Kline School of Law

Upon degree completion, graduates of our programs will be able to...

Develop a broad understanding of U.S. legal systems, institutions, and fundamental legal concepts.
Navigate the legal information ecosystem, analyze legal sources, and communicate findings effectively to legally-trained audiences.
Apply legal reasoning to real-world situations that they are likely to encounter in their professional domain.
Develop the ethical reasoning and professional judgment necessary to succeed in law adjacent roles.
Evaluate and develop comprehensive risk management and organizational compliance processes.

Evaluate risk management and organizational compliance processes.
Analyze core legal and regulatory principles, industry standards, and enforcement trends to assess institutional practices affecting patient care, safety, and operational integrity.
Identify sector-specific privacy and data protection requirements, and determine the legal consequences associated with non-compliance.

Evaluate risk management and organizational compliance processes.
Understand the frameworks governing the employment relationship by distinguishing types of employment classifications, implementing compliant hiring and pre-employment practices, applying performance management and employment‑at‑will principles, evaluating lawful procedures for ending employment, and interpreting key laws that regulate employee recruitment, management, and termination.
Apply foundational HR management and legal principles by executing job analyses, interpreting major labor laws, developing compliant compensation and benefits structures, designing OSHA‑aligned risk management plans, and analyzing the role of unions, collective bargaining, and HR strategies in supporting organizational goals.
Apply negotiation, mediation, and arbitration principles to workplace conflict by interpreting legal frameworks, evaluating fairness and ethical concerns, designing organizational ADR policies, and recommending appropriate methods that balance employee relations, legal risk, and HR responsibilities in managing power imbalances.

Evaluate risk management and organizational compliance processes.
Apply NCAA Division I regulatory frameworks by navigating the Division I Manual, interpreting governance structures, evaluating current issues through relevant bylaws, and identifying areas in need of legislative reform
Demonstrate competency in NCAA Division II and Division III compliance by navigating their legislative processes, describing governance structures, and interpreting bylaw language to determine its relevance to prospective and current student‑athletes.
Demonstrate comprehensive understanding of NCAA compliance enforcement by distinguishing violation levels and elements, explaining the enforcement process and the role of the Committee on Infractions, and identifying penalties.

Evaluate risk management and organizational compliance processes.
Analyze the U.S. medical product regulatory system by describing the roles of Congress, the Courts, and the FDA; outlining the pathway for bringing medical products to market, including review, approval, and post‑marketing requirements; explaining the notice‑and‑comment rulemaking process; and assessing proposed legal or regulatory changes to advise stakeholders on their potential impact and appropriate responses.
Demonstrate understanding of the U.S. clinical research regulatory system by identifying key regulations and subject‑protection requirements, recognizing ethical issues in informed consent and conflicts of interest, describing the roles of preclinical and clinical data, adverse event reporting, and product marketing requirements.
Demonstrate understanding of prescription drug and medical device advertising regulation by identifying key federal and state regulators, defining the FDA’s oversight role, outlining the research and development pathway, explaining labeling and promotional requirements, recognizing legal issues related to off‑label marketing and commercial speech, and reviewing promotional materials to spot potential compliance concerns and the need for legal guidance.

Evaluate risk management and organizational compliance processes.
Articulate criminal‑law doctrines by identifying crimes, interpreting case law, applying legal rules to facts, and assessing the social effects of criminal law.
Evaluate how constitutional rights, law‑enforcement limitations, judicial interpretation, and policy considerations shape criminal procedure.
Analyze the legal foundations and operational functions of the corrections system to evaluate key issues, agency practices, prisoner rights, and the role of corrections within the broader criminal‑justice process.

Evaluate risk management and organizational compliance processes.
Identify relevant federal, state, and EU data privacy regulations.
Identify cyber risks associated with third-party non-compliance.

Evaluate risk management and organizational compliance processes.
Understand broad legal and regulatory principles that govern the financial services industry.
Understand the role and function of federal and state regulatory bodies with respect to investment companies, investment advisors, broker/dealers, and banks.

Evaluate risk management and organizational compliance processes.
Understand the regulatory framework governing institutions of higher learning by identifying standards for aid‑eligible programs, explaining accreditation and reporting requirements, and analyzing the federal and state laws and regulations that apply to different institutional types.
Apply the financial and regulatory frameworks governing higher education by interpreting key financial rules, evaluating institutional governance structures, assessing regulations related to revenues, expenditures, gifts, and intellectual property, and explaining how financial information is recorded, measured, and reported across diverse institutional contexts.
Assess the legal and ethical frameworks governing student safety and campus operations by identifying common legal issues and risk exposures in higher education.

Evaluate organizational risk management and legal compliance systems designed to mitigate legal exposure from cyber events.
Evaluate U.S. privacy and information security frameworks by defining key concepts, analyzing how privacy and security are regulated, assessing the tensions created by emerging technologies, and appraising the effectiveness of federal, state, and other legal mechanisms in addressing security–privacy challenges.
Apply core cybersecurity concepts by evaluating the relationship between privacy and cybersecurity, identifying major legal and regulatory frameworks and their gaps, assessing the role of enterprise risk management, developing defensible cybersecurity strategies, recognizing high‑level legal and regulatory issues, and constructing an incident response plan that addresses relevant legal requirements.
Apply the European Union’s data privacy framework by analyzing its historical development, identifying key regulatory authorities and stakeholders, explaining core components of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), assessing its implications for U.S. organizations operating in EU‑related contexts, and administering data in accordance with GDPR standards.

Evaluate organizational risk management and legal compliance systems designed to mitigate legal exposure in the health care and pharmaceutical industries.
Evaluate health-sector organizations’ exposure to institutional liability through structured review of clinical operations, compliance processes, and governance practices.
Analyze the legal and regulatory frameworks that govern patient‑care quality and safety by applying key compliance principles, evaluating institutional and liability risks, interpreting HIPAA and related privacy and security requirements, and assessing how insurance safeguards interact with government oversight in health care delivery.
Apply regulatory and operational principles to the health‑care system by identifying major industry players, analyzing payment methods, interpreting fraud/abuse and privacy laws, and assessing contemporary challenges, including technology adoption and patient‑safety risks.

1. Graduates will demonstrate competency in analysis and problem-solving.

Students should be able to critically read applicable authority (cases, statutes, regulations, treaties) and identify the key rules within each authority.
Students should be able to synthesize relevant rules of law into a logical framework for analysis.
Students should be able to formulate and evaluate arguments.
Students should be able to identify and analyze the relevance and weight of facts and meticulously apply identified rules to facts, including identifying and addressing potential counterarguments
Students should be able to draw analogies and distinctions between the facts of a legal problem and apply applicable precedent in specific and relevant ways to determine the likely outcome of a problem.
Students should be able to critique the law and articulate broader considerations in analyzing law, including those drawn from other disciplines or perspectives where appropriate, such as effects on other people, as well as practical, social policy, and theoretical implications.

2. Graduates will demonstrate competency in legal research.

Students should be able to identify issues and formulate research questions.
Students should be able to effectively and efficiently research an issue.
Students should understand the relationship between, and value of, different sources of law and other resources for solving clients’ problems.
Students should be able to distinguish between primary and secondary sources, and understand whether an authority is binding or persuasive.

3. Graduates will demonstrate the ability to communicate clearly and effectively both orally and in writing.

Students should be able to communicate in a clear and well-organized manner.
Students should be able to communicate appropriately to particular audiences and for particular purposes.
Students should demonstrate appropriate listening skills.
Students should be able to effectively navigate cultural and other differences.in their communication.

4. Graduates will demonstrate competency in legal practice.

Students should understand how to organize and manage their work and the use of technology in legal practice.
Students should have basic knowledge of appropriate management skills for different legal contexts.
Students should be aware of transactional, litigation, regulatory, alternative dispute-resolution, and negotiation processes.
Students should be able to advise and counsel clients effectively.
Students should have the foundational doctrinal knowledge necessary to enter into legal practice.
Students should be able to conduct an investigation of facts and construct a coherent narrative based on that investigation.

5. Graduates will demonstrate an understanding of their professional and ethical responsibilities in serving clients, the profession, and society.

Students should understand their ethical responsibilities.
Students should be able to recognize, evaluate, and understand their role in resolving ethical dilemmas.
Students should act in accordance with their responsibility to make justice accessible to all people.
Students should understand the theory and role of law and legal institutions in society.

6. Graduates will demonstrate that they possess the professional attributes to effectively serve clients, the profession and society.

Students should be able to work constructively and collaboratively with clients, colleagues, and others.
Students should be able to persevere in the face of challenges and adversity and know how and where to obtain support for doing so.
Students should be able to take initiative in their work and professional development.
Students should be able to demonstrate the ability to engage in reflective practices.
Students should demonstrate cultural humility, including respecting diversity and pluralism and being culturally self-aware.

Evaluate legal compliance systems, including auditing and monitoring processes in financial institutions, and identify key approaches to managing legal risk in financial institutions.
Evaluate the regulatory framework for investment advisers by interpreting federal laws, assessing compliance policies and procedures, organizing and registering an advisory firm, analyzing the role of securities regulators, determining adviser risk profiles, and explaining the components of a regulatory examination.
Analyze the regulatory environment governing business organizations by evaluating oversight and enforcement issues, interpreting financial compliance responsibilities, applying economic and regulatory considerations, assessing the influence of key regulators, and proposing effective solutions to regulatory challenges.
Evaluate the regulatory framework governing broker‑dealers by explaining registration requirements, distinguishing supervisory and representative roles, assessing common conflicts of interest, and identifying key areas of regulatory scrutiny.

Critically evaluate legal and policy frameworks, identifying areas for reform and proposing evidence-based solutions.
Navigate and explain complex regulatory environments and systems to develop policy strategies that align with both legal requirements and organizational goals.
Engage in applied policy analysis through an interdisciplinary lens, drawing on law, social and political science, and economics to understand and appreciate real-world effects.
Advocate for social change through effective leadership.
Communicate complex legal and policy considerations effectively across diverse audiences and professional contexts.

Kline School of Law Graduate Program Level Outcomes