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Compliance & Risk Management, MLS

Become a trusted expert on the critical nuances of compliance and risk management through a flexible online MLS in Compliance and Risk Management degree program.

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About this Program

Get High-Demand Legal Training in Compliance & Risk Management to Advance Your Career

Become a trusted expert on the critical nuances of compliance and risk management through a flexible online degree program.

The Master of Legal Studies (MLS) in Compliance and Risk Management provides training in legal methods, analysis and communication.

Our students and alumni use their practical legal training in a variety of industries to build robust compliance programs, without pursuing a traditional attorney path.*

Grounded in tradition and located in the heart of one of America’s most dynamic and diverse business hubs, Seattle University School of Law offers a valuable degree for individuals looking to advance in their careers.

In an increasingly regulated global environment, businesses need in-house trusted experts to manage and assess risks and opportunities.

This legal education will prepare non-attorneys to perform these tasks and assume leadership roles within organizations.

Our fully online masters program prepares you to lead compliance efforts in any organization, regardless of industry.

  • You graduate with a commanding knowledge of law, legal analysis and the frameworks used to identify, assess and respond to risk.
  • You learn the laws and regulations related to sports, data and cybersecurity, healthcare, finance and corporate compliance and risk.
  • Understanding these regulations and how they impact organizations is critical to working effectively as a compliance officer.

*ABA requirements do not allow MLS coursework to count toward a future Juris Doctorate (JD) degree. The MLS does not enable you to sit for a bar exam or practice law.

Online MLS in Compliance and Risk Management at a Glance

Learn how an online MLS in Compliance and Risk Management will contribute to your career goals. Then, explore course requirements and see how impactful a Seattle University degree can be.

The program begins with a series of foundational courses in legal institutions, methods, and communication, including research and writing.

As a student, you will move next into the core aspects of compliance operations, e.g., investigation, auditing, and report writing, and then have the opportunity to develop specialized knowledge in one or more of the industries featured in the program (healthcare, finance, data, and cybersecurity).

Throughout the MLS program you will have the opportunity to learn from a faculty composed of experienced legal educators and adjunct faculty drawn from Seattle’s leading businesses.

At the end of this degree program, graduates should be able to:

  • Interpret cases, statutes, and regulations related to the law and policy of compliance and risk management across myriad industries.
  • Analyze the role of the U.S. legal system, especially administrative bodies, in relation to business or industry compliance and risk.
  • Examine compliance and risk through a legal lens, to include legal analysis, research, and written and verbal communication.
  • Demonstrate an ability to perform critical non-attorney roles ethically and with cultural competency regardless of industry or business environment.

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Top 20

Most Innovative Law Schools —National Jurist/PreLaw 2020-23

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Diversity, International Law, Business Law —National Jurist/PreLaw 2020-23

Specialty Tracks Designed for Your Career

Learn From A Leader: YouTube video: How an MLS Degree Can Help Advance your Healthcare Compliance Career
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Healthcare Compliance

Healthcare compliance is an exciting field that impacts everyone. Prepare for a career in this evolving industry with our broad curriculum, including three courses focused on compliance and risk management for healthcare.

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Kelli Rodriguez, Director of MLS Programs & Sports Law
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Corporate Compliance

Our MLS degree will help you become a vital contributor to the strategic success of organizations that lead innovation, promote corporate responsibility and contribute to economic development. Get ready for your role with courses focused on privacy, ethics and compliance.

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YouTube cover art: A Focus on Financial Compliance | Seattle U's Online MLS Program
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Financial Compliance

The financial compliance concentration emphasizes the law and the policies behind the regulatory landscape of financial compliance. You will be empowered to address the strategic needs of organizations and ethically create value for organizations and society as a whole.

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YouTube cover art: A Career For the Future: Cybersecurity Compliance with Darren Hayes
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Data and Cybersecurity Compliance

Modern compliance professionals need a solid grasp of cybersecurity, data privacy and fraud prevention topics. We have developed specific courses to prepare you for a role in the complex world of contemporary compliance and risk management.

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Sports Law Compliance

Our MLS degree will help you become a vital contributor to the infrastructure of sports organizations. Upon graduation, you will be ready to create, develop, promote and advocate for a more ethical environment — for women and members of other marginalized communities not historically represented where decisions in sports are made.

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Part-Time, Online and On Your Schedule

Our MLS program is a part-time, online program that is available to people in all 50 states.

  • Course logistics
  • Part-time and fully online
  • 4 to 6 live (synchronous) classes per term—recorded for online attendance later
  • No residency component
  • Fall and Spring term starts
  • 3 terms per year
  • 14-week terms
  • Complete within 2 years

It is built with both asynchronous and synchronous components.Asynchronous consists of readings, pre-recorded lectures, discussion threads, quizzes, written assessments and other activities. Asynchronous components allow you to complete these components at your convenience.

Synchronous components are online, live classes where you engage with faculty and students real-time and have the opportunity to get to know faculty and other students in the program.

Each course consists of 4 to 6 live classes per term (with the possibility for a slight variance in each class). These live sessions are also recorded, allowing you to “attend” the session at a later date if needed.

Hear From Our Alumni

Kimberly Blue

Kimberly Blue, ‘23

“As I engaged with professors, course content, the material, and my classmates, I learned so much that I could immediately start pushing that out into what I was doing. It wasn’t something I had to wait for at program completion. The resources I received and had access to in my coursework immediately started helping me in my job.”

MLS in Compliance & Risk Management

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Seattle University School of Law