Health Law Certificate Requirements for the Graduating Classes of 2009 and 2010

Overview

The School of Law through the Health Law Certificate Program offers a Certificate (“The Health Law Certificate”) for students enrolled in the School of Law who have demonstrated a substantive concentration in the field of Health Law through course work, a substantial written project, and relevant work experience. (“The Health Law Certificate Program”)   The award of the Certificate in Health Law is noted on the student’s final transcript.

Certificate Program Requirements

As part of the requirements of 90 hours of course work for students in the School of Law, course work will include seven courses from the 35 elective hours available to students.   As detailed below, admission to the Certificate Program is through application only and must be approved by the current director of the Health Law Program (or his or her designee) (“The Director”)

Number of Students

For the Class of 2009 and 2010 no more than 8 students may be enrolled in the Health Law Certificate Program at any one time.

Admission to the Certificate Program:

In order to make best use of the resources available, admission to the Health Law Certificate Program is at the discretion of the Director. Students may apply either at the end of their first year or by the first Friday of the start of the academic semester in their second year IF THEY HAVE ALREADY COMPLETED ONE OF THE CORE COURSES WITH A GRADE OF C OR BETTER. The application must include a written statement (250 words) of why the student wishes to pursue the Health Law Certificate, A transcript, and the names of two current faculty references.   All applicants will be interviewed by the Director.

Each student admitted into the Health Law Certificate Program must meet with the Director in order to plan a course of study.   This plan must be signed by both the student and the Director before a student can be eligible for pre-registration for courses in the Health Law Certificate Program.   Once a student has an approved plan of student, he or she is then responsible for keeping track of his or her own progress towards meeting the requirements of the certificate and must submit a progress report to the Director at the end of each semester.  

Required Courses:

All students must complete Health Law, and one of the two other core courses: Health Care Finance or Public Health Law. In addition, students must complete four two of the core electives and two three more courses which may be additional core electives or courses listed as sub-specialty electives

A. Core Courses:

1. Health Care Law (3) AND

2. Health Care Finance (2) or Public Health Law (3)

B. Core Electives: At least four two electives from the following list are also required (not all electives are offered every year).

Public Health Law (3) (if not taken as a core course)

Health Care Finance (2) (if not taken as a core course)

Bioethics (2 or 3)

Law and Psychiatry (2)

Disabilities and the Law (2)

Elder Law (2 or 3)

Discrimination in Employment (3)

Health Care and Bioethics Mediation Clinic (3)

Nonprofit Taxation (3)  

C. Sub-specialty Health Law Electives: two electives from the following list may be counted towards the Certificate but cannot substitute for the two Core Course s or the t Two Core Electives.  (Not all electives will be offered every year).

Administrative Law (3)

Correctional Health Care Law (2)

Law and Biotechnology (2)

Law and Bioterrorism (2)

Reproductive Technology Law (3)

Health Care and Bioethics Mediation Clinic (3)

Nonprofit Taxation (3)

Medical Malpractice (2 or 3)

Law, Medicine and Literature (2 or 3 credits)

Intellectual Property Law (2 or 3 credits)

Law, Science, Policy and Scientific Evidence and Science (2 or 3)

Externship Program (see practicum requirement)

Independent Research (with permission of Program Director).

The Program Director retains the authority to add relevant new courses to the list of electives which become available after the approval of this program as well as to remove courses.   If a course is removed, those students who received credit for the course while it was still in the Program will be able to count the course as part of their completion of the Certificate

GPA Requirement:

The student must maintain a 2.8 average in the core and elective courses taken toward credit for the Certificate.  

Practicum Requirement:

Since the goal of the Health Law Certificate is to prepare students for practice in a health law or policy setting, no student may receive the Certificate without practical experience.   This experience may be either through the Law School’s Externship Program (note specifications below) or another Practical Experience approved in advance by the Director.

Given that externships in health law are subject to the real world time constraints of working health law attorneys and the right of other law students to participate in the Externship program there is no guarantee that any student will be able to receive a Health Law placement through the Law School’s Externship Program.   Therefore, a student pursuing the certificate who wishes to satisfy their practicum requirement through the Law School’s Externship program should enroll in the Externship Program at the earliest opportunity with the understanding that they may not be able to receive a health law placement in any specific semester.

Writing Requirement:

Students seeking the certificate in Health Law must complete a scholarly research paper on a subject related to health law in (1) a Health Law course or (2) a Directed Research project with a member of the Health Law Program’s faculty.  This paper must be a minimum of 35 40 pages in length, double-spaced and in twelve point font with one inch margins.   The paper must include footnotes (which do not change the page length requirements) and must be formatted according to Blue Book specifications.   The paper must include citation to at least one medical or public health journal.

The paper must be certified by the Director as suitable for the Law, Science and Health Symposium and must also be suitable for and submitted for publication to a Law, Medicine or Health Policy Journal (publication is not required).

With the permission of the Professor under whose supervision the paper is written, it may also be used to satisfy the requirements of the Law School’s Writing Requirement, if consistent with these requirements, or any individual course.   However, just because a paper satisfies the requirements of a particular course or the Law School’s Writing Requirement, does not mean that it will automatically satisfy the requirements of the Health Law Certificate Program.   Students should consult with the Director early in the process if they have any questions.  Because the paper must be presented at the Law, Science and Health Symposium or other public setting in the spring semester of either the student’s second or third year, it must be completed no later than the end of exam period of the fall semester before the student plans to graduate.   If a student plans to graduate in less than three years, he or she must make plans to complete the paper and present it at the Law and Science Symposium for graduation unless he or she receives a specific waiver from the Director.

Participation Requirement:

Students seeking the certificate in Health Law are expected to be active leaders in the a Activities of the Health Law Program including joint activities scheduled with the Medical School. They must participate in organizing or staffing events sponsored by the Health Law Program or any member of its faculty.  

Completion of the Program:

Before the period for course registration is closed in the semester in which the student intends to graduate, he or she must submit a report to the Director indicating how he or she has met the requirements of the Certificate.

No student may receive the Certificate without the approval of the Director and the Director retains the discretion to drop a student from the Certificate program for failure to comply with any of the requirements or for other good cause. The Director shall also have authority to modify, waive or reconfigure the Program Requirements where necessary to promote equity and fairness in the event of unforeseen complications or exigent circumstances.