Business Entities & Owners, 3 credits
Independent Study-Graduate, 1 or 2 credits
International Business Transactions, 2 credits
International Intellectual Property Law, 2 credits
International Law, 3 credits
Law of Video Gaming, 1 credit
Legislation, 3 credits
Licensing Intellectual Property, 2 credits
Patent Law, 2 credits
Trade Secret Law, 2 credits
Trademarks and Unfair Competition, 2 credits

Capstone: Business Planning for Small Business, 3 credits
Capstone: Commercialization of Intellectual Property, 4 credits
Capstone: Cybercrimes, 4 credits
Capstone: Dot.Com Law: The Online Business Enterprise, 4 credits
Capstone: Patent Litigation, 4 credits
Capstone: Patent Practice and Procedure, 4 credits
Capstone: Trademark Prosecution and Practice, 4 credits

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.

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 four-credit 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.

Academic Good Standing and Grading Standards

To remain in academic good standing, M.S.L. students must maintain a 3.0 GPA. M.S.L. students are graded using the grading norms and practices of the University of Dayton's Graduate School as a guideline.

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

Application Requirements

Learn more about application requirements and how to apply to the M.S.L. degree program, click here.

Related Links

Office of Graduate Law Programs

Director of Graduate Law Programs

Phone: 937-229-3899

Email: llm_msl@udayton.edu