Elevate your career with a Corporate Compliance Degree
Corporate compliance is a critical function in today’s organizations, ensuring adherence
to legal and regulatory requirements while promoting ethical conduct and reducing
risk. The rise of complex regulations across industries and the growing emphasis on
corporate accountability have created a demand for skilled professionals capable of
navigating these challenges. A corporate compliance degree equips individuals with
the expertise to design, implement, and manage compliance programs that protect businesses
and uphold their integrity.
Seton Hall Law School’s online Master of Legal Studies (MLS) in Corporate Compliance
is a comprehensive program tailored for professionals seeking to deepen their understanding
of legal and ethical business practices. By offering foundational courses in business
law, torts, and constitutional law, the curriculum provides students with a comprehensive understanding of legal principles applicable
across various industries. Additionally, specialized courses in areas such as financial
crimes compliance, cybersecurity and privacy law, and global corruption regulation
provide targeted knowledge to address modern compliance challenges. With its flexible
online format, you can earn the superior law degree for non-lawyers on your schedule
and make an immediate impact in your career.
Beyond legal knowledge, students acquire essential skills such as sound legal analysis,
improved writing structure and clarity, effective communication with coworkers (especially
legal departments), and a new approach to problem-solving. Additionally, upon completion,
the program prepares graduates to conduct internal investigations, develop policies,
and ensure adherence to evolving regulatory standards. These practical skills are
vital for mitigating risks, avoiding legal penalties, and fostering a culture of ethics
and accountability within businesses.
Whether you are aiming to advance in your current role or become a compliance officer,
Seton Hall’s MLS program offers the tools and insights needed to succeed. By balancing
theoretical knowledge with practical applications, the program empowers professionals
to safeguard their organizations and contribute to long-term success in an increasingly
regulated world.
The MLS in Corporate Compliance can be completed entirely online, taking only one
class at a time. There is no residency requirement. All classes follow an 8-week format
that offers optimum flexibility for individuals who have work and family commitments.
Financial aid is available for eligible students.
Course Requirements
Course requirements for this degree are listed below. Contact us using the form on
this page if you have additional questions or view our admissions requirements here.
Required Courses
Must take all in sequence. All courses are offered ONLINE only.
Introduction to Law and Legal Writing
Students will learn to:
Identify relevant facts, legal issues, rules of law, and holdings in judicial decisions
Assess and apply statutes, regulations, and the common law to select issues
Convert legal research and analysis into a precise, accurate, and readable written
product
Torts: Liability for Civil Wrongs
Students will learn to:
Explain the basic principles underlying the law of negligence
Recognize the factors courts consider in determining the causes of a particular outcome
Evaluate how a victim’s contribution to his or her injury may affect the determination
of liability or damages
Fundamentals of Business Law
Students will learn to:
Explain the basic elements of enforceable contracts
Recognize the circumstances in which courts will refuse to honor particular agreements
Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of different types of business associations
Constitutional Law Survey
Students will learn to:
Explain the role of the Supreme Court in interpreting and enforcing the U.S. Constitution
Identify the circumstances in which individuals and organizations can obtain judicial
review of potential constitutional violations
Assess the implications of the due process clause for laws and policies that affect
intimate decisions
Evaluate the Supreme Court’s approach to laws that have the purpose or effect of discriminating
against individuals on the basis of race, gender, or other characteristics
Core Courses
Must take four courses. Students may substitute appropriate in-person courses offered at Seton Hall Law School's
Newark campus in place of courses listed below with the prior written permission of
the Associate Academic Director.
Conducting Internal Investigations
Students will learn to:
Articulate the goals of an internal investigation and the various steps necessary
to achieve those goals
Identify actions that ought to be taken at the outset of an investigation to preserve
documents and confidentiality and prevent further liability risks
Appreciate the nature and extent of legal constraints on conducting investigatory
interviews
Analyze what, if any, actions to take on the basis of the facts uncovered during an
internal investigation
Describe potential variations in state and national laws potentially affecting workplace
investigations
Cybersecurity and Privacy I: Law & Policy
Students will learn to:
Identify key sources of law applicable to the Internet as a decentered, community-standards
focused network system
Assess risks to cybersecurity from mismanagement, crime, terrorism, and war
Evaluate proposed changes in the law related to cybersecurity and assess their implications
for the industry and civil society
Cybersecurity and Privacy II: Compliance & Risk Management
Prerequisite: INDL7550 Cybersecurity I
Students will learn to:
Apply industry-leading data security and privacy compliance frameworks to realistic
examples
Conduct qualitative and quantitative cyber risk assessments and transfer cyber risks
Prepare for and comply with legal requirements relating to data breaches and other
legal process for digital information
EU Data Protection and Privacy Law: The GDPR
Students will learn to:
Apply the European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) to different
business practices and technologies
Incorporate key principles of European human rights law into an analysis of data protection
practices and policies
Anticipate future directions in the evolution of European data protection and information
privacy law
Financial Crimes Compliance
Students will learn to:
Analyze the operations of banks and financial institutions to determine whether they
are in compliance with the provisions of the Money Laundering Control Act, the Bank
Secrecy Act, and associated regulations
Identify best practices in the financial services and banking sectors in addressing
concerns about financial crimes, including “know your customer” programs and associated
reporting systems
Identify red flags in banking and financial services accounts and transactions that
necessitate further investigation of customers, with particular reference to politically
exposed persons, correspondent banking, and trade finance transactions at the international
and domestic levels
Financial Privacy Law
Students will learn to:
Evaluate how complex privacy regulations apply to particular types of financial institutions
and transactions
Recognize triggers for the various disclosures, notices, and reports required by the
major statutory regimes
Asses potential legal liability stemming from privacy and security breaches and design
appropriate responses
Global Corruption: Regulation, Compliance, and Enforcement
Students will learn to:
Identify red flags in business activities that would require further assessment for
compliance with anti-corruption laws
Analyze company activities to determine whether they violate the U.S Foreign Corrupt
Practices Act, the UK Bribery Act, or other laws
Articulate the key elements of a global anti-corruption compliance program
Governance, Compliance, Enforcement and Risk Management
Students will learn to:
Assess governmental compliance rules and regulations
Analyze existing case authority in implementing current and future compliance policies
Formulate conceptual frameworks for future compliance strategies in corporate governance
Introduction to Corporate Law
Students will learn to:
Identify the basic legal issues that arise in starting, operating, and terminating
a business
Evaluate the legal obligations of agents, partners, and corporate officers and directors
Propose terms to be incorporated into articles, agreements, or bylaws to solve particular
business or organizational problems
Managing Legal Issues in the Workplace
Students will learn to:
Identify situations in which important employee protections — including antidiscrimination,
leave, and wage and hour protections — may be implicated in employment decisions
Analyze potential legal claims and defenses arising in an array of work-related circumstances
Apply risk-management strategies to address or reduce potential legal risks
Elective Courses
Must take two courses. Can be from any of the concentration areas (including corporate law courses above).
Biotechnology and the Law
Casinos & Hospitality Law
Children's Health and the Law
Clinical Research and the Law: Compliance Issues for Research Sponsors
Clinical Research and the Law: Ethical and Regulatory Issues in Designing Clinical
Trials
Collegiate Athletics Law & Policy
Compliance Issues for Healthcare Providers
Compliance Issues in the Life Sciences - Advertising, Promotion and Transparency
Compliance Issues in the Life Sciences - Fraud and Corruption
Conducting Internal Investigations
Consumer Data Privacy Law
Entertainment Law: Legal Regulation of Industry Practices
