The Iowa Board of Regents on Wednesday approved a new master's program that will allow students to learn more about the law without becoming an attorney.

The Masters of Studies in Law will provide accessible training in the legal system for students and professionals who need to recognize and respond to legal issues in their work, but do not wish to practice law.

The curriculum—which includes 30 semester hours of study—will be flexible and cross-disciplinary, allowing students to take traditional legal courses alongside law students and up to nine credit hours of non-law classes in related disciplines.

"We regularly hear from people who are interested in taking law school courses to further their careers, but do not need a law degree because they don't want to practice," says College of Law Dean Gail Agrawal. "This flexible master's program helps students combine their academic interests in a way that is better-tailored to their professional goals."

Through the program, students may choose to build their own customized course of study, or to pursue courses with a designated specialty track.

Two specialty tracks—one in Business and Innovation and another in Law and Public Policy—have been approved by faculty and will be available to students. Faculty may approve other specialty tracks in the future.

A student in the Business and Innovation track, for example, could choose to take patent and trademark courses in the College of Law, a finance course in the Tippie College of Business, and a computer science course in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. After just one year of fulltime study, a student on this track would be able to identify legal issues regarding intellectual property and business, avoid infringement liability, and know when to seek professional legal advice.

The program, which is expected to generate interest among undergraduates and professionals alike, can be completed in one year of fulltime study, or four years of part time study.

The college also plans to explore the possibility of a 3+1 Admissions Program, which would admit qualified undergraduates to the MSL program after three years of work. This would allow a student to complete the requirements for a Bachelor's degree and an MSL degree in just four years.

The law school is required to obtain the acquiescence of its accrediting body, the American Bar Association Section on Legal Education and Admission to the Bar, before moving forward with the MSL program.