Industries such as health care, insurance and banking are highly regulated fields with a variety of legal guidelines they are required to follow. Compliance law focuses on mandating the regulations these organizations must follow to continue operating safely and legally. Large institutions often establish compliance departments dedicated to creating processes to track these requirements and manage data verifying organizational track records.
Whether you’re looking to advance in your career or make a switch into this field, this MLS program can support your goals by building your knowledge of the legal principles that underlie various business and health care regulations. This educational background can facilitate your understanding of how to create institutional frameworks in your organizations that meet policy demands.
The skills and knowledge you’ll develop
This program equips you with the skills and knowledge needed to implement relevant laws, regulations and ethical standards within organizations of any size. Your expertise will help businesses uphold legal and ethical standards, avoid reputational damage and build trust with stakeholders and employees. You’ll be well prepared to take on these challenges after gaining skills such as:
- Assessing and managing risk
- Conducting internal investigations
- Developing compliance processes and programs
- Enforcing ethical decision-making
- Interpreting regulations and compliance requirements
- Managing recordkeeping and reporting
Additionally, you’ll study strategies for devising and maintaining reporting mechanisms associated with industry guidelines. Through foundational courses and electives, you’ll also build abilities in legal writing and other broadly applicable skills.
What is a degree emphasis? Is it the same as a concentration?
A degree program’s emphasis is similar to a concentration, but there are key differences.
- A concentration is a formalized selection of courses within a major. A concentration requires a minimum of 15 credit hours of which at least nine credit hours must be upper division. Your concentration appears on both your ASU diploma and your transcripts.
- An emphasis is a selected topic area defined within the major. It’s typically 9–12 credit hours and doesn’t need to be officially declared. The emphasis will not appear on your diploma or transcripts.
Develop the skills to help businesses and health care providers follow relevant laws to promote safety and organizational stability. Earning this Master of Legal Studies with an emphasis in corporate and health care compliance provides you with specialized knowledge of legal concepts that’ll be useful for careers in many industries where compliance is a top concern.
During this master’s in legal studies program, you’ll take a combination of required core courses that cover the foundation of U.S. law, alongside your courses that focus on the emphasis of corporate and health care compliance. Additionally, you’ll choose from a list of electives based on your interests and goals.
The Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law faculty has more than 300 combined years of experience. Hailing from across the country, they’re nationally recognized for their wealth of knowledge. Our world-class faculty provides comprehensive legal education in popular focus areas and addresses legal challenges on a global scale.
The Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at ASU is one of the top schools in the nation, providing personalized and practical legal education. Offering more than 250 unique courses, students can tailor their educational experiences to meet their unique interests. Our bar passage achievements and peer-reviewed U.S. News & World Report rankings highlight our dedication to preparing students for success.
in Arizona for bar passage
specialty law programs ranked amongst the top 35 in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report
best public law schools, according to U.S. News & World Report
best law schools, according to U.S. News & World Report
Applicants to the Master of Legal Studies program must fulfill the requirements of the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law.
U.S.-educated applicants can apply through our FastApp process, which streamlines the application process and may allow for an offer of conditional admission to the MLS program while the applicant continues to submit any additional requested documentation. Find more information about the FastApp process here.
Possible outcomes from FastApp submission may include:
- Conditional admission
- A request for supplementary documents
- A request to complete the full MLS application with accompanying documents
- Denial
For the FastApp application to be considered complete, it must include:
- The complete MLS FastApp application form and the following uploaded documents:
- An unofficial transcript from all undergraduate and graduate institutions attended
- Resume that does not exceed three typed pages
If a decision cannot be made from a FastApp, our admissions team may request additional information from an applicant, including any or all of the following:
- Writing sample
- Explanations to affirmative answers to any conduct questions
- Two letters of recommendation
- Transcripts from all institutions attended, including the transcript showing a bachelor's degree was conferred
A minimum of a 3.00 cumulative GPA in the last 60 hours of an applicant’s bachelor's program is preferred. Prospective students may earn admission with a cumulative GPA below 3.00 if the other assets included in the application package are strong, such as but not limited to:
- A personal statement that addresses a low GPA or inconsistent academic performance.
- Improved academic performance in subsequent degrees.
- Significant work history since completing a bachelor’s degree.
All applicants must submit:
- Graduate admission application
- Official* transcripts
- CV or resume
*Transcripts can be unofficial through the FastApp process. Official transcripts reflecting degree conferral(s) will be required if an applicant is admitted.
If English isn’t your native language and you haven’t completed a bachelor’s degree or higher at a regionally accredited institution in the U.S., you must provide evidence of English proficiency.
Program accreditation
This program is accredited by the Corporate Compliance Board, the certification body for professional organizations such as the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics (SCCE) and Health Care Compliance Association (HCCA).
Professional licensure and certification
ASU's academic programs that prepare you for professional licensure or certification are designed to meet Arizona's requirements. Completing an ASU program may not fulfill educational requirements for licensure or certification in other states. For additional information, visit the professional licensure webpage.
No, Arizona State University’s diplomas don’t specify whether you earn your degree online or in person. All diplomas and transcripts simply say “Arizona State University.”
Your diploma will state the degree you earn: Master of Legal Studies. Your emphasis in corporate and health care compliance will not appear on your diploma or transcripts.