Distance Education and Degree Programs in Health Care Law

Online master's degree programs in health care law typically take 3-4 years to complete. Students will usually complete the bulk of the coursework online, but may have to maintain personal contact with a faculty advisor to complete some sort of final project.

Overview of Online Master's Degree Programs in Health Care Law

Health care law degree programs are typically intended to cover the principles, policies, ethics and laws within the health care industry. Online master's degree programs in the field tend to be the most readily available. Students enrolled in these programs tend to be professionals already working in the field, who want to better understand the intricacies of the health care industry. An online master's degree in health care law is not a legal degree and does not qualify graduates to practice law.

Program Information and Requirements

Students who wish to enroll in an online master's degree program in health care law must hold a bachelor's degree. This type of online program usually requires some sort on-campus work to be completed, usually work with a faculty member on a dissertation or final project. The majority of the coursework is completed online. Software downloads may be required, and ebooks, lectures and archived materials are typically available through course websites.

Common Coursework for Online Master's Degree Programs in Health Care Law

Students study policies and laws within the health care industry that may be necessary to manage and operate administrative health care facilities. Courses cover topics in legal research and techniques and how they relate to the structure of the health care system.

Health Care Law Course

Students study the U.S. health care legal structure and history and the basics of the court systems in this class. The course is meant to prepare students for further exploration of administrative law.

Administrative Law Course

Students will explore the role of administrative law in U.S. health care. This course examines the laws and regulations that apply to health care providers.

Health Care Law and Ethics Course

This course studies the ethics and legislation that apply to health care providers and how they relate to the laws within the system. Students explore issues in ethics currently arising in health care.

Career Information for Someone with a Master's Degree in Health Care Law

Graduates who have a master's degree in health care law often go on to work as medical and health services managers. As of May 2009, the average annual income for medical and health services managers was $90,970, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The BLS reported that, between 2008 and 2018, job opportunities in the field are expected to grow by 16% (www.bls.gov).