Master in Advanced Legal Research/Studies (Master's)

Tuition is Employees of partner agencies such as the City and County of San Francisco, San Mateo County, and BART receive tuition discounts..

This programme is designed for working professionals in public-sector roles such as government employees, HR staff, and public safety workers. Students study law and policy in practical contexts without pursuing a law license. The curriculum allows focus on areas like employment, tax, or criminal law. Courses emphasize applying legal knowledge to real-world decision-making in public service.

Focus areas include employment law, tax law, criminal law, environmental law, contract law, regulatory compliance.

The programme requires 30 credits, distributed across coursework and a capstone project. Students complete courses in legal analysis, contract drafting, and policy interpretation.

Graduates work as government professionals, HR specialists, policy analysts, and compliance officers in public agencies.

Applicants must hold a bachelor's degree. No LSAT or GRE is required. Required documents include transcripts, a personal statement, and a resume.

The programme totals about 30 credit hours. Hybrid format with in-person and online class options. Full-time or part-time study over one to four years. For international students, tuition is well above the median for US programmes.

UC Law SF traces its identity to California’s first law school and the oldest law school west of the Rockies. Its San Francisco location places students in the Bay Area legal and technology environment, with Silicon Valley partnerships supporting work on technology, innovation, and artificial intelligence law. The College also connects legal education with public service. Students can pursue government and nonprofit internships through public-interest grants, while legal clinics and fellowships add practical experience across areas of law.

Academic work spans tax law, vaccine law and policy, behavioral science and law, human rights, constitutional democracy, drug pricing, and access to justice. Faculty research addresses questions involving privacy, criminal justice, health equity, and human rights as artificial intelligence and other technologies change legal practice. The Center for Constitutional Democracy brings public programming, litigation, scholarship, and policy advocacy into this work, including engagement with judges, lawyers, and advocates from countries confronting threats to democracy.

International students should know that UC Law SF combines a distinctly Californian setting with links to state policymakers, the Bay Area, and global legal and human-rights work. The College’s global democracy activity includes lessons from Russia, Ukraine, Hungary, Poland, and other countries, while its professional network reaches government, nonprofit, corporate, and technology settings. Students can expect legal scholarship alongside direct exposure to public-interest work and emerging issues in law.