How can health care professionals build legal and leadership expertise without becoming lawyers?

Joey Dormady

Assistant Dean, Graduate Programs and New Education Initiatives

Joey Dormady leads ASU Law’s growing portfolio of master’s degree programs and is passionate about creating accessible, high-quality legal education for students from all backgrounds.

Health care runs on more than medicine. Every hospital system, clinic, insurance provider and health organization operates within a complex legal and regulatory environment that shapes patient care, operations, technology, staffing and organizational decision-making.

That reality is exactly why ASU Law launched the new Master of Legal Studies in Health Care Compliance and Administration (MLS Health) for students to advance their skills in health care leadership, administration and legal compliance.

The MLS Health degree at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at Arizona State University is designed for professionals who want to understand the legal and regulatory side of health care without becoming practicing attorneys. The program combines legal education, compliance training and health care administration to help professionals lead confidently in one of the most highly regulated industries in the country.

Like ASU Law’s broader MLS program, the degree offers flexible pathways for working professionals and focuses on practical legal knowledge that can immediately apply in health care settings.

What is health care compliance and administration?

Health care administration and compliance intersect across nearly every part of modern health systems. Leaders in hospitals, clinics and health organizations regularly navigate legal responsibilities tied to patient privacy, operations, staffing, reimbursement systems, contracts and organizational governance.

That includes areas such as:

• HIPAA and patient privacy
• Medicare and Medicaid regulations
• Risk management and organizational accountability
• Health care operations and governance
• Employment and workplace issues
• Fraud prevention and ethical compliance
• Administrative decision-making within regulated environments

Today’s health systems need professionals who understand how legal frameworks affect operational decisions. Rather than being isolated within legal departments, compliance influences technology adoption, human resources, organizational strategy, patient systems and day-to-day administration.

Why do health care professionals need legal and administrative training?

Many professionals in health care move into leadership positions without formal legal training, yet they regularly encounter issues involving contracts, privacy obligations, employment law, reimbursement systems and regulatory risk.

As health care systems become more complex, organizations increasingly seek leaders who can:

• Understand legal and regulatory obligations
• Communicate effectively with attorneys and compliance teams
• Lead responsibly within regulated organizations
• Reduce operational and organizational risk
• Navigate administrative challenges with confidence
• Support ethical decision-making across health systems

Legal literacy has become a major professional advantage in health care administration.

At ASU Law, the MLS Health program helps professionals develop that literacy through an accessible graduate degree grounded in real-world application rather than traditional attorney training.

What do students learn in the MLS Health program?

Students build a foundation in legal reasoning and the structure of the U.S. legal system while focusing on health care law and the regulatory and operational realities of health care administration.

The MLS is designed for non-lawyers and taught by leading industry experts and law school faculty. Students gain practical legal knowledge without preparing for bar licensure or attorney practice.

What careers can a health care compliance and administration degree support?

Health care organizations increasingly seek professionals who can operate at the intersection of administration, compliance and risk management. 

The MLS Health program aligns with this growing demand:

• Projected job growth for compliance managers is approximately 9.77% by 2033
• Compliance and health administration roles continue to expand nationally
• Median annual wage for compliance officers is approximately $75,670

Graduates may pursue roles such as:

The MLS framework at ASU Law also aligns with several professional compliance organizations, including the Health Care Compliance Association and Compliance Certification Board, helping professionals strengthen their credentials and industry credibility.

Why choose ASU Law for health care compliance and administration?

ASU Law is one of the top law schools in the nation for health care law, ranked No. 13 by U.S. News & World Report (2026) and No. 1 in the U.S. for legal master’s graduates (NCES, 2019-2024), ahead of Northwestern, Georgetown USC and Texas A&M. ASU Law approaches legal education through innovation, accessibility and interdisciplinary problem-solving. That philosophy shapes the MLS Health program as well.

Students benefit from:

• Flexible online learning options
• A nationally recognized and ABA-accredited law school
• World-class faculty with practical and academic expertise
• Career-focused curriculum design
• Career Services support during school and after graduation
• Holistic wellness resources
• Access to ASU’s broader innovation ecosystem

Health care is evolving quickly alongside advances in technology, policy and data systems. Organizations need professionals who can navigate both operational complexity and regulatory responsibility.

The MLS Health degree prepares professionals to meet that challenge with legal insight, compliance expertise and administrative leadership skills designed for the modern health care environment.