Orientation & Start of 2024 Fall Semester
Details about our Mandatory MLS Orientation will be forthcoming.
In addition, there may be assigned reading and online programing associated with Orientation to prepare students for the start of classes. This programing will become available in July, and while it will not be in-person programing, you will need to dedicate time to complete the reading and engage with the online presentations. More information will be forthcoming.
Academic Requirements for the MLS Program
The following are the basic requirements for graduation.
ENROLLMENT
In order to be considered full-time graduate students, MLS students must be enrolled for a minimum of nine credit hours during the fall and spring semesters and six credit hours in the summer semester. Enrollment for less than the full-time minimum requires approval of the MLS Program Director, who will consult with the Associate Dean for Student Affairs and the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs before giving such an authorization. No candidate for an MLS degree is permitted to register for more than 16 credit hours in any single semester without approval from the MLS Program Director, who will consult with the Associate Dean for Student Affairs and the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs before giving such approval.
A TOTAL OF 30 SEMESTER HOURS AND A 3.0 CUMULATIVE GPA
MLS students are required to maintain a 3.0 or higher cumulative GPA to be considered in good standing with the program. If a student’s GPA falls below this minimum requirement at any time, the student will be on academic probation and will be required to meet with the MLS Program Director and the Associate Dean for Student Affairs for academic advising. The MLS Program Director and Associate Dean for Student Affairs have authority to impose conditions and requirements on the student to ensure compliance with this GPA minimum. Failure to satisfy or comply with the conditions or requirements imposed by the MLS Program Director and Associate Dean for Student Affairs may result in dismissal from the program.
COURSES REQUIRED
Conflict and Legal Crisis Management or Basic Mediation
Legal Ethics in the Provision and Management of Legal Services
Legal Research and Writing for Non-Lawyers
The Regulatory System
Understanding Cases, Statutes, and Legislation
ELECTIVES
Business and IP Law in the Modern Economy
Comparative Legal Studies
Contracts in the Modern Economy
Criminal Law for MLS Students
Government, Private Property, and Land Use
Labor and Employment
Lawsuits and Litigation
For students interested in a specific area of law, the in-person program includes the flexibility to replace one of the elective MLS courses each semester with a JD course offering. Enrollment in a JD course is subject to approval by the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, MLS Program Director, and the professor teaching the JD course. Note that students in the JD program receive priority for enrollment. If interested in enrolling in a JD course, students must contact MLS Program Manager, Emily Gonzalez. To see JD course offerings, visit the JD course catalog.
REGISTRATION
Registration for each MLS student is administered by the College of Law Registrar. MLS students are automatically enrolled in all standard classes in the MLS curriculum and do not need to register for each class separately. Tuition prices may vary for students who enroll in courses outside the standard MLS curriculum.
Traditionally, the course Conflict and Legal Crisis Management has been required for all MLS students during fall semester. We are now offering an alternative fall course, Basic Mediation, to satisfy your 2-credit “conflict management” requirement. All students will be registered for the usual Conflict and Legal Crisis Management course unless you fill out the form to opt into the Basic Mediation course instead. Please see a description of (and schedule for) each course below to make your selection.
Conflict and Legal Crisis Management:
This course focuses on how to resolve conflicts in all areas of life, but with a specific focus on workplace conflict. The course teaches many basic conflict resolution skills, including, listening, asking questions, taking perspectives, and dealing with emotions. The course also gives an overview of Alternative Dispute Resolution processes, with particular focus on negotiation skills. The final project asks you to create a conflict management process for your chosen organization. As such, while the class does teach conflict resolution skills, the focus is on how to apply conflict management processes to an organization.
For in-person MLS students, the class is scheduled during your regular MLS weekends from 1:45 p.m. – 3:15 p.m.
For online MLS students, the class runs asynchronously like your other online MLS courses.
Basic Mediation:
This course focuses on the skills needed to become a mediator. Like the Conflict and Legal Crisis Management course, this course teaches basic conflict resolution skills, including listening, asking questions, dealing with emotions, negotiation, and reframing. The course also includes information about the mediation process, multiple mediation role-play simulations, and information regarding Utah ethical guidelines for mediators. This course fulfills the 40-hour educational requirement in order to be listed as a mediator on the Utah Court Roster of Mediators and may include members of the community as students, space allowing. Whereas the Conflict course focuses on conflict management in general and creating systems for workplaces, this course is more specific to those who want to be qualified as mediators. This course will also continue to be available anytime during or after your MLS degree as a continuing education offering.
This course does NOT run during regular in-person MLS weekends, nor is it a fully asynchronous course like the other online MLS courses. Rather, the course, while fully online, includes both asynchronous content and regular zoom meetings. The course is a compressed 8-week course with Zoom meetings occurring on Wednesday evenings from 5:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. for each of the 8 weeks. In addition to class meetings there is about 3-5 hours of out-of-class work to complete each week at your own pace online. There is also a final project , including an instructor meeting, that will be assigned after the 8-weeks and must be completed by the end of fall semester.
Tentative 2024-2025 MLS Class Schedule by Semester
FALL SEMESTER CLASSES*
Basic Meditation
Conflict and Legal Crisis Management
Lawsuits and Litigation
Legal Research and Writing for Non-Lawyers
Understanding Cases, Statutes, and Legislation
*subject to change without notice
FALL SEMESTER CLASS DATES
Week 1: August 23 & 24
Week 2: September 6 and 7
Week 3: September 20 and 21
Week 4: October 4 and 5
Week 5: October 18 and 19
Week 6: November 1 and 2
Week 7: November 15 and 16
Week 8: December 6 and 7
SPRING SEMESTER CLASSES*
Basic Mediation
Business and IP in the Modern Economy
Comparative Legal Studies
Contracts in the Modern Economy
The Regulatory System
*subject to change without notice
SPRING SEMESTER CLASS DATES
Spring 2025 class dates are forthcoming.
SUMMER SEMESTER CLASSES*
Criminal Law for MLS Students
Government, Private Property, and Land Use
Legal Ethics in the Provision and Management of Legal Services
Labor and Employment
*subject to change without notice
SUMMER SEMESTER CLASS DATES
Summer 2025 class dates are forthcoming.
Capstone Retreat: Details forthcoming, tentatively August 8, 2025.