Law and public service - Health care law, compliance and administration

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.

In the complex field of medical products, there's a need for professionals who understand the regulatory framework and can apply regulations, guidelines and standards to ensure compliant conduct of clinical research. This program concentrates on the regulatory aspects of clinical research management to ensure the safety and efficacy of medical products. You’ll also go beyond the operational aspects of conducting clinical research to understanding the FDA regulations and requirements for bringing medical products to market. With a regulatory science degree concentration, you’ll have the ability to advance medical care and treatment while ensuring new discoveries adhere to regulations that keep patients safe.

Upon graduation, you’ll be prepared to apply the regulations, standards and guidelines that are applicable to medical products through the product life cycle including:

• Clinical testing.
• Conducting clinical trials to prove safety and efficacy.
• Postmarketing surveillance of the medical product.
• Preclinical testing.
• Submitting to the FDA for marketing approval.
   

Who’s a good candidate for this master’s program?

As an ideal candidate, you should have a bachelor's degree in a science-based program. Although not required, it would also be beneficial to have previous medical experience or familiarity with medical products and regulatory affairs. This program is a good fit if you're looking to expand your abilities in regulatory writing techniques, quality assurance and medical device management. You’ll also develop an understanding of how to meet regulatory oversight requirements related to conducting clinical studies. Additionally, this online master’s also offers the flexibility to study part-time if it’s more conducive to your schedule due to other obligations.

In this health care administration and policy master’s, you'll immerse yourself in transforming the health care landscape, focusing not on the benchwork of sciences but on revolutionizing how health care policies and systems serve populations. You'll explore ways to increase access to health care, particularly for vulnerable and rural communities, and tackle pressing issues like health equity. By blending studies in population health, health economics, policy and data analytics with leadership and systems thinking, you'll gain the skills to enact meaningful change.

Who’s a good candidate for this program?

If you're someone who naturally questions how things could be better, possesses an entrepreneurial mindset and thrives on creative and innovative thinking, this health care administration and policy master’s could be your calling. It's designed not just for those eyeing administrative roles but for anyone with a passion for health care or seeking to make a significant impact within the system. Whether you're already navigating a career in health care, from administration to clinical roles, or considering a pivot into this vital field, your drive to advance and innovate makes you an ideal candidate.

This program is also a strategic choice for those contemplating medical school. It offers a unique gap-year opportunity to gain insights into the broader context of health care delivery, policy's role in health outcomes and the potential of informatics to enhance decision-making and health results. Your ability to articulate a vision for your future in health care and how this program aligns with your goals is key, regardless of your background in health care or specific undergraduate degree.

What you can do with a health care administration and policy master’s

Upon graduation, you'll be equipped for a variety of impactful roles across the health care sector. Imagine leading teams as an advanced clinical leader, managing health programs or making big decisions as a health care administrator. Your skills in improving quality will be essential for bettering patient care. You may even start your own health care business, bringing new ideas to the field.

While some candidates may initially view this program as a precursor to medical school, students commonly realign their career trajectories towards health care administration or quality improvement upon exposure to the curriculum. As a graduate, you're not just getting a degree; you're preparing to make a real difference in health care, whether it's in managing teams, improving services or innovating.