While in the Master of Legal Studies program, students may select from one of eight available specializations, design their own or opt for General Studies. These classes generally are taken from the J.D. curriculum with J.D. students (M.L.S. students are graded separately from J.D. students), but some specific courses of interest are created for the M.L.S students. With over 200+ courses to choose from ranging in time from the morning into the evening and online to on-campus options, we will work with you to craft the best schedule.
Business Law Specialization
Business Law Specialization
Available online and/or on-campus for Part-/Full-Time Students
A flexible specialization–very popular with CEOs, VPs, investors, and professionals in asset management and real estate. Learn with the best in the world on topics including: Contracts, Taxation, Compliance, Business, and Entrepreneurship.
Business Law for Non-Lawyers (core curriculum)
Contract Analysis
Law for Entrepreneurs
Compliance Law
Principals of Tax Law
Privacy, Data and Cybersecurity Law
Intellectual Property
Contract Design
Negotiation Theory and Practice
Entrepreneurship and Venture Initiation
Mergers and Acquisitions
Financial Institution Compliance
Securities Regulation
Real Estate Transactions
Real Estate Finance
Taxation of Business Enterprises
U.S. International Taxation
Corporate Financial Distress: Risks and Opportunities
= available online
Lingyi Katz (MLS '24)
Vice President, Strategy & Planning Wells Fargo
I collaborate frequently with legal counsels, both internal and external. A firm understanding of the laws and regulations is critical to ensuring that my recommendations are appropriate and actionable. The education from an elite institution will also help elevate my career to the next level.
This list is offered as an example, with over 200 courses available. The exact list of courses that will satisfy each specialization will vary from year to year.
The Lowell Milken Institute for Business Law and Policy
The Lowell Milken Institute creates outstanding leaders in law and business by offering classes and activities focused on entrepreneurship, negotiation, executive communications, and transactional law.
Joel A. Feuer
Executive Director of the Lowell Milken Institute for Business Law and Policy Professor from Practice
Joel A. Feuer is Executive Director of the Lowell Milken Institute for Business Law and Policy at UCLA School of Law and Professor from Practice. Professor Feuer was a partner at Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher LLP from 1989 through 2014. He handled a broad range of complex business law matters and counseled corporations and their directors and officers on corporate governance matters and transactions. He served as co-chair of the litigation department for Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher's Los Angeles and Century City offices and as one of the leaders of the firm's securities litigation practice group. He was also a member of the firm's Office of General Counsel.
How will a Master of Legal Studies help you?
Check out what our students have to say about how the Master of Legal Studies degree helped them in their careers below.
Josh Brackett (MLS '23)
Principal, Media Mine General Manager, Right Size Media
What I have liked about the UCLA program is of course the world-class faculty but also the...M.L.S. student base [which] has been diverse across age, background, experience, and industry. That can be a really good asset in education.
Ariana Diverio (MLS '23)
Chief Strategy Officer EMI Strategies
This program has already helped me tremendously. I am in a better educated position to advise on the best pathway with clients and I am better able to interact with counsel. I am already a better asset to my team and my clients.
Employment & Human Resources Law Specialization
Employment & Human Resources Law Specialization
Available online and/or on-campus for Part-Time Students
On-campus classes required for Full-Time Students
This specialization is for Human Resources professionals looking to gain an edge in a field where the language of the workplace is the law. UCLA School of Law is extremely strong in employment law and is a natural fit to advance the career of everyone looking to study in this specialization. With over 300,000 businesses in Los Angeles, there is no shortage of opportunities for advancement in this field.
Employment Law
Employment Discrimination
Compensation and Working Conditions
Disability Law
Contract Analysis
Privacy, Data and Cybersecurity Law
Negotiation Theory and Practice
Arbitration Law
Privacy, Data and Technology
Executive Compensation
Labor Law
Navigating through the Entertainment Unions and Guilds
= available online
Megan Perrin (MLS '22)
Vice President, Human Resources STX Entertainment
Learning in this program is learning in a different way. We are complementing our profession with something that we really like to do and really want to learn about and use in day-to-day life. So, I've found myself more invested in these classes than I may have been in my undergraduate career.
This list is offered as an example, with over 200 courses available. The exact list of courses that will satisfy each specialization will vary from year to year.
Andrew Hoag
Lecturer in Law
Andrew J. Hoag teaches Employment Law at UCLA School of Law. He is a partner at Fisher & Phillips, LLP, one of the largest U.S. law firms representing management in labor-and-employment law. He represents local and national employers on a wide spectrum of labor-and-employment matters. His practice includes advice and counsel, advanced transactional work, and litigation. His advice and counsel includes day-to-day compliance advice and prophylactic trainings for managers and supervisors, human resource professionals, and corporate counsel.
How will a Master of Legal Studies help you?
Check out what our students have to say about how the Master of Legal Studies degree helped them in their careers below.
Raymond Mercado (MLS '23)
Human Resources Manager Life Steps Foundation Inc.
This program has been very helpful in my career as an HR Professional. It has challenged me to consider all aspects of the law and provide meaningful support to my organization. My cohorts are extremely talented and bring a wealth of knowledge to the classroom.
Karen Wolcott (MLS '22)
Director, Human Resources The Chernin Group
This program has already helped me tremendously. I am in a better educated position to advise on the best pathway with clients and I am better able to interact with counsel. I am already a better asset to my team and my clients.
Entertainment & Media Law
Entertainment & Media Law
Available online and/or on-campus for Part-Time Students
On-campus classes required for Full-Time Students
UCLA School of Law is ranked #1 in the country in entertainment law and is located in the heart of the entertainment and media capital of the world, located 8 miles from Hollywood. This specialization utilizes the strength of location to bring some of the top connections in the industry in the world right to you.
Entertainment Law
Entertainment Transactions
Intellectual Property: Copyrights and Trademarks
The Changing Landscape of Entertainment and Media
Contract Analysis
Negotiation Theory and Practice
Music Industry Law
Copyright Law
Trademark Law
International Intellectual Property
International Sports Law
News Media Law in the Digital Age
Television Law
= available online
Jesse Cannady (MLS '22)
Director of Project Development Thinkwell Group
Someone in the entertainment industry would absolutely benefit from this program. When we look at the history of...the entertainment industry, folks with a legal footing and a legal background have a track record of success. The entertainment industry relies on creativity, but it also relies on how you protect that creativity, which is why there's a real opportunity to learn in this program.
This list is offered as an example, with over 200 courses available. The exact list of courses that will satisfy each specialization will vary from year to year.
Ziffren Institute for Media, Entertainment, Technology and Sports Law
The Ziffren Institute for Media, Entertainment, Technology and Sports Law is a gateway to a meaningful, lifelong career in the technology, intellectual property, entertainment and sports communities. The institute offers one-of-a-kind training, and Ziffren clinics give students the opportunities to make an impact while still in school.
Doug Lichtman
Professor of Law Faculty Director, Ziffren Institute for Media, Entertainment, Technology and Sports Law
Professor Lichtman focuses his teaching and research on topics relating to law and technology. His areas of specialty include patent and copyright law, telecommunications regulation, and information strategy and economics. His work has been featured in numerous journals including the Journal of Law & Economics, the Journal of Legal Studies, the Yale Law Journal, and the Harvard Business Review. He co-authored Telecommunications Law and Policy, a textbook that investigates the federal regulatory regime applicable to broadcast television, cable television, radio, telephony, and the Internet.
How will a Master of Legal Studies help you?
Check out what our students have to say about how the Master of Legal Studies degree helped them in their careers below.
Katie Nicholson (MLS '22)
Vice President of Television, Global and Kids DC Comics
Since starting the MLS program, I was promoted [from Creative Director of TV] at DC Comics. The MLS program has helped prepare me for this new position, while also cementing my professional credibility with an education in Entertainment Law.
Brad Burnside (MLS '24)
Vice President of Creative Music Strategy Paramount
As a leader and someone who wants to continually progress their career in a corporation, I can focus on media and entertainment, but also better understand HR, which could help me on a COO path. The MLS will teach me the content that can really help sharpen my skills.
Environmental Law Specialization
Environmental Law Specialization
On-campus classes required for this specialization
UCLA Law houses one of the top environmental law programs in the world, ranked #1 in the country. Based at UCLA Law, the Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment is the country's leading law school-based center focusing on climate change and other crucial challenges in environmental law and policy. Come and learn from the best!
Environmental Law and Policy
Land Use
Energy Law and Regulation
Public Natural Resources Law and Policy
Climate Change and Energy Law
Topics in California Environmental Law
Comparative Environmental Law
International Environmental Law and Policy
Water Law
Human Rights and Protection of the Environment
Contract Analysis
Regulatory Compliance
= available online
Wannie Park (MLS '22)
Chief Executive Officer Zen Ecosystems
UCLA has an amazing reputation for environmental law, but they also have the Emmett Institute and other organizations that promote the different topics that we're studying. Being a professional, the ability to network with them and the fact that they are so accessible has been so fantastic.
This list is offered as an example, with over 200 courses available. The exact list of courses that will satisfy each specialization will vary from year to year.
Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment
The Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment is among the leading environmental law programs in the country, with faculty members renowned for their public service, teaching excellence, and scholarship in state, federal, and international law. Through groundbreaking research and public interest initiatives, the Emmett Institute helps shape climate change and environmental law and policy in California, the United States, and jurisdictions around the world.
William Boyd
Professor of Law Michael J. Klein Chair in Law Faculty Co-Director, Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment
William Boyd is Professor of Law at UCLA School of Law and Professor at UCLA's Institute of the Environment and Sustainability. Boyd is also a Faculty Co-Director of the Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment. His primary research and teaching interests are in energy law and regulation, climate change law and policy, and environmental law. Much of his recent scholarship has been motivated by two related concerns: (1) how particular ways of thinking have structured the manner in which problems are framed in energy and environmental law and, in turn, how they have shaped specific regulatory responses; and (2) how particular forms of energy and environmental governance are emerging in the context of a plural, fragmented and increasingly global set of institutions and actors. Professor Boyd continues to be actively involved in climate, energy, and environmental policy matters at multiple levels of governance. Since 2009, he has served as the Project Lead for the Governors' Climate and Forests Task Force (GCF), a unique subnational collaboration of 38 states and provinces from Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Mexico, Nigeria, Peru, Spain, and the United States that is working to develop regulatory frameworks to reduce emissions from deforestation and land use. Boyd is also the founding Director of the Laboratory for Energy & Environmental Policy innovation (LEEP), a policy innovation lab based in Boulder, Colorado that works with partners around the world to develop and support real-time policy experiments, establish robust networks for learning and exchange, and contribute to effective and durable policy outcomes.
How will a Master of Legal Studies help you?
Check out what our students have to say about how the Master of Legal Studies degree helped them in their careers below.
Andrew Sandahl (MLS '23)
Biologist BioResource Consultants, Inc.
As a biologist working in the environmental consulting industry, I interact with environmental laws and regulations on a daily basis. The M.L.S. program at UCLA has not only increased my understanding of the laws I work with, but has also changed the way I think about legal issues as a whole. Learning to 'think like a lawyer' is undoubtedly one of the most valuable skills any professional could possess, and this has proved especially true for my work in the environmental field.
Government & National Security Law Specialization
Government & National Security Law Specialization
On-campus classes required for this specialization
UCLA Law is a preeminent training ground for students committed to the practice of criminal justice. Our rigorous criminal justice curriculum encompasses the basic substantive requirements for criminal liability; the procedural rules that accompany the trial process, as well as the doctrines, rules and policies governing the demonstration of facts in court; and the theoretical underpinnings of both criminal law and the U.S. criminal justice system.
Criminal Law
Constitutional Criminal Procedure
National Security Law
Contract Analysis
Privacy, Data and Cybersecurity Law
Federal White Collar Crime
Capital Punishment in America
Anti-Terrorism and Criminal Enforcement
Prison Law and Policy
International and Transnational Criminal Law
Business Crime
Eduardo Miranda (MLS '23)
District Attorney Investigator County of Ventura
I am in an office mixed with investigators and attorneys, and I wanted to better understand how the attorneys think when preparing for trial. I highly recommend this program to anyone that would like to be challenged, learn how the law applies to your career, develop analytical skills, and understand how lawyers think.
This list is offered as an example, with over 200 courses available. The exact list of courses that will satisfy each specialization will vary from year to year.
Beth Colgan
Professor of Law
Professor Colgan's primary research and teaching interests are in criminal law and procedure and juvenile justice. She is one of the country's leading experts on constitutional and policy issues related to the use of economic sanctions as punishment and particularly on the Eighth Amendment's excessive fines clause. In addition to her interest in the intersection between criminal legal systems and poverty, Professor Colgan's research also investigates the treatment of juveniles in juvenile and adult criminal contexts and indigent defense.
How will a Master of Legal Studies help you?
Check out what our students have to say about how the Master of Legal Studies degree helped them in their careers below.
Madison Pacini (MLS '23)
Full-Time Student
An M.L.S. degree will enhance my knowledge of the law. I am looking forward to dissecting cases and understanding the legal process for civil and criminal cases.
Lucy Ortiz (MLS '24)
Judicial Courtroom Assistant Kern County Superior Court
I want to grow professionally...to learn from all the professors and meet other students with similar interests. This is the perfect program for me.
Health Law & Policy Specialization
Health Law & Policy Specialization
Available online and/or on-campus for Part-Time Students
On-campus classes required for Full-Time Students
Healthcare is a highly regulated industry with constantly changing legal challenges. This specialization is ideal for those who wish to accelerate their careers in health policy, health care administration, or clinical care.
Health Law and Policy
Bioethics and Healhcare Privacy (includes HIPAA)
Health Care Access
FDA Law
Compliance Law
Privacy, Data and Cybersecurity Law
Introduction to Food Law and Policy
Administrative Law
Cannabis Law and Regulation
Legislation and Regulation
Disability Law
Tax-Exempt Organizations
= available online
Anish Dube (MLS '23)
Associate Professor Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science
I want to understand where [legal practitioners] are coming from, to understand mental health from within the legal system, and to be able to speak the language of legal professionals. Some of the most interesting perspectives have been outside of medicine.
This list is offered as an example, with over 200 courses available. The exact list of courses that will satisfy each specialization will vary from year to year.
Jill Horwitz
David Sanders Professorship in Law and Medicine Professor of Public Affairs (by courtesy) Founding Faculty Director, Program on Philanthropy and Nonprofits
Professor Horwitz teaches Health Law and Nonprofit Law, as well as seminars in law and economics, governance, and health care reform. Both a legal scholar and policy expert, Professor Horwitz is addressing some of the most pressing law and policy issues of our day, including the opioid crisis, health insurance, and health care markets. A highly productive scholar, she has published widely in top law reviews, health policy journals, and economics journals. Her empirical research on hospital ownership and medical service provision has won several awards.
How will a Master of Legal Studies help you?
Check out what our students have to say about how the Master of Legal Studies degree helped them in their careers below.
Jennifer Alcaide (MLS '22)
Interventional Psychiatry Manager, UC San Diego Health Lecturer, School of Social Work, San Diego State University
I want to learn more about how best to advocate for the patients we serve every day and the greater community.
Socorro Gertmenian (MLS '24)
Director of Quality Management and Compliance Wellnest
I want to understand the law, be able to interpret it and know it well enough without needing to consult. I want to better support my team, our clients, and our organization.
Law & Technology Specialization
Law & Technology Specialization
Available online and/or on-campus for Part-Time Students
On-campus classes required for Full-Time Students
As technology and the law become more intertwined, UCLA Law will prepare you with the expertise required in this quickly evolving field. Whether you are a technologist, patent agent, cybersecurity professional, engineer, data privacy officer, or information protection specialist, this program will prepare you for the future.
Intellectual Property
Privacy, Data and Cybersecurity Law
Internet Law
Law for Entrepreneurs
Innovation Law: Patents and Law for Innovators
Patent Law
Copyright Law
Trademark Law
Future Law: Law and Governance under Transformative Societal Trends
Telecommunications Regulation
Antitrust Law
= available online
Patrick Ip (MLS '23)
Chief Executive Officer, Solar Plus Investments Product Marketing, NextSense, Inc
UCLA has an amazing reputation for environmental law, but they also have the Emmett Institute and other organizations that promote the different topics that we're studying. Being a professional, the ability to network with them and the fact that they are so accessible has been so fantastic.
This list is offered as an example, with over 200 courses available. The exact list of courses that will satisfy each specialization will vary from year to year.
Institute for Technology, Law & Policy
The Institute for Technology, Law & Policy undertakes cross-disciplinary research to learn how both established and emerging technologies influence society, privacy, law and public policy. The Institute for Technology, Law & Policy examines the benefits and risks presented by technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning, robotics, cybersecurity and digital media and communications.
Alex Alben
Lecturer in Law
Professor Alben teaches Privacy, Data & Cybsersecurity at the UCLA School of Law. He has previously taught Internet Law and Privacy courses at both UCLA and the University of Washington law school. For most of his career, Alex served as a senior executive for pioneering Internet companies RealNetworks and Starwave Corporation, where he created new digital media products that enabled the distribution of video and music on the Internet and worked with industry groups to devise new content distribution models. Alben is engaged in both research and policy development relating to Cybersecurity, Anti-Trust issues relating to Big Tech and the ethical conundrums created by Artificial Intelligence.
How will a Master of Legal Studies help you?
Check out what our students have to say about how the Master of Legal Studies degree helped them in their careers below.
Carrie Zimmermann (MLS '24)
Program Execution SME Ross Aero LLC
I've always loved law and would like to be a part of the new legal terrain currently being navigated in the space and cyber world.
Daniel Lafeir (MLS '23)
Lead Consultant, Developer Thoughtworks
This program has been a great cross-training on something that is persuasive in my professional and personal life. The skills I have learned have directly made an impact on how I approach my work.
Public Interest Law Specialization
Public Interest Law Specialization
On-campus classes required for this specialization
UCLA is home to one of the most innovative and successful public interest programs in the nation. The David J. Epstein Program in Public Interest Law and Policy offers membership in a vibrant community of students and faculty as well as an intellectually ambitious curriculum that grapples with the fundamental questions in public interest advocacy.
Contract Analysis
Civil Rights
Disability Law
Education and the Law
Election Law
Environmental Law and Policy
Human Rights and Animal Rights
Immigration Law
Public Benefits Law and Anti-Poverty Policy
Tax-Exempt Organizations
Women and the Law
Policing, Race, and Sexuality
Policing Poverty
Nonprofit Tax and Advocacy
= available online
Mia Colación (MLS '22)
Regional UniServ Staff California Teachers Association
I became interested in pursuing an M.L.S. degree because I realized it would allow me to obtain an advanced degree focused on law but tailored to my passion for social justice.
This list is offered as an example, with over 200 courses available. The exact list of courses that will satisfy each specialization will vary from year to year.
David J. Epstein Program in Public Interest Law and Policy
The Promise Institute for Human Rights
Center on Reproductive Health, Law and Policy
Critical Race Studies
The Williams Institute
Criminal Justice Program
Native Nations Law and Policy
Center for Immigration Law and Policy
Prison Law and Policy Program
Kimberlé W. Crenshaw
Distinguished Professor of Law Promise Institute Chair in Human Rights
Professor Crenshaw teaches Civil Rights and other courses in critical race studies and constitutional law. Her primary scholarly interests center around race and the law, and she was a founder and has been a leader in the intellectual movement called Critical Race Theory. Professor Crenshaw's publications include Critical Race Theory (edited by Crenshaw, et al., 1995) and Words that Wound: Critical Race Theory, Assaultive Speech and the First Amendment (with Matsuda, et al., 1993).
How will a Master of Legal Studies help you?
Check out what our students have to say about how the Master of Legal Studies degree helped them in their careers below.
Alejandra Reyes-Velarde (MLS '24)
Metro Reporter Los Angeles Times
I'm aware of how the legal system touches so many of our lives. Being from Los Angeles and born to immigrant parents and covering Latino L.A., I feel a responsibility to learn more about law.
Jon Deutsch (MLS '22)
Community Relations Coordinator Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority
This program is full of problem solvers; people who, no matter where they are in their careers, are interested in taking it to the next level and delving deeper
General Studies and Self-Designed Specialization
General Studies and Self-Designed Specialization
Available online and/or on-campus for Part-/Full-Time Students
Students who want to take a variety of courses may elect General Studies (no specialization) or self-design an individual program of study (with approval) in lieu of an offered specialization.
Contract Analysis
Law for Entrepreneurs
Compliance Law
Principals of Tax Law
Privacy, Data and Cybersecurity Law
Entertainment Law
Entertainment Transactions
Intellectual Property: Copyrights and Trademarks
The Changing Landscape of Entertainment and Media
Contract Analysis
Health Law and Policy
Bioethics and Healhcare Privacy (includes HIPAA)
Health Care Access
FDA Law
Compliance Law
Employment Law
Employment Discrimination
Compensation and Working Conditions
Disability Law
Public Health Law and Policy
Future Law: Law and Governance under Transformative Societal Trends
Internet Law
= available online
This list is offered as an example, with over 200 courses available. The exact list of courses that will satisfy each specialization will vary from year to year.
How will a Master of Legal Studies help you?
Check out what our students have to say about how the Master of Legal Studies degree helped them in their careers below.
Christine Shaw (MLS '22)
Senior Vice President of Communications FX Networks
Legal studies aren't something you learn overnight. Being able to dig in, practice, and refresh to apply those core topics to future courses is structured really well. The [MLS] program offers you real life, real time utilization of what you're learning.
Victoria Canales-Torres (MLS '23)
News Assistant KABC7-TV
As I continue growing in the field, I'm eager to explore the intersection of technology, journalism, and the law, so that I can apply theories, methods, and frameworks to story production. [The MLS] is a perfect fit for a journalist, like me, who wants to learn to think like a lawyer.
Lowell Milken Institute for Business Law and Policy
Ziffren Institute for Media, Entertainment, Technology and Sports Law
Emmett Institute on Climate Change and the Environment
Ziman Center for Real Estate
David J. Epstein Program in Public Interest Law & Policy
The Williams Institute
Critical Race Studies
The Promise Institute for Human Rights
Center on Reproductive Health, Law & Policy
Native Nations Law & Policy Center
Center for Immigration Law and Policy
Institute for Technology, Law & Policy
Center for Law & Economics
Criminal Justice Program
With the approval of the program's Assistant Dean, students may develop their own individualized specialization in a field in which the M.L.S. program does not currently offer one. Individualized specializations must be materially different from any of the eight existing standard specializations.
