School of Public Service

Master of Science in Health Law and Policy

Picture of Student

Offered in cooperation with the College of Law, this practical degree is the perfect fit for students wanting an education in health care regulation, policy, and ethics. Candidates must have 2-4 years work experience in a health care-related organization or field. Current students come from hospitals, insurance companies, and law firms.

Admission Requirements

  • official transcripts from all undergraduate universities attended showing the successful completion of a bachelor degree with a 3.0 out of 4.0 GPA.
  • a resume
  • a two-page personal statement describing your educational and career goals, relevant work or volunteer experience, and any special circumstances affecting past or prospective academic performance
  • an interview with J.Patrick Murphy or Maureen Scott

The Health Law and Policy Program is not a preparatory program for law school admission. Students whose primary interest is in the study of law should apply to the College of Law for admission to the Juris Doctor Program.

“The Master of Science in Health Law and Policy provides students with first-rate instruction on the basics of analytical and quantitative reasoning. In turn, these students become professionals who have a solid foundation and focus to tackle the difficult decisions they face in the real world.” — Jennifier A. Herd, Chicago Department of Public Health

  • DePaul’s Health Law Institute is the first ABA-accredited program of its kind in the U.S. and consistently ranked among the nation's top 10 health law programs.

    Successful completion of this degree requires a minimum of 34 credit hours in the School of Public Service and 15 semester hours in the College of Law. Public Service courses carry four credit hours and each law course carries three semester hours, unless otherwise specified.
        
    Descriptions of required and elective courses can be found in the on-line course catalog.
       
    Required Courses

    School of Public Service (34 credit hours)
    MPS 499 Presentation Skills
    MPS 500 Introduction to Public Service Management
    MPS 501 Cross-Sector Analysis
    MPS 514 Government Financial Administration
    or MPS 515 Nonprofit Financial Administration
    or MPS 541 Economic Foundations
    MPS 542 Policy Design and Analysis
    MPS 562 Introduction to Health Law
    MPS 570 Research Methods in Public Service
    MPS 580 Quantitative Methods in Public Service
    or MPS 581 Advanced Quantitative Methods
    MPS 590 Applied Research
    MPS 593 Integrative Seminar
    or MPS 585 Thesis Design and MPS 598 Thesis Research

    Law Courses (15 credit hours)
    Students choose one from each category:

    Corporate
    LAW 727 Health Care Law & Regulations
    LAW 706 Health Law and Policy
    LAW 723* Issues in Health Law Applications

    Ethics
    LAW 206 Sexuality, Sexual Orientation and the Law
    LAW 701 Legal and Public Policy Aspects of Medical Ethics
    LAW 250 Senior Research Seminar: Medical Malpractice or Public Law
    LAW 472 Mental Health Law
    LAW 724 Medical Malpractice

    Elective Courses
    Students choose two courses:
    LAW 206 Sexuality, Sexual Orientation and the Law
    LAW 424 Health Care Reimbursement Programs
    LAW 472 Mental Health Law
    LAW 701 Legal and Public Policy Aspects of Medical Ethics
    LAW 702 Elder Law
    LAW 706 Health Policy and the Law
    LAW 711 Legal Aspects of AIDS
    LAW 720 Antitrust Issues in Health Care
    LAW 722 Employment Law Issues for Health Care Providers
    LAW 724 Medical Malpractice
    LAW 728 Food and Drug Law
    LAW 732 Dispute Resolution in the Health Care Setting
    LAW 734 Health Care Contracts
    LAW 713 Health Care Privacy Law

    NOTE: 424 and 720 require approval of the director of the Health Law Institute.