Become a Health Law Subject Matter Expert in as Few as 8 Months
Become a Health Law Subject Matter Expert in as Few as 8 Months
Advance Faster With the Graduate Certificate in Health Law and Policy
The Certificate in Health Law and Policy from Hofstra University’s Maurice A. Deane School of Law is an advanced, exclusively online program designed for legal and healthcare professionals seeking specialized expertise in health law and policy. Through flexible, interactive learning, you’ll gain a comprehensive understanding of the laws, regulations, and policies that shape healthcare in the U.S.
This distinctive program provides you with the knowledge and critical thinking skills needed to navigate complex health laws within your chosen area of focus, positioning you as an expert capable of driving innovation and reform in the healthcare industry.
Program Details
- 9 credits
- 100% online, asynchronous courses
- Complete in as few as 8 months
- Three start dates – fall, spring, or summer
Healthcare’s Legal Complexity is Growing. Are You Ready to Lead?
Gain comprehensive expertise through our fully immersive health law programs. With 100% of coursework dedicated to healthcare regulation, compliance, bioethics, and policy, the LLM in Health Law and Policy and MA in Health Law and Policy are not just general legal studies degrees with health law electives. Looking for a quicker career boost? Start with the Certificate in Health Law and Policy. If you choose to continue on for a full degree program, those credits can be applied toward your chosen program.
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Key Program Features
- 100% Online: Flexible learning environment designed for working professionals
- Accelerated Timeline: Complete in as few as 8 months of part-time study
- Flexible Enrollment: Start in fall, spring, or summer semesters
- Interactive Format: Two seven-week sessions per semester with two courses each
- Practical Focus: Real-world application of health law and policy concepts
Want to continue on for an advanced degree?
Apply your earned credits toward the Master of Arts or Master of Laws programs.
Certificate Curriculum
Hofstra Law’s comprehensive curriculum examines current and emerging issues in health law and policy, providing you with both breadth and depth of knowledge across critical areas.
Areas of study to choose from include:
- The Affordable Care Act and healthcare reform
- Medicare and Medicaid regulations
- Healthcare compliance and regulatory frameworks
- Disability law and discrimination in healthcare
- Public health law and policy
- Biotechnology and pharmaceutical regulation
- Drug development and FDA oversight
- Healthcare business law and operations
Core Courses
LAW 2993: Introduction to the American Legal System (2 credits)
This course is designed to introduce law students to the legal system of the United States. The goal of the course is to introduce the rules governing the creation, interpretation, and application of the different forms of law used by American lawyers. Students should also become familiar with the wide variety of institutional mechanisms and settings where law is used and to consider the different methods of legal reasoning fundamental to the American lawmaking process.
LAW 3844: Health Law (3 credits)
This seminar examines a variety of legal problems arising out of the American healthcare system. Among the topics discussed are the regulatory mechanisms aimed at promoting better quality in healthcare and the scope of relationships among participants in the healthcare system. The course also examines issues in the organization of the healthcare delivery system, in access to this system, and in controlling its costs.
Electives (Choose 2)
LAW 2909: Medicare and Medicaid Law (2 credits)
This course is an overview of the two most important government-funded healthcare programs. The course begins with a review of the history, purposes, expectations, and evolution of Medicare/ Medicaid legislation and then emphasizes recent changes, including the new prescription drug benefit under Medicare. Students will become familiar with issues important in the legal representation of patients, hospitals, doctors, and other providers under these laws. Special attention is given to the lawyer’s role regarding fraud and abuse statutes. The legal mechanisms of cost containment and utilization control within these programs are examined. The class explores policy issues and compares these programs to other federally funded healthcare programs. The requirements of the course can be met either by taking the final exam or by writing an erudite paper.
LAW 3734: Bioethics and the Law (3 credits)
This course explores contemporary problems involving law, medicine, and ethics. The rights of patients, the responsibilities of physicians, and the interests of society are examined in the contexts of medical treatment, death and dying, abortion, the new reproductive technologies, genetics, research on human subjects, and organ transplants.
LAW 2832: Law of Medical Product Discovery, Development and Commercialization (2 credits)
This course will explore the influence of law and regulation in the United States and other jurisdictions on the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry. The central focus will be the pathway of the discovery, development, and commercialization of new medicines and the effect of various stakeholders, legal disciplines, governmental structures, and globalization on that pathway. Students will learn the lawyer’s role in negotiating agreements, resolving disputes, making policy, and otherwise building consensus in this complex setting. Topics include the history of food and drug and related law, the evaluation of drug safety and efficacy, market exclusivity and market protection, and the roles of the FDA and other U.S. and non-U.S. government agencies. Students will have the option of taking the final examination or writing a paper.
LAW 3500: Business Transactions in Healthcare (3 credits)
Passage of the Affordable Care Act has, in many ways, encouraged healthcare payers and providers to partner, merge, or acquire their way to establishing economies of scale. This course will explore several of the most prevalent commercial business transactions in the healthcare industry today. After studying the structure, purpose, and best practice approaches to identifying the right business transaction for an organization, students will explore the case law, statutes, and regulations applicable to healthcare transactions. With an emphasis on building a sustainable business combination, students will walk through the fundamental elements of a negotiated acquisition process: due diligence; preliminary negotiations and agreements; transaction structure; final negotiations; definitive agreements; and post-closing relationships. By the end of the course, students will be familiar with all phases of the healthcare partnership/merger/acquisition process and be able to apply core partnership principles to every transaction.
LAW 2855: Public Health Law, Policy and Ethics (3 credits)
Public Health Law, Policy, and Ethics will focus on the application of law to public health and on the ethical and policy parameters of that application. During most of its history, the United States has struggled to improve population health without compromising the health of individuals. This course addresses legal and policy responses to issues such as mandatory vaccination, addiction, obesity, hunger, genetic testing, environmental pollution, epidemics, bioterrorism, natural disasters, and limitations on access to healthcare, among other issues. Students will consider how best to shape public health policy, the role of law in implementing policy, and the ethical implications of efforts by lawmakers to improve population health.
LAW 2511: The ADA: Statutory Interpretation (2 credits)
This course covers the fundamentals of statutory interpretation through the lens of a particular statute, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended. The course introduces students to the basics of statutory interpretation, then asks students to apply what they have learned in doctrinal context. Students will be exposed to the various mechanisms by and forums in which statutes are analyzed and interpreted, and the evidence used in the process, including but not limited to legislative history, agency interpretation, judicial decisions, and administrative regulations. Although the course is not designed as a doctrinal course in disability law, students should come away from the offering with a solid grasp of its fundamentals, as well as an understanding of the subject matter at hand.
LAW 2491: Representing Healthcare Providers (2 credits)
Lawyers representing healthcare providers, whether the provider is an individual healthcare practitioner, a group, a single institution or a large healthcare system, must deal with different areas of law to address the diverse issues that apply. This course is intended to acquaint students with the wide variety of federal and state legal and regulatory issues which healthcare attorneys encounter in their day-to-day practice. Specific examples of federal and state laws and regulations will serve as a framework to demonstrate the impact on healthcare providers. A paper is required.
LAW 3502: Healthcare Compliance (3 credits)
Healthcare compliance covers a vast legal landscape, and this course is intended as a general exploration of the major sources of law applicable to health lawyers, government agencies, healthcare providers, research institutions, researchers, inventors and developers. This course is a practical application of the intersection of the areas students have already studied at this point in the program, from administrative agency law to ethics and policy, and the business of health care; it is not intended to focus on any one topic, such as Medicare and Medicaid. However, since health data privacy and security issues are pervasive across all areas of health law, particular attention will be paid to HIPAA and HITECH, and how they intersect with: human subjects research regulations under the Common Rule; electronic medical records and personal health records; and regulation of mobile medical devices, mobile medical apps and mobile health apps. Other areas that will briefly be explored include the European Data Privacy Directive and its various amendments; the death of Safe Harbor; PIPEDA and PHIPA; and certain state regulations, using New York State and California as models. The course will also explore how to create and foster a culture of compliance within any health-related organization. Statutes, rules and regulations will be analyzed through lecture and practical exercises, which will include drafting sample internal policies, memos and proposing gap-filling legislation or regulations.
Who Should Apply?
This program is ideal for:
- Legal Professionals: Attorneys seeking to specialize in health law
- Healthcare Professionals: Clinicians, administrators, and executives
- Policy Professionals: Government officials and policy analysts
- Compliance Officers: Healthcare compliance and regulatory professionals
- Business Professionals: Those working in healthcare-related industries
Program Outcomes
Upon completion, you will be equipped to:
- Navigate complex health laws and regulations with confidence
- Innovate and utilize law and policy to drive meaningful change
- Distinguish yourself as an expert in your chosen area of focus
- Create new opportunities within the healthcare sector
- Contribute to the development or reform of healthcare legislation
- Gain a big-picture understanding of contemporary healthcare challenges
Admissions Requirements
Hofstra University welcomes applications from qualified legal and healthcare professionals. Visit Admissions to review the specific admission requirements and application procedures.
Ready to Advance Your Career in Health Law?
Join the next generation of healthcare law and policy leaders. With three start dates per year and no GRE, GMAT, or LSAT requirement, it’s never been a better time to begin your journey.
Admissions Deadlines
Aug
24
Application Deadline
August 24
Fall 2025 Term
Aug
25
Start Date
August 25
Fall 2025 Term