News - College of Law

Illinois Law launches online Master of Science in Law and stackable graduate-level certificates for working professionals

Alma Mater statue on the University of Illinois campus

The College of Law at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign now offers an online Master of Science in Law (MSL) and seven graduate-level certificates, with courses beginning in Spring 2027. Built for working professionals who need legal knowledge but do not intend to practice law, the new programs are flexible, accessible, affordable, and 100% online.

“Increasingly, professionals across a variety of sectors need legal fluency to be effective in their positions,” said Jamelle Sharpe, Dean of the College of Law. “Because the traditional legal education model was not designed to meet their needs, we wanted to create opportunities for upskilling that would help more people advance in their careers. These new programs have been developed with today’s working professional in mind. The topics are extremely timely, the pace is flexible, and the cost puts these programs well within reach of busy professionals looking for an excellent education at an affordable price.”

The online MSL builds applied legal knowledge in AI governance, cybersecurity, business law, corporate governance, and employment compliance, and can be completed in as little as 18 months. Students may pursue a concentration in Tech & Privacy or Business Compliance or choose from elective courses to complete the degree. No LSAT, GRE, or other graduate school exam is required for admission. The $90 MSL application fee is waived for applications received by December 15.

For learners who are not yet ready to commit to the full degree, the College also offers graduate-level certificates. Each certificate takes three courses and can stand alone or stack toward the online MSL, so students can earn valuable credentials that help them move ahead professionally even before they finish the degree. As with the MSL, no graduate school exam is required, and there is no fee to apply for a certificate. The seven certificates focus on high-demand professional skill areas:

Legal Foundations for Professionals
AI Privacy & Governance in Law
Cybersecurity Law & Resilience
Law of Emerging Technologies
Ethics & Corporate Governance
Advanced Business Law
Employment Law & Workplace Dynamics

“Legal knowledge shapes nearly every professional decision, but for most people it has stayed locked inside a three-year degree built for future lawyers,” said Rob Kar, Associate Dean for Curricular Innovation and Director of the Online MSL Program. “We built these programs from the ground up for non-lawyers, with all of the excellence and rigor of an Illinois Law program. Our students learn to spot legal risks earlier, communicate more effectively with legal counsel, and integrate legal advice into broader strategic decisions in ways that add value to their organizations and make them more confident professionals and leaders.”

Individual online courses can also be taken for credit as a non-degree student. Those credits may later be applied toward a certificate or the online MSL. In addition, Illinois students, faculty, and staff have free access on Coursera to sample videos and knowledge checks from select MSL courses. These open courses are a good way to build basic legal knowledge and explore a subject before committing to a certificate or degree. For more information and to apply, visit online.law.illinois.edu.

Mazzone speaks about election crime with ABC 7

An American flag flies over Memorial Stadium.

After the Department of Justice charged 16 people with illegally voting in the last election, ABC 7 in Chicago turned to Professor Jason Mazzone for context. “There’s really no evidence that there are large numbers of people voting, who are not supposed to be voting,” Mazzone said on the broadcast. The charges, if proven to be true, for 16 out of 154 million people who voted in the election represents 0.0000001 percent of the total, which Mazzone described as “essentially zero fraud.”

Watch the full segment.

Watson publishes new article in Northwestern University Law Review

In a new article, Professor Bill Watson and co-author Nina Varsava examine the ways in which originalists have shown a tendency to espouse a general-law theory of constitutional rights. This change in the direction of originalist arguments, they write in Northwestern University Law Review, makes judicial decisions more dependent on moral reasoning, which more closely aligns with non-originalist approaches. “This general-law turn pulls originalists back to the question they started with,” the paper concludes. “Namely, how should judges adjudicate constitutional disputes?”

Read the full paper online.

Sherkow quoted in Bloomberg on seed technology patent case

Corteva Inc. v. Inari Agriculture Inc. was a closely watched case in the world of biological materials patents. When it ended in a settlement, however, it was a missed opportunity for the courts to come to a ruling on patents for plant varieties. Speaking with Bloomberg, Professor Jacob Sherkow explained that Inari’s decision to settle and place biological materials it obtained into a repository might make similar deals more appealing in future cases. ““You can deposit and get your patents without worrying that everyone will just design around,” he said.

Read the full article.

Bloomberg quotes Lawless on bankruptcy debt cap increases

Reporting on the Senate approving a bill to permanently raise debt limits for bankruptcy relief, Bloomberg spoke to Professor Robert Lawless about how this could benefit individuals entering bankruptcy. Lawless noted how the change would help personal bankruptcy filers, as mortgage debt had been a big factor limiting options for individuals in high-cost areas. “Home prices had gone up higher than inflation,” Lawless said. “People were getting mortgage debts that were taking them outside of Chapter 13.”

Read the full article.

Rowell presents work at The Next Frontier: Rethinking Regulation in an Era of Rapid Innovation

The sun rises over the Illini Union. The Illini Union, which was dedicated in 1941, serves students and the campus in many ways, including housing the Illini Union Hotel, a credit union, a convenience store, information services, CITES (Campus IT) instructional facility, quick-service restaurants, a bowling alley and arcade, student performance spaces, and office space for Registered Student Organizations, student government, Student Legal Services, Student Tenant Union, LGBT Resource Center, and Union administration.

On September 25, Professor Arden Rowell presented on how to regulate emerging technologies, like AI, at the Regulatory Studies Center at George Washington University. She was part of two panels, one on designing adaptive regulation and frameworks and another on regulation of emerging technology; she also submitted a working paper as part of the event.

Watch Rowell’s panels and read her working paper on the event website.

Limentato speaks about teaching, judgeship on Penny For Your Thoughts

Professor Sam Limentato ’94 was interviewed on the WDWS program “A Penny for Your Thoughts” in August. As part of his discussion with host Brian Barnhart, he spoke about his role as lecturer and senior associate director of the Anderson Center as well as his perspective as a former Illinois Circuit Judge. Limentato also answered calls from guests about the law and his experience.

Listen to the full episode from WDWS.

Illinois Chief Justice announces Housing Clinic at Illinois Law

Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice P. Scott Neville, Jr. with the deans of law schools at Northern Illinois, Southern Illinois, and University of Illinois

The College of Law was fortunate to host Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice P. Scott Neville, Jr. on October 8 for a wide-ranging discussion about access to justice, pro bono representation, and the rule of law in Illinois. Our mission to advance justice and the public good is of paramount importance, which made his announcement of a new Housing Justice Clinic initiative all the more meaningful.

Joined by Illinois Law Dean Jamelle Sharpe as well as Dean Cassandra Hill of Northern Illinois University College of Law, and Dean Hannah Johnson of Southern Illinois University Simmons Law School, Chief Justice Neville shared his plan for the Illinois Supreme Court to partner with the three law schools to help people facing housing problems.

“Today, throughout Illinois, people enter our courthouses with serious problems. They may be about to lose their home. Families may be in trouble. Livelihoods may be at stake. Despite having a valid claim or defense, they may have no idea how to assert it,” he said. “We sometimes talk about access to justice as though opening the courthouse doors solves the problem. It doesn’t. A person can walk through those doors and still have no idea what to do next. That is where lawyers come in.”

This unprecedented collaboration between the highest court and the state’s centers for legal education is a tremendous undertaking, one that Illinois Law is excited to see come to fruition. Providing help to those in need and shaping the minds of future lawyers will make the clinics life-changing for many individuals.

“By providing free legal representation to those suffering from housing instability, the initiative will augment our ability to provide transformative educational opportunities for our students, expand legal services to those in our part of the state who desperately need it, and increase awareness of pro bono opportunities for members of the bar. This is an exciting development,” Sharpe said in an email to the Illinois Law community.

The College of Law hopes to begin enrolling students in the clinic by the fall of 2027.

MSL student Zehr Gantz honored with Athena Award

In her day job, Sarah Zehr Gantz works with policies and programs across all three University of Illinois campuses as associate vice president for academic affairs for the UI System. When that work isn’t demanding of her, she is among the student body in the Law Building, working hard and studying to earn her Master of Studies in Law degree, which will be her fourth degree, to enrich her personal skill set and be a better servant of the university. That dedication and hard-working spirit are part of what led the Executive Club of Champaign County to name her a recipient of the Athena Leadership Award.

Illinois LawCast: Ensuring First-Generation Student Success

This episode of Illinois LawCast examines the experiences of three first-generation college students enrolled in the JD program at Illinois Law. We pride ourselves on offering the services and support that help all of our students, and with 85% of our newest JD students being first-generation law students, it is important to provide support for the unique challenges of law school. Our robust student support, career counseling, and sense of community have helped make Illinois one of the top destinations among Big Ten schools for first-generation college students: those who are the first in their family to receive any degree. In 2025, our 1L class included 21% first-generation college students; that number in 2026 is 19%. In this episode, I am joined by three first-generation college students in their second year of law school, Brian Rodriguez, Alex Nevarez, and Zaccheus Ng-Posey. Each of them share about their backgrounds and what made them want to continue their journey in higher education by pursuing a law degree from Illinois.

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If you have comments or suggestions for the podcast, please contact podcast@law.illinois.edu.