Health Care

As a student in the MLS program, you can select the health care specialization to develop the specialized knowledge you need to remain compliant while improving patient care. Professionals who pursue this specialization may go on to work as health care administrators, health compliance auditors, or patient advocates helping with disability or civil rights law.

Careers in health care you can pursue with a Master of Legal Studies degree include:

Health Care Compliance Officer

Health care compliance officers must understand the laws and regulations that affect health care delivery and financing in the United States in order to assist their organizations with the development and implementation of effective compliance programs.

Patient Advocate

Patient advocates must have knowledge of the legal rights of patients in order to effectively negotiate and advocate on their patients’ behalf.

  • The mean annual wage for health educators was $60,500 in May 2019.1
  • The job outlook for health educators and community health workers is projected to grow 11 percent from 2018 to 2028.2

Health Care Administrator

Health care administrators need legal knowledge to manage and oversee health care organizations. They use their understanding of complex health care laws and regulations to implement effective health care compliance programs.

  • The mean annual wage for medical and health services managers was $115,160 in May 2019.3
  • The job outlook for medical and health services managers is projected to grow 18 percent from 2018 to 2028.4

MLS courses relevant to jobs in the health care field

Prepare for the Next Phase of Your Career

Learn more about how an MLS can help you advance in your career in the health care field. Explore the online Master of Legal Studies program at American University Washington College of Law today.

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The included data is from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and is not directly associated with American University’s online MLS degree. It also does not take into account unpredictable changes to job outlook due to the economy.

  • Salary statistics are the mean annual wage found by the BLS Occupational Employment Statistics survey.
  • Job outlook statistics are the projected employment change from 2018 to 2028. For reference, the average growth rate for all occupations in 5 percent.

1Bureau of Labor Statistics, Health Education Specialists, Accessed June 2020arrow_upwardReturn to footnote reference
2Bureau of Labor Statistics, Health Educators and Community Health Workers Outlook, Accessed June 2020arrow_upwardReturn to footnote reference
3Bureau of Labor Statistics, Medical and Health Services Managers, Accessed June 2020arrow_upwardReturn to footnote reference
4Bureau of Labor Statistics, Medical and Health Services Managers Outlook, Accessed June 2020arrow_upwardReturn to footnote reference

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