Compare health law and compliance study

Best Legal Studies Master’s Options for Healthcare Professionals

Healthcare law study can be useful when your role touches patient information, organizational policy, or regulatory compliance. Choose a master’s around the work you actually perform, and compare it with health administration or a narrower certificate.

6 programs in this comparison. Programs enter this shortlist when their reviewed official curriculum includes health law or healthcare compliance. Inclusion does not indicate clinical training or eligibility for a healthcare license.

These healthcare options compare specialized compliance study with broader legal degrees that offer health-related coursework. The written assessments explain the scope and practical limits of each route. Read the ranking method.

Compare the Legal Studies Programs at a Glance

Scroll across the table to compare the study plan and price.

UniversityStudy FormatCreditsDisplayed Degree Price
Drexel UniversityThomas R. Kline School of Law’s Online Master of Legal Studies (MLS)OnlineTwo years on average45Quarter credits$44,775Calculated base tuition2026–2027
Seton Hall UniversitySeton Hall Law School’s Online Master of Legal Studies (MLS)OnlineTwo years part time31$48,980Calculated base tuition2026–2027
University of UtahS.J. Quinney College of Law’s Online Master of Legal Studies (MLS)Online3 semesters30$33,702.90Calculated base tuition
Florida International UniversityFIU College of Law’s Online Juris Master (JM)OnlineOne year30$24,726.30Published degree tuition
Liberty UniversitySchool of Law’s Online Juris Master (JM)Online30$18,000Calculated base tuition2026–2027
St. Mary's UniversitySchool of Law’s Online Master of Legal Studies (M.L.S.)Online1 to 3 years30$42,840Calculated base tuition2026–2027

Tuition amounts use the conditions shown in each card; fees and academic years vary. Table controls change this comparison view. The full reviews below retain their original ranking order.

The Programs Ranked for Healthcare

01Program Comparison Online

Drexel's Health Care Compliance concentration makes the provider-side emphasis concrete. Required study covers healthcare rules, patient safety and quality, risk management, and privacy obligations involving HIPAA. These subjects sit on top of a common MLS foundation in compliance methods and legal analysis. The school also offers a separate Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Regulatory Compliance concentration, so applicants can distinguish an interest in healthcare delivery from work involving regulated products.

Where it stands out. Start with the healthcare concentration if your responsibilities involve a hospital, clinic or other care organization. Examine the separate pharmaceutical route if your work centers on drugs or devices.

What to weigh. Choose between those settings before comparing electives. Their regulatory questions differ, and Drexel's planned fall 2027 semester transition makes the course map for your entering cohort particularly important.

Curriculum, Admission, Tuition, and Sources

How the Program Works

  • Compliance auditing and investigation in the core
  • Capstone sequence
  • 45 quarter credits before the semester transition

Documented Subjects and Concentrations

  • Criminal Law
  • Cybersecurity and Information Privacy Compliance
  • Entrepreneurship and Law
  • Financial Regulatory Compliance
  • Health Care Compliance
  • Higher Education Compliance
  • Human Resources Compliance
  • NCAA Compliance and Sports Law
  • Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Regulatory Compliance

Admission Details

  • Standardized tests are optional

Tuition and Rate Conditions

2026–2027. Calculated tuition for 45 quarter credits at the 2026–2027 rate, before the $125 annual online graduate program fee. Drexel transitions to a semester calendar in fall 2027.

$995 per quarter credit × 45 credits = $44,775 in base tuition.

Drexel tuition source ↗

Military Benefit Information

The MLS page lists special tuition rates for qualifying military members. These apply to eligible fully online courses, and students must request the benefit within the first two weeks of the term.

Drexel military policy ↗

University Sources

Program facts reviewed .

Study format
Online
Quarter credits
45
Study timeline
Two years on average
Tuition per credit
$995
Calculated base tuition
$44,775
02Program Comparison Online

Seton Hall offers Health and Hospital Law alongside a separate Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Law and Compliance concentration. That distinction helps an applicant choose whether to focus on the organizations delivering care or the companies supplying regulated products. The MLS allows concentration in one or two areas, so the structure may also support interests that cross those boundaries. Students complete the degree remotely, with a part-time schedule built around one class at a time.

Where it stands out. Consider Seton Hall when you can identify the healthcare setting you want to understand and want that setting reflected in the concentration's name and course plan.

What to weigh. Combining areas requires a deliberate choice about depth. Ask which courses will address your day-to-day responsibilities before using the second concentration to broaden an already demanding 31-credit degree.

Curriculum, Admission, Tuition, and Sources

How the Program Works

  • 31-credit degree
  • No campus residency requirement
  • No GRE or LSAT

Documented Subjects and Concentrations

  • Corporate Compliance
  • Health and Hospital Law
  • Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Law and Compliance
  • Privacy Law and Cyber Security
  • Sports Law and Compliance

Admission Details

  • No GRE or LSAT

Tuition and Rate Conditions

2026–2027. Calculated tuition for the 31-credit MLS. Add the $425 university fee in a standard semester and $230 for the MLS summer semester, plus books and other expenses.

$1,580 per credit × 31 credits = $48,980 in base tuition.

Seton Hall tuition source ↗

University Sources

Program facts reviewed .

Study format
Online
Degree credits
31
Study timeline
Two years part time
Tuition per credit
$1,580
Calculated base tuition
$48,980
03Program Comparison Online

Utah's Healthcare Law concentration addresses legal risks and policy questions across the healthcare industry. The university explicitly identifies clinical professionals, administrators, patient advocates, billing specialists and compliance staff as relevant audiences. The broader MLS develops legal research, writing and an understanding of regulation. This mix is useful for someone whose healthcare experience is strong but who wants a more systematic way to read legal requirements and discuss their organizational consequences.

Where it stands out. Consider Utah if you want healthcare-focused legal education with a defined completion sequence. It can be especially relevant when your current role already supplies the practical context for studying regulation.

What to weigh. The online program requires full-time enrollment at 10 credits in each of three semesters. Test that workload against clinical shifts, on-call responsibilities or other unpredictable demands before enrolling.

Curriculum, Admission, Tuition, and Sources

How the Program Works

  • The program requires 30 credits across three semesters.
  • Students enroll in 10 credits per semester.
  • An optional healthcare law concentration is available.

Documented Subjects and Concentrations

  • Healthcare Law

Admission Details

  • A bachelor's degree and a cumulative GPA of 3.0 are required.
  • Applicants should demonstrate professional experience and writing ability.
  • No GRE, GMAT, MAT or LSAT required.

Tuition and Rate Conditions

Published UOnline MLS tuition per credit; consult the university tuition chart for applicable fees.

$1,123.43 per credit × 30 credits = $33,702.90 in base tuition.

Utah tuition source ↗

University Sources

Program facts reviewed .

Study format
Online
Degree credits
30
Study timeline
3 semesters
Tuition per credit
$1,123.43
Calculated base tuition
$33,702.90
04Program Comparison Online

Florida International University

FIU College of Law’s Online Juris Master (JM)

Miami, Florida

FIU includes Health Law among the concentrations in its Juris Master for nonlawyers. The program emphasizes evaluating legal risks, working with legal documents and communicating with decision makers and legal departments. Its courses are designed specifically for JM students. For a healthcare professional moving into administrative responsibility, that orientation offers a way to examine the relationship between operational decisions and legal review within a structured graduate program.

Where it stands out. FIU deserves attention if you learn well through scheduled discussion and want to complete a 30-credit degree in one year while focusing on the legal side of healthcare work.

What to weigh. Live classes usually occupy three days each week, including weekday evenings and Saturday mornings. Healthcare shifts and weekend coverage need to fit that fixed schedule throughout the program.

Curriculum, Admission, Tuition, and Sources

How the Program Works

  • Banking, education, and health law concentrations
  • Live online format
  • Weekday evening and Saturday morning classes

Documented Subjects and Concentrations

  • Banking
  • Education
  • Health Law

Tuition and Rate Conditions

Published approximate tuition for the 30-credit remote Juris Master. University fees are approximately $199 per term; books and living expenses are additional.

$824.21 per credit × 30 credits = $24,726.30 in base tuition.

FIU tuition source ↗

University Sources

Program facts reviewed .

Study format
Online
Degree credits
30
Study timeline
One year
Tuition per credit
$824.21
Published degree tuition
$24,726.30
05Program Comparison Online

Liberty University

School of Law’s Online Juris Master (JM)

Lynchburg, Virginia

Liberty's Juris Master in Health Law is an explicitly named route within its online legal master's offerings. The university places this study within a Christian educational setting, an important part of the choice for applicants seeking that perspective. Online coursework can fit around healthcare responsibilities, but scheduled activities within particular classes need to be checked against your shifts. The 30-credit program charges different rates according to course load and military eligibility.

Where it stands out. Compare Liberty if both health law and the university's religious setting match your educational priorities. Its course format is relevant when your work hours change from one week to the next.

What to weigh. A variable clinical schedule may influence how many courses you can take. Price the enrollment pattern you expect to maintain; the lower full-time rate does not apply to part-time study.

Curriculum, Admission, Tuition, and Sources

How the Program Works

  • Online courses may include scheduled activities; check the course calendar
  • Christian educational setting
  • Separate full-time, part-time, and military rates

Documented Subjects and Concentrations

  • General
  • American Legal Studies
  • Compliance
  • Health Law
  • International Legal Studies

Admission Details

  • Bachelor's degree and college transcripts

Tuition and Rate Conditions

2026–2027. Calculated tuition for 30 credits at the full-time graduate rate. Part-time tuition is $665 per credit. Qualifying military students have a separate $310 rate. Fees are additional.

$600 per credit × 30 credits = $18,000 in base tuition.

Liberty tuition source ↗

Military Benefit Information

The JM page publishes $310 per graduate credit for qualifying service members, veterans, military spouses, and Department of Defense employees. It also describes an application-fee waiver with military documentation.

Liberty military policy ↗

University Sources

Program facts reviewed .

Study format
Online
Degree credits
30
Tuition per credit
$600
Calculated base tuition
$18,000
06Program Comparison Online

St. Mary's University

School of Law’s Online Master of Legal Studies (M.L.S.)

San Antonio, Texas

St. Mary's identifies Health Care Compliance as an online MLS concentration. Foundational coursework teaches legal research, writing and the U.S. legal system. Two courses from the first-year law curriculum are also required, with further study planned alongside the program director. This gives a healthcare professional a general legal foundation before concentrating on the industry's compliance needs. Full-time and part-time options provide different ways to fit the 30-credit degree around an existing job.

Where it stands out. Consider this route when you want guidance in building a healthcare compliance course plan and would benefit from learning how legal analysis works before moving into the specialized material.

What to weigh. Use the advising conversation to establish which healthcare courses will run during your enrollment. An individualized plan is useful only if its sequence and availability match your professional priorities and schedule.

Curriculum, Admission, Tuition, and Sources

How the Program Works

  • The degree requires 30 credits.
  • Accelerated full-time study can finish in one year.
  • The degree was formerly called the Master of Jurisprudence.

Documented Subjects and Concentrations

  • Business and Entrepreneurship Law
  • Business Risk and Intelligence
  • Compliance, Business Law and Risk
  • Cyber and Data Security
  • Education Law
  • Health Care Compliance
  • Employment and Human Resource Law
  • Commercial Law
  • Criminal Justice
  • Natural Resource Law
  • Territorial Law

Tuition and Rate Conditions

2026–2027. Calculated part-time MLS tuition for 30 credits with each term kept within the 1–7-credit tuition band. The 8–11 and 12–17 credit semester bands use different charges. Fees and materials are additional.

$1,428 per credit × 30 credits = $42,840 in base tuition.

St. Mary's tuition source ↗

Military Benefit Information

St. Mary's publishes an $800-per-credit MLS rate for active-duty military, retired military, DoD employees and their spouses. Eligible tuition assistance can reduce the student share further. Confirm eligibility with financial assistance.

St. Mary's military policy ↗

University Sources

Program facts reviewed .

Study format
Online
Degree credits
30
Study timeline
1 to 3 years
Tuition per credit
$1,428
Calculated base tuition
$42,840

Plan Your Next Step

A healthcare concentration needs closer inspection than its label. The HHS summary of the HIPAA Privacy Rule addresses protected health information and permitted uses and disclosures. The HHS inspector general’s compliance program guidance covers a broader set of organizational compliance questions. They are useful starting points for different conversations about course content.

Compare those questions with the Drexel program assessment and the other healthcare options above. Ask which subjects have dedicated courses, which appear within a general survey, and whether you can take the relevant electives in your planned sequence. Our curriculum comparison article gives you a way to organize the answers.

Connect a Healthcare Legal Master’s to a Practical Project

Imagine the kind of document you want to prepare more confidently: a policy review, an explanation of a compliance process, or a set of questions for legal counsel. Ask shortlisted programs how their assignments develop the research and writing behind that task. A project can make the curriculum easier to assess without assuming the degree grants a clinical credential or attorney qualification.

If your interests extend beyond healthcare, compare the broader compliance master’s options before choosing a specialist route. For work that requires irregular hours, review the online class schedule questions as well. A good subject match still needs an attendance plan you can maintain.

Questions About These Legal Studies Programs

Is an MLS a Clinical Healthcare Degree?

No. A legal studies master’s develops legal knowledge for nonlawyer work. Healthcare concentrations concern legal and regulatory issues; they do not provide clinical licensure.

How Should You Compare an MLS With an MHA?

Begin with the role you want. Compare legal research and regulation courses in the MLS against finance, operations, leadership, and health-system management in the MHA. The degree title alone does not settle the choice.