You can find answers here to many of your questions about the MSL program. Questions not answered by this FAQ can be directed to the Master of Studies in Law program administrator at msl@pitt.edu or 412-648-7120.
- Are MSL courses regular law school courses?
With one exception, all the courses in the MSL Program are the same courses you would take if you were studying to become a lawyer in the JD Program. The exception is American Legal System, a course designed especially for MSL students. View course descriptions upcoming semesters by going to the Courses and Curriculum page and choosing a semester on the left. Some specialized JD courses (such as clinics) are ordinarily not open to MSL students. MSL students, with the permission of the MSL Program Director, may take up to 6 credits of coursework in other graduate and professional schools of the university.
- Will the MSL train me to be a lawyer?
No. If you want to become a lawyer, the MSL Program is not for you. You should apply to our JD Program instead. The MSL provides new skills and knowledge to enhance your existing ones rather than to prepare you for a new career. It will not permit you to take the bar examination, and so it is not intended for people who want to practice law. If that is your interest, you should apply to our JD Program.
- Do MSL courses count toward the JD degree if I decide I want to pursue that degree?
American Bar Association regulations do not permit credits acquired in the MSL degree to be credited toward the JD degree.
- Will the MSL degree help me get into a JD program?
The MSL is not designed to prepare students for a JD degree. However, students who successfully complete courses in the MSL program will gain a stronger understanding of the law than those without such training. If they later choose to enroll in a JD program, their MSL experience may prove beneficial.
- Who will benefit from the Master of Studies in Law degree?
A wide range of people may find the MSL beneficial.
The MSL is for people who work with lawyers. Many professionals in business, nonprofits, and government regularly work with attorneys. If you are in this group, you may have a solid understanding of the specific area of law related to your work, but want to place that knowledge in a broader, more systematic context. The studies involved in obtaining the MSL can help you do this.
The MSL is for people who work with the law. Many professionals have little contact with lawyers but frequent contact with legal issues. If you are in this group, pursuing the MSL will help you understand rules that can often seem mysterious and place them in a broader, more systematic context.
The MSL is for people who want to reorient their careers. Today, anyone who wants to learn about the law—even if they do not intend to practice—must either attend law school for three years or rely on on-the-job learning in a narrow area. The MSL offers an alternative: a more efficient way to acquire legal knowledge than the JD, and a more comprehensive approach than on-the-job training.
The MSL is for faculty members on sabbatical. The program offers scholars the opportunity to broaden their knowledge base by exploring how law relates to and shapes their academic field.
- If I already have a JD degree, can I get an MSL?
The MSL degree is an ideal means for individuals with a JD who wish to take additional courses in a specialized area of the law to do so, and applications to the MSL program from holders of a JD degree are welcome.
- If I have completed part of a JD program and wish to switch to the MSL program, may I do so?
Students who have begun, but do not wish to complete a JD (or equivalent) program at the University of Pittsburgh or another law school, may apply for admission to the MSL Program. If accepted, up to 6 JD credits may be counted toward Pitt Law's MSL degree at the program director's discretion.
- What are some examples of people who might want to use the MSL degree to reorient their careers?
Librarians and information specialists may wish to develop a specialty in legal aspects of their field. Nurse-administrators in a health care system with risk management responsibilities might obtain an MSL degree with a specialization in health law. A professor of economics specializing in antitrust economics could obtain the MSL with a specialization in antitrust or commercial law. Administrators of an agency providing geriatric services might obtain the MSL with a specialization in elder law.
- May I combine graduate or professional studies with the Master of Studies in Law?
Yes. Graduate and professional students in many fields (medicine, nursing, and other health professions, social work, economics and other social sciences, business, information science, and engineering are some examples) may enhance their primary program with the study of law in general, and the particular area of law that complements their field. You might want to add intellectual property law to studies in information science. Add health law to studies in medicine, nursing, and other health professions. Add child welfare law or health law to social work. Add jurisprudence to philosophy. Or add corporate law to business administration. These are just a few of the many ways graduate and professional students can broaden their horizons through the MSL degree.
Students enrolled in any American or foreign university who can take a leave of absence from their studies may enroll in the MSL program or pursue the degree upon completion of their graduate or professional studies. There is no joint degree program between the MSL and other graduate or professional programs at the University of Pittsburgh.
- Can credits earned from Pitt Law Online Certificates count toward the MSL Degree?
A student may apply all 15 credits earned in an online Pitt Law certificate program toward the MSL degree. However, credits may be applied only if the grade achieved in a particular course is a B or higher. Also, students must begin the MSL program within 4 years of completing the certificate.
- I am uncertain about my career goals. Is there any value in my enrolling in the MSL Program?
The MSL is for the intellectually curious, for people who want to learn about law. You may want to learn about the law for its own sake. The MSL provides an excellent opportunity if that is of interest to you. The Program Director counsels students on career opportunities. However, the Law School's career services office is not available to MSL students.
- Is this a generalist program in the study of law, or may I concentrate in an area of law that interests me?
The MSL tailors your education to your needs and interests. There are many Areas of Specialization from which to choose, or you may design your own specialization. The MSL Program Director will work with you in selecting the courses best suited to your needs.
- Are there any required courses in the MSL program?
Yes. All MSL students take two required courses: American Legal System (a course designed specifically for the MSL program) and one first-semester J.D. course, usually Torts. These two courses place your field of specialization in a broader legal context and help you understand how lawyers and judges think about and use the law.
Required Introductory Courses
- American Legal System (3 credits) This course will begin to help MSL students to "think like lawyers." Students will gain experience reading and analyzing cases and statutes to begin understanding how to use the law to predict answers to legal questions. The course will also include a sampling of legal readings and guest lectures in the various areas of substantive law. Grading will be based on short papers and presentations and on one longer paper and a corresponding class presentation.
- Torts (4 credits) This course explores the methods and policies for allocating losses from harm to one's person, property, relations, and economic and other interests. The course covers the substantive principles of tort claims and their defenses. The course examines the three main theories of tort liability: intent, negligence, and strict liability, and analyzes the theoretical and practical aspects of tort liability.
- How many other courses do I need to take?
You will take a half dozen or more other courses. Altogether, you will need 30 credits to complete the MSL degree. Most courses are three credits, but some are two and some are four.
You will take at least 12 credits in your area of specialization. The remaining credits may be taken in any elective approved by the MSL Program Director.- Will courses from other schools and/or previous degrees be considered for credit toward the 30 credits required for the MSL Program?
The University of Pittsburgh does not permit credits from prior study to be applied toward the completion of the MSL degree.
- May I take courses outside of the law school?
Yes. Students may take up to 6 credits of graduate-level courses outside the Law School with prior approval from the MSL Program Director. These courses may be offered at other graduate or professional schools at the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University, and Duquesne University.
- Do I have to go to school full time, or may I obtain the MSL degree part time?
You may pursue the in-person MSL degree either on a full-time or part-time basis. The degree may be completed in one academic year (late August to mid-April) if pursued full-time. If you wish to take a part-time course of study, you will have up to four years to complete the degree. Students in the part-time program are required to take two courses in their first semester -- U.S. Legal System and one first-year JD course.
- When do courses meet?
You will take regular law school courses in the MSL program, which are offered only during the day, not in the evening or on weekends. Some highly specialized courses are given in the late afternoon. There is no summer session at the Law School.
- What courses will I take in my first semester?
All MSL students take American Legal System (3 credits), a course designed especially for MSL students and open only to them.
In addition, you will take at least one regular first-semester JD course. Most students take Torts (4 credits), unless there is a particularly compelling reason to take a different course, such as Contracts (4 credits) or Criminal Law (3 credits). Courses meet 3 times a week. Part-time students need flexibility in their work schedules to attend classes and complete the MSL Program.
- How much work will there be for students in the MSL Program?
All courses in the MSL program require students to engage in rigorous class preparation and study. The rule of thumb is that students are expected to spend about 3 hours of preparation per credit hour each week. Professors expect that all students will present themselves and their work professionally, regardless of JD or MSL status. MSL students will reap the rewards of their efforts through their mastery of complex legal materials and newfound ability to comfortably discuss the law with their professors, JD students, and colleagues. Attendance is required for at least 80% of class meetings.
- What is the grading system for students in the MSL program?
An Honors/Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory grading system is used. To obtain the MSL degree, students must attain a grade of Satisfactory or better in at least 30 credits of coursework. In courses taken at other graduate or professional schools of the university for credit in the MSL program, students must earn a grade of B or above to receive credit.
- What is the tuition for the MSL Program?
Please view the tuition rates.
Students taking between 1 and 8 credits pay part-time tuition. Students taking 9 or more credits per semester are charged at the full-time rate.
Books average $200/class.
- Is there financial aid for MSL students?
The MSL Program does not offer financial aid in the form of grants to students. We understand that it can be difficult to find the funds to cover your tuition and other expenses. Pitt Law will, however, assist you in processing loans.
Many employers provide tuition assistance to employees. If you are working, you should inquire with your employer.
- What are the requirements for admission to the MSL?
Applicants must submit:
- Official transcripts of all college, graduate, and professional studies, whether a degree was obtained or not
- Resume
- An essay (personal statement) on how you expect to use the knowledge acquired in pursuing the MSL degree
Admission decisions will be based on the above information and the applicant's entire academic and employment record. A personal interview may also be required.
- Are international students eligible for admission to the MSL Program?
International students are welcome and encouraged to apply. If you are an international student currently living in the United States, please get in touch with the Office of International Services before applying to be sure you are eligible. They must have completed the equivalent of a US bachelor of arts or sciences degree, and they must submit a TOEFL score or other satisfactory evidence of English proficiency. The minimum acceptable TOEFL scores are 600 (paper), 250 (computer), and 110 (internet). IELTS scores (7.0 or higher) are also accepted instead of TOEFL. International students are encouraged to apply as early as possible because of the longer time required to process applications, obtain visas, and secure housing.
- What is the application deadline?
There is no formal deadline. We encourage applicants to submit applications in the winter or spring prior to the fall semester in which they seek to begin the program.
- When do classes begin and end?
The MSL Program begins in late August and ends in late April or early May. The exact dates vary from year to year. Students ordinarily may begin the program only in the fall semester. However, applicants who already hold a JD degree or who have completed at least the first semester of a JD program at any ABA-accredited law school may begin the program in the winter semester.
- What are MSL graduates doing with their education?
Of the slightly more than a dozen graduates of the MSL Program, roughly half have used their education to enhance their existing careers, and the other half have pursued new professional paths. In the former group are a health system tax specialist, a manager in an interstate trucking company, a university police officer, a pediatrician in private practice, a nurse practitioner, and a director of a nonprofit agency.
Graduates who have embarked on new careers have taken on roles such as foreign filing administrator with a law firm specializing in patent and trademark law, consultant with a firm specializing in political campaigns, research assistant on a bioterrorism project, employee of a firm dedicated to locating missing children, and owner of a retail business.
Additionally, some MSL graduates have chosen to pursue further education. One is obtaining a doctoral degree in public affairs, and two others have applied to—and been accepted into—JD programs.