M.S. Health Law Program
This two-year, master's degree program offers health care practitioners, administrators, members of the insurance and managed care industries, public policy advocates, and others involved in health care the opportunity to study the issues, processes and concepts that determine the framework and function of American health care law. As the law and health care delivery become increasingly interconnected, it is essential for those in the industry to keep pace with the significant changes in health law and their impact on the health care system.
Each student will complete 6 10-week term, attend three brief on-campus Institutes for the Study of Health Law, and complete an Individual Research Project in seminar format. Students take two courses per term, except for the final term, during which only one course is required. Thereafter, students have approximately six months to complete an in-depth research project.
To accommodate the need and desire of most health care professionals to remain in their present location and employment and, at the same time, draw upon a nationwide faculty, the M.S. Health Law program is uniquely offered via NSU Law's state-of-the-art, Internet-based distance learning technology. The majority of work, with the exception of attendance three brief on-campus Institutes, will be accomplished conveniently from the student's own home, without requiring compromise of career and other obligations.
The program begins with a brief, mandatory, on-campus, Institute for the Study of Health Law at NSU's campus. Students at this, their first Institute, become oriented with classmates, meet the faculty, tour NSU's legal facilities and undergo computer training. They also begin coursework in at least two of their courses (Legal Research, Methods & Reasoning and Legal Perspectives on Health Care Ethics). Sessions include discussions of the health care system's regulatory scheme and of the judicial system of the United States. The Institute is mandatory, and students must attend for the entire time. During this time students will also complete an orientation regarding the policies and procedures of the M.S. Health Law program.
Students return after a year of coursework to attend a second Institute. At this Institute, returning students will meet incoming students, engage in some hands-on work relating to their courses, and discuss their Individual Research Projects. This Institute is also mandatory, and students must attend for the entire time.
The third institute is mandatory as well. At this time students will present their Individual research projects to faculty and other students.
Online students are guided through interactive class lessons over the Internet, working closely with faculty members and exchanging ideas with fellow classmates online.
Required interactivity is both asynchronous and synchronous. Students will often find themselves online nearly everyday. Such interactivity promotes a high-quality learning experience and differentiates this program from a correspondence or "self-study" program.
Learning Online
A student learning online will receive passwords to access his or her courses. At each course site, the student will find reading assignments, links to materials pertinent to the course, a syllabus, a statement of the course goals, a number of hypothetical problems, lecture notes, live classroom chats, a threaded discussion board, and a quiz. The assignments, materials, problems, lectures and quizzes will be organized by module, with each module representing a major topic of the course. Modules will roughly correspond to weeks. (In other words, a 10-week-long course will contain either 10 modules or nine modules and a week for a final examination.)
Each week, within periods of time designated by their professors, students in each course will be responsible for covering the material assigned, accessing materials as instructed, viewing lecture clips and participating in online discussions. The discussions might take place on the class's threaded discussion board, on which student questions and responses to each other are arranged so that the reader can follow the written "conversation" that develops on line. Alternatively, they might take place via email, which each student will have. They also will take place in live chat sessions. In some courses, professors may wish to administer quizzes.
For required live chats, professors attempt to find days/times that work for all students. In the event that a day/time chosen does not work for the student, the chats are recorded and the student will be asked to post or respond via email regarding the topics discussed in the chat.