All levels of professional practice can benefit from the rigorous examination of legal processes, their relationship to the delivery of human services, and their role in shaping policy. The MLSP is awarded upon completion of all requirements. The program consists of eight required courses, including field instruction, which convey basic knowledge about the law and basic skills of legal analysis, legal research, and advocacy, and mediation. The central purpose of the program is to apply these skills to substantive and administrative problems in all human service fields including mental health, income maintenance, family and child welfare, race relations, criminal justice, dispute resolution, or education.
Students also take part in supervised field work.
Degree candidates in the MSS or Ph.D. programs may enroll in any of the Law and Social Policy courses, subject to the requirements of those programs and to the availability of space. Field Instruction assignments for joint-degree candidates must be developed in consultation with the Director of Field Instruction. Following registration for second year MSS Field Instruction, all students are required to discuss the Special Project, which is completed in conjunction with Field Instruction, with the Director of the MLSP Program. Consult with the Director of the M.L.S.P. program to determine whether a specific course applies.