Online Master’s Programs in Health Law & Policy
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For the 2023-2024 academic year, we have 112 schools in our MHAOnline.com database and those that advertise with us are labeled “sponsor”. When you click on a sponsoring school or program, or fill out a form to request information from a sponsoring school, we may earn a commission. View our advertising disclosure for more details.
“An MPH, MS, or law degree in policy and health law is really important to understand the background of legislation, where we’ve gone, how we’ve gone to where we are today, and what the regulatory challenges are within the healthcare system now.”
Carl H. Coleman, Professor of Law and Associate Dean for Graduate Programs, Seton Hall Law School
Healthcare is one of the most regulated industries in the world, and the introduction of an estimated 10,000 pages of legislation in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) added thousands of new regulations and policies and millions of new patients. With trillions of dollars invested in healthcare and a rapidly evolving legal landscape, the stakes and complexities in health law and policy have never been higher. Those with a comprehensive understanding of healthcare and law and how they interact with each other can advance their career and advocate for better patient care and reformed legislation.
Healthcare law affects a wide range of professions. Advanced practice nurses, paralegals, physicians, insurance professionals, community service managers, and social workers can all benefit from furthering their education by obtaining a master’s degree in health law and policy. Such master’s degrees are often paired with a law school but do not require a Juris Doctor (JD) or Law School Admission Test (LSAT) score to attend, thus providing an excellent legal education that bolsters one’s current career track instead of deviating from it.
However, Professionals with their JD can pursue a master of law (LLM) in health law and policy to specialize in the intricacies that affect large corporations, small businesses, local governments, and patients. With a field as sprawling as healthcare, sub-specialties and minor concentrations reach across the spectrum. Whether one is considering a role in the public or private sector, options exist for a deeply targeted education—whether as part of an LLM, a master of health policy, or even a focused specialization in compliance.
The Affordable Care Act was passed in 2010, and there’s a growing demand for interpretation, implementation, and further reform advocacy by educated professionals. With the new American Healthcare Act looming on the horizon, the demand for these skills is expected to only increase. Fortunately, some of the world’s best universities and professors are training a new crop of specialists to meet that demand, and the programs are more accessible than ever.
| Featured Healthcare Law & Policy Programs | ||
|---|---|---|
| Arizona State University | Clinical Research Management - Regulatory Science (MS) | View Full Profile |
| Arizona State University | Corporate and Healthcare Compliance (MLS) | View Full Profile |
| Arizona State University | Healthcare Law and Administration (MLS) | View Full Profile |
| Johns Hopkins University - Advanced Academic Programs | MS Individualized Genomics and Health - Regulatory/Policy | View Full Profile |
| Johns Hopkins University - Advanced Academic Programs | MS Regulatory Science | View Full Profile |
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For the 2023-2024 academic year, we have 112 schools in our MHAOnline.com database and those that advertise with us are labeled “sponsor”. When you click on a sponsoring school or program, or fill out a form to request information from a sponsoring school, we may earn a commission. View our advertising disclosure for more details. |
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Meet the Expert: Carl H. Coleman, JD
Carl H. Coleman is a professor of law and associate dean for graduate programs at Seton Hall Law School. Before joining the Seton Hall faculty, he was executive director of the New York State Task Force on Life and the Law, an interdisciplinary commission charged with developing public policy on issues raised by medical advances.
Coleman has served as a bioethics and law adviser to the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, Switzerland, and as a member of the Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Human Research Protections (SACHRP) of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. He has published extensively in law reviews and peer-reviewed journals and is the lead author of The Ethics and Regulation of Research with Human Subjects (second edition, 2015, with Menikoff, Golder & Paradisis). He received his JD, magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School and holds a master’s of arts in east asian studies from Harvard University and a bachelor of science in foreign service, cum laude, from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.
MHAOnline.com: What do you wish the public understood about online master’s degrees in health law and policy programs?
Coleman: The MLS degree is designed to give non-lawyer professionals the legal knowledge and skills necessary to advance in heavily regulated industries like healthcare and pharmaceuticals. MLS graduates are familiar with the key laws and regulations governing the industry and have the skills to monitor and evaluate changes in the law. Significantly, they also know how to recognize situations that require seeking the advice of an attorney.
The degree is particularly useful for individuals seeking to work in compliance or risk management, as these fields require substantial knowledge of the legal context of business decisions.
MHAOnline.com: What advice would you give aspiring online master’s degree in health law and policy students?
Coleman: Because our MLS program is entirely asynchronous, most communication occurs in writing. Aspiring students are, therefore, encouraged to work on developing their writing skills. The ability to search for and sort through information online is also important. Finally, MLS students need to be self-directed and organized, as the program requires submitting multiple assignments each week according to deadlines.
Meet the Expert: Negin Fouladi, PhD
Dr. Negin Fouladi serves as program director and academic and career development advisor of several online public health and health administration programs in the University of Maryland School of Health Policy and Management (HPM). She teaches graduate and undergraduate courses on health systems, health policy and services research methods, healthcare strategic planning nand marketing, and global health and health policy.
MHAOnline.com: What do you wish the public understood about online master’s degrees in health law and policy programs?
Dr. Fouladi: An MPH, MS, or law degree in policy and health law is really important to understand the background of legislation, where we’ve gone, how we’ve gone to where we are today, and what the regulatory challenges are within the healthcare system now. It can also give us the background to look at other developed nations comparatively to see how they structured their regulatory and policy-making processes. I think the strength of a health policy and law-based degree is to understand that process and realize that a lot goes into it. It doesn’t happen overnight, but there are very important steps and points of influence within that structure.
The other thing to understand is that policymaking highly depends on electability and re-electability. Ultimately, that’s really what policymakers do, and their main concern is getting elected and re-elected. They tend to, regardless of their own personal views, align with constituency groups that support them. I believe that 80 to 90 percent of policy is affected by politics.
MHAOnline.com: What advice would you give aspiring online master’s degree in health law and policy students?
Dr. Fouladi: Number one, I think patience is a virtue and is very much needed to get into anything related to politics, law, and policy. At the same time, recognize that change happens incrementally, but when it does happen, it has the potential to impact huge populations. Often, the results are fantastic. Know that if you want to make system-level changes, you have to understand the processes.
Students should determine if they want to have a more on-the-ground type of approach or if they want to have the capacity to make changes at a higher level and to become decision-makers. Because these programs are about building you up to become an informed, evidence-based decision-maker.
Featured Online Master’s in Health Law & Policy Degrees
The master’s of science in regulatory science at Johns Hopkins University is an online program designed to equip students with the skills to navigate the complex landscape of regulations in the medical and pharmaceutical industries. The program covers various aspects of regulatory science, including compliance, consumer safety, and public health, and is suitable for those aiming to work in regulatory affairs or government agencies. It requires the completion of 10 courses over 20 to 36 months, offering flexibility for working professionals. The curriculum includes electives that allow students to tailor their studies to specific career goals, such as business or scientific aspects of regulatory science.
- Location: Washington, DC
- Accreditation: Middle States Commission on Higher Education
- Format: Online
- Expected Time to Completion: 20 to 36 months
The University of Cincinnati offers an online healthcare policy and regulation graduate certificate program. This fully online program does not require any campus visits.
The program trains students to evaluate the impact of different policies and programs in healthcare on patients and other individuals. The faculty includes world-class professors who are active leaders in health administration.
The major admission requirements include a bachelor’s degree program, official undergraduate transcripts, a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0, letters of reference, a current resume, a letter of intent, and TOEFL scores for international students.
The program comprises 12 credits. Some course topics include organization and delivery of health systems, health policy and regulation, legal and ethical issues, principles of leadership, healthcare finance, and analysis and decision-making.
Through this program, students understand how the law applies to the healthcare system. The program equips them with skills to organize, manage, and regulate the delivery of healthcare services. They are well-equipped to make decisions and actionable plans for achieving specific healthcare goals within a society.
At the end of the program, graduates can pursue several opportunities in healthcare law, government relations, planning and development, information and privacy, health education, and health insurance. They can take up roles such as chief executive officer, information systems manager, government relations officer, and planning and development manager.
- Location: Cincinnati, Ohio
- Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
- Format: Online
- Expected Time to Completion: 18 months
Arizona State University’s Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law has an online master of legal studies (MLS) with a concentration in corporate and healthcare compliance. Students learn about constitutional law, legal entities and structure, criminal procedure, company policies for regulatory adherence, U.S. law, and the interpretation of laws and regulations, among other foundational topics for non-lawyers in healthcare. ASU has externships with entities such as the U.S. Court of Appeals (Federal Circuit), the U.S. Patent Office, and the Arizona State Supreme Court.
To apply, candidates must have a bachelor’s degree with at least a 3.0 GPA and submit a personal statement, two letters of recommendation, a writing sample, and a resume. The school considers applicants’ work experience and career aspirations, among other factors. Graduate school entrance exams are not required for admission.
The program consists of 30 credits. Course topics include U.S. law and legal analysis, fundamentals of contract law, tort law, conducting fact investigators and reporting, data privacy and protection, healthcare industry compliance, fraud examination, U.S. constitution law, and property.
- Location: Phoenix, Arizona
- Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
- Format: Online
- Expected Time to Completion: One or two years
Duquesne University offers an online master of health administration (MHA) program through the John G. Rangos School of Health Sciences. The program has three concentrations: health informatics and data analytics, healthcare compliance and risk management, and population health.
The healthcare compliance and risk management track teaches students to identify and reduce the risk of regulatory, legal, and policy violations. The courses are taught by industry experts with considerable experience. Students can use this knowledge to structure programs that promote ethical business practices and minimize risks.
While the program’s coursework is fully online, students must attend a three-day on-campus residency. This residency allows them to network with faculty, classmates, prospective employers, and industry experts. The program faculty includes internationally renowned professors who practice in the healthcare community.
Admission requirements for the program include a four-year bachelor’s degree, a cumulative undergraduate grade point average of 3.0, curriculum vitae, an essay and a statement of purpose, letters of recommendation, and TOEFL scores for international students. Previous work experience or GRE is not required for admission.
Made up of 42 credits, the program is designed to make students knowledgeable, preparing them to redefine the future of healthcare.
The curriculum includes courses in healthcare human resources management, healthcare economics and policy, healthcare marketing and strategic planning, healthcare law and ethics, and healthcare information systems.
Students learn to design, develop, and adopt IT-based innovations to improve healthcare delivery. Through the coursework, they also explore major health promotion and disease prevention issues, discuss epidemiological concepts, learn how to identify the risk of policy, regulatory, or legal violations, and develop programs for mitigating risk. Graduates of this program work for leading companies, nonprofits and public institutions, and more.
- Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Accreditation: Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
- Format: Online with a three-day on-campus residency
- Expected Time to Completion: 16 to 24 months
Students pursuing an online graduate-level health law and policy education at Hofstra University can link up with the Gitenstein Institute for Health Law and Policy. In this school, students, faculty, and industry leaders collaborate to make positive changes in the national healthcare system. Hofstra University’s Maurice A. Deane School of Law offers two master’s programs in health law and policy. Students with a law degree (JD or LLB) can enroll in the master of law program, while students without a law degree can enroll in the master of arts program.
In the online 25-credit LLM program, students will take nine courses over 18 months. In the classroom, students are challenged with discussion topics pulled from the headlines. Upon graduation, they join an alumni base of over 10,000 professionals working at the highest levels of the public and private sectors.
Students will study topics such as an introduction to the American legal system, bioethics and the law, the law of medical product discovery, development, and commercialization, business transactions in healthcare, public health law, policy, and ethics, representing healthcare providers, and healthcare compliance. The courses may be taken exclusively online, but state restrictions may apply in Alabama, Minnesota, and Arkansas. No LSAT, GMAT, or GRE scores are required to apply.
- Location: Hempstead, New York
- Accreditation: American Bar Association (ABA); Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
- Format: Online
- Expected Time to Completion: 18 months
Seton Hall created the Center for Health & Pharmaceutical Law & Policy to provide comprehensive education on how law and policy interact and impact the healthcare and life sciences industries. The online master of legal studies degree allows students to specialize in several fields, including health and hospital law.
The program is designed for those without a law degree and will begin with introductory and review classes on law fundamentals. The core classes are in healthcare compliance and the law of patient care, and electives include biotechnology, food and drug law, and bioethics.
The program consists of a minimum of 31 credits. Some courses are offered on-campus, but earning the degree exclusively through online offerings is possible. No LSAT, GMAT, or GRE scores are required. Seton Hall Law School also offers an online master of law (LLM) degree in health law.
- Location: Newark, New Jersey
- Accreditation: American Bar Association (ABA); Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
- Format: Online with the option to take some on-campus courses
- Expected Time to Completion: 18 months to two years
The University of Maryland’s online master of public health (MPH) in public health practice and policy focuses on supplementing industry knowledge with intensive leadership training woven into every course, enhanced with a thorough mentorship program, and finalized in an integrated internship and capstone project.
After completing core classes on the principles of public health—topics such as health systems, epidemiology, and biostatistics—students take courses on practice and management, research methods, strategic planning, economic analysis, and law and ethics. The program comprises 45 multidisciplinary credits and requires four to five residency days on campus. No LSAT, GMAT, or GRE scores are required.
- Location: College Park, Maryland
- Accreditation: Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH); Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
- Format: Online with on-campus residencies
- Expected Time to Completion: 24 months
The University of Denver’s online master’s degree in healthcare management with a concentration in healthcare policy and regulatory leadership offers a professional practitioner faculty, a customizable schedule, and a career-focused education through its project- and practice-based curriculum. Preparing students for the NAHQ Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality (CPHQ) accreditation exam, this concentration allows students to develop a robust understanding of legislative procedures, healthcare systems, and quality improvement as they each relate to healthcare policy.
Concentration courses focus on comparative healthcare systems, healthcare public policy and the legislative process, quality improvement for healthcare leaders, and ethical considerations in healthcare. Electives are offered in healthcare macroeconomics, management principles, change management, and organizational behavior. The program consists of 48 credits, split across 12 courses into ten-week terms. Classes may be taken either online or on campus, and no GMAT or GRE scores are required.
- Location: Denver, Colorado
- Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
- Format: Online
- Expected Time to Completion: 18 months to three years
As one of the top ten graduate public health schools, UC Berkeley’s MPH degree with a concentration in health policy management (HPM) gives students access to a public research university that connects them with industry leaders. In addition to core requirements, the health policy and management concentration offers courses in strategic management in the healthcare sector, organizational behavior and management, healthcare finance, advanced health policy, the economics of population health, and health economics.
A separate field-based component provides a pathway for students to obtain practical experience—self-direction with structured guidance is the operating model. The program consists of a minimum of 42 credits, 90 percent of which can be completed online. Two campus visits are required: five days in the first year and ten days in the second year, each occurring in June. GRE scores are not required but are encouraged.
- Location: Berkeley, California
- Accreditation: Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH); Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC)
- Format: Online with two on-campus visits
- Expected Time to Completion: Two to 2.5 years
Loyola University offers an online master of law (LLM) in health law program and an online master of jurisprudence (MJ) program in health law. Loyola ranked #4 in the country in healthcare law by the U.S. News & World Report (2024). Both programs allow students an option to concentrate their studies on compliance. Students who focus on compliance will be eligible to receive a Certificate in Compliance, enabling them to sit for compliance industry examinations.
The LLM program is for attorneys who wish to develop specialized expertise in health law and focuses on the regulatory, legal, ethical, political, and economic aspects of healthcare delivery. The program offers a comprehensive study on health law topics, including fraud and abuse, compliance, and payment. This 24-credit LLM program includes courses such as introduction to health law and policy, healthcare financing; administrative law and healthcare regulation; conducting internal investigations; and healthcare payment and policy.
The master of jurisprudence (MJ) program is for healthcare professionals and non-attorneys who want to understand healthcare laws, policies, and regulations. Graduates through this program will increase their knowledge of the law and better understand healthcare’s complex regulatory environment.
The 30-credit MJ degree includes courses such as introduction to legal study and writing, legal research, healthcare regulation and policy, risk management, patient safety and quality, public health and the law, and healthcare privacy and security.
- Location: Chicago, Illinois
- Accreditation: American Bar Association (ABA); Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
- Format: Online
- Expected Time to Completion: Two to five years
Nova Southeastern University’s online master of science (MS) in health law trains students to identify, research, and communicate complex issues at the crossroads of law and health. They then incorporate applicable statutory, case, and administrative law to aid their resolution. The program offers five concentration options: cybersecurity law, risk management, regulatory compliance, health care administration law, and clinical research law and regulatory compliance.
Interdisciplinary courses range from regulatory compliance and healthcare ethics to cyber law and FDA law. Each student must complete four breadth classes, four program core classes, 12 to 14 credits of electives, and one capstone, with the option to write a thesis and a scholarly article suitable for publication. The program consists of at least 36 credits, all of which can be completed online, with opportunities to attend class sessions via webinar. No GMAT, LSAT, or GRE scores are required.
- Location: Fort Lauderdale, Florida
- Accreditation: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)
- Format: Online
- Expected Time to Completion: Two years
The University of Arizona’s James E. Rogers College of Law offers an online master of legal studies (MLS) in health law and policy. It’s available both online and in person. The program comprises ten courses that last 7.5 weeks each in the distance-based format, including five health law courses and five core courses in legal fundamentals. With multiple start dates and exceptional student support, UA’s program imparts a solid foundation in the growing field of health law, with training in FDA regulations, legal analysis and writing, emergent technologies shaping the industry, and healthcare business legislation, among other integral areas.
This 30-credit program includes courses such as clinical research ethics, leadership and equity in the life sciences, legal and regulatory fundamentals for healthcare business, introduction to information privacy, healthcare ethics, data privacy and cybersecurity in healthcare, public health law and ethics, and liability and regulation of healthcare professionals.
- Location: Tucson, Arizona
- Accreditation: Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
- Format: Online
- Expected Time to Completion: One year
The master of jurisprudence program in healthcare compliance is offered through Stetson University’s College of Law. Founded in 1900 as Florida’s first law school, this College of Law is a leader in international legal education and is fully accredited by the American Bar Association. Healthcare professionals with no legal background but who wish to understand regulatory compliance issues and healthcare laws are ideal candidates for this online program.
This four-semester program, which comprises 30 credits, includes courses such as fundamentals of contract law, legal research, ethics and professionalism, risk management in healthcare programs, professionalism and the court system, healthcare organizational culture of compliance and ethics, and fraud and abuse. GRE scores are not required for those with appropriate work experience.
- Location: DeLand, FL
- Accreditation: American Bar Association (ABA); Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)
- Format: Online
- Expected Time to Completion: Two to three years
