Welcome to the Master of Science in Education Law Program

The Master of Science in Education Law Degree program offers education professionals the opportunity to participate in a focused course of study that examines the modern interplay of law and education. The Degree program builds on the education law foundation set in the Certificate program; it requires students to complete 36 credit hours over a two year course of study in order to earn their degree. Importantly, the Degree program requires students to use their understanding of education law principles as they advance into more intricate examination of substantive areas of education law.

After completing the first year in the certificate program, students admitted to the Master of Science in Education Law Degree program will begin their second year of study with a Residential Institute (RI) that will take place on the NSU main campus in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. The RI brings program faculty and students to the Law Center for a comprehensive live-in person study of education law and is a mandatory component of the program. Students have an opportunity to begin their course studies and interact with program faculty prior to the distance education component commencing for their Degree course work.

The second year course of study in the Degree program permits students to tailor their educational needs by electing specialized courses which directly relate to their professional lives and experiences. Students have the opportunity to advance their understanding education law in areas such as: private education law, civil rights law, employee relations law, school discipline law, higher education law, the First Amendment, advanced school liability, and school records and confidentiality. These elective courses have been created with specific emphasis on their implication in the educational setting.

Students in the Degree program will also spend a substantial amount of time working on their capstone research project. This project permits students to identify and study a practical legal issue faced in their professional lives or one that has substantial influence on their profession. Students prepare a scholarly research paper on their chosen subject and present their topic to their classmates and faculty at during the Residential Institute at the time of graduation. 

Each student will complete eight 10-week terms of coursework.  Students take two courses per session. Master of Science in Education Law students will be in class with Certificate students.

To accommodate the need of education professionals to remain in their present location and employment and, at the same time, draw upon a nationwide faculty, the certificate program is uniquely offered via NSU Law’s state-of-the-art, Internet-based distance learning technology. All coursework will be accomplished conveniently from the student’s own home, on the student’s own timing, without requirement compromise of career and other obligations.

The program begins with a brief, on campus mandatory orientation. At this time, students will become orientated with classmates, meet the faculty, and undergo intensive computer training.

Online courses are all asynchronous, meaning that students do not need to access their online course at any participate time during the day. The program is, however, characterized by a great deal of required interactivity. 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. Some professors will hold live chats during their courses.

Grades are available to students via the Nova Webstar system. http://webstar.nova.edu The certificate program in Education Law uses the following grading scale: A, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D-, and F.

Program Learning Outcomes

The Program has seven expected learning outcomes for students in the Program.  Each outcome has multiple enumerated sub-skills.  A successful recipient of the Master of Science in Education Law degree is expected to:

1. Demonstrate a solid grounding in the basics of education law.
   • Use legal terminology appropriately.
   • Apply knowledge of the structure of the legal system to understand the validity of various types of legal pronouncements, rulings and regulations.
   • Identify various types of legal issues when encountering them in the workplace.
   • Identify the steps of the litigation process.
   • Identify the basic attributes of the court system and of common-law development.

2. Demonstrate an understanding of the legal aspects of the structure, history and values underlying educational systems in the U.S.
   • Trace the development of state responsibility to provide a free and appropriate public education to all students.
   • Trace the development of student rights in education law.
   • Trace the development of specialized education programs to meet the needs of disabled students

3. Identify situations that frequently present legal issues affecting students, teachers and school administrators.
   • Apply basic legal principles to facts seen in the workplace.
   • Evaluate the likelihood of legal implications resulting from those facts.
   • Understand the administrative process and the role it plays in resolving disputes that frequently arise in educational settings.

4. Research the broad outlines of the legal question at hand.
   • Locate federal and state statutes in legal texts and online.
   • Locate federal and state regulations in legal texts and online.
   • Locate case law in legal texts and online.
   • Locate legal secondary sources in hard copy and online

5. Recognize when a legal issue requires the involvement of a lawyer.
   • Analyze the way a lawyer will approach a legal issue.
   • Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of legal arguments regarding the issue at hand.

6. Discuss legal matters intelligently with a lawyer when called upon to do so in their professional lives.
   • Apply knowledge of the relevant statutes, regulations and case law to situations arising in the workplace.
   • Display familiarity with and understanding of a legal vocabulary by communicating with lawyers by properly using their vocabulary.
   • Understand and follow the lawyers' reasoning process as presented orally or through memoranda.
   • Understand and follow the lawyers' use of various legal practice skills.

7. Communicate conclusions clearly and logically.
   • Write a logically constructed, clearly worded, properly supported paper proposing a practical solution to a legal issue in the workplace.
   • Deliver to an audience with diverse backgrounds, including lawyers, a professional oral report clearly communicating factual predicate, analysis and conclusions regarding a legal issue.