College Launches Online Master's in Law
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign College of Law is offering a fully online Master of Science in Law for non-legal professionals starting Spring 2027.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Distance Learning
Live Poll
Would you consider taking an online law degree to build legal knowledge for your job?
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign College of Law announced a fully online Master of Science in Law program for non-legal professionals, alongside seven graduate-level certificates. Instruction begins in Spring 2027.
Why it matters
The program's concentrations and certificates were designed to respond to the needs of various industries. The announcement comes as the college notes there are not enough lawyers to meet the need for legal knowledge and understanding of legal processes.
Each standalone certificate requires 12 credits and takes roughly six months to complete, while the master's can be finished in as few as 18 months. The Legal Foundations for Professionals certificate is made up of three core courses required of all master's students.
The players
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign College of Law
The College of Law is the law school of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, a public research university in Illinois.
The details
Students in the master's program first complete the Legal Foundations for Professionals certificate, then choose a technology and privacy concentration, a business compliance concentration, or five elective courses. Each concentration automatically includes three additional certificates, and all instruction is entirely online and asynchronous.
Timeline
Instruction for the new online programs begins in Spring 2027.
Culture Shift
The College of Law's move to offer a fully online master's in law to non-legal professionals extends its training beyond traditional juris doctor programs. The shift reflects growing demand among professionals in technology, privacy, and business compliance for formal legal knowledge.
Illinois professionals outside the legal field can pursue legal training entirely online, on an asynchronous schedule, without relocating. Those in technology, privacy, or business compliance can tailor the degree to their industry through a concentration or electives.
The takeaway
Non-legal professionals in Illinois who need working knowledge of law now have a flexible, fully online graduate path that can be finished in about 18 months. Choosing a concentration that matches your industry can make the credits directly relevant to your current role.
What happens next
Instruction for the new online programs begins in Spring 2027.
Further reading
Explore more on Distance Learning to see how online graduate programs are reshaping professional education in Illinois.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Daily Illini.
Live Poll
Would you consider taking an online law degree to build legal knowledge for your job?
