Put the power of BU Law behind your career.

You already have real skill and experience in your field. But why stop there? The legal training you gain as an MSL student takes your background to the next level by adding a new dimension to your analytical and problem-solving abilities.

As part of the MSL program, you’ll learn directly from renowned legal scholars and accomplished practitioners who teach across our top-ranked degree programs. They bring decades of real-world experience into the classroom, giving you practical insight into how statutes, regulations, and legal strategy apply across various sectors.

Through your coursework, you will build a sophisticated grasp of legal strategy, giving you the fluency and authority to navigate complex regulations and lead key initiatives in your field.

While this degree does not qualify you to practice law or sit for the bar exam, it equips you with the same fundamental baseline as your legal counterparts. Adding that critical legal knowledge to your toolkit redefines what you can do, and how far you can go.

Tailor your degree to the path you’re on

The MSL requires 30 total credits built around a customizable curriculum that lets you target the legal topics most relevant to your goals—from intellectual property and health law to banking, compliance, and corporate governance.

How you build your curriculum:

• Foundational US Law: Start with a course in US law (like Constitutional Law or Intro to American Law) alongside dedicated legal research and writing training.
• BU Law Electives: Choose at least 22 credits from a broad selection of existing JD and LLM courses, studying directly alongside degree-seeking law students.
• Cross-Disciplinary Options: Apply up to 8 approved graduate credits from other BU schools—including business, public health, or communications—directly toward your degree.
• No Thesis Required: Focus entirely on practical coursework and writing seminars, backed by dedicated support from BU Law writing coaches.

Designing your MSL around your specific goals means walking away with legal expertise you can put to work immediately.

Boston is an epicenter for legal education and is a destination where the world comes together to learn and grow.

Boston’s status as a global learning hub is driven by the remarkable concentration of talent and industry packed into a single city.  World-class organizations in tech, healthcare, finance, higher education, media, and government all operate side-by-side here. That puts our students in close proximity to where policy leaders, legal minds, and industry experts are shaping these fields every day. That dense, interconnected ecosystem makes Boston a special setting to learn, network, and grow.

As an MSL student at BU, you aren’t just studying legal concepts in isolation. You’re learning within an active community shaped by major industries, diverse global viewpoints, and world-class legal scholars.

What you get by studying in Boston:

• See how law works in real time across business, tech, and health policy
• Hear from impressive guest speakers and leaders in the field
• Go to BU Law events and meet people in your industry
• Learn from a huge pool of experts in law, business, and government

At BU, you’re in the heart of it all.

Right next to campus, you can walk or run along the Charles River Esplanade. Fenway Park is just a short walk away, and the Public Garden, the State House, and the rest of the city are right down the street. Everywhere you go, you’ll find cool history, great spots to hang out, and a smart, fun city vibe you won’t find anywhere else.