Health Law and Policy
JD x Graduate Certificate in Health Law and Policy
As a lawyer, you need to understand the needs and goals of your clients and the context for the legal work you are doing.
To provide you with the big picture in a specific area of expertise, Northeastern University School of Law offers a range of certificates that are interdisciplinary, bringing together the unique strengths of our law school and global university, and our leadership in experience-based education.
With a JD x Graduate Certificate in Health Law and Policy, you’ll multiply the options open to you as a lawyer and develop real expertise.
If your goal is to work in a public health, health care, or health policy setting, you’ll need to master the nuances of health law and policy. By weaving health-related courses into your legal studies, you’ll be prepared for success in health-related careers in the nonprofit, public or private sectors.
The interdisciplinary Graduate Certificate in Health Law and Policy encompasses a wide range of courses, including courses in public policy, sociology, public health and health management. Through courses, co-ops, clinics and writing a substantial paper, your studies will be grounded in the context of law and layered with laser-focused knowledge, industry-informed observations and unique insights, both from your law professors and from faculty and colleagues across our global university.
Whether you are interested in social movements in health care, health information technology or another field in the health sector, the Graduate Certificate in Health Law and Policy offers an opportunity to deepen your knowledge and develop expertise so that you can jump right into a rewarding career in a health-related field.
Sample Courses
Bioethics and the Law
Drug Law and Policy
Global Health
Health Policy and Politics
Healthcare Fraud and Abuse Law
Health Organization Management
Management Issues in Healthcare Information Technology
Problems in Public Health Law
Project Management in Public Health
Race, Ethnicity and Health in the United States
Social Epidemiology
Strategic Management for Healthcare Organizations
Theoretical Foundations in Personal Health Informatics
Related Clinics
Domestic Violence Clinic
LGBTQ+ Clinic
Public Health Advocacy Clinic
Sample Co-ops
Cambridge and Somerville Legal Services, Elder Law & Mental Health Rights, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Public Health Law Program, Atlanta, Georgia
Children’s Hospital Corporation, Boston, Massachusetts
Community Service Society of New York, New York, New York
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Brookline, Massachusetts
Disability Law Center, Boston, Massachusetts
East Bay Community Law Center, Health Practice, Berkeley, California
DC Department of Health Care Finance, Health Care Policy and Research Administration, Washington, DC
Fresenius Medical Care North America, Waltham, Massachusetts
Georgetown Law Center, O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law, Washington, DC
Greater Boston Legal Services, Boston, Massachusetts
Health in Justice Action Lab, Boston, Massachusetts
Keros Therapeutics, Lexington, Massachusetts
Legal Council for Health Justice, Chicago, Illinois
Mass General Brigham, Boston, Massachusetts
Mass General Brigham–Transactional Affairs Group, Somerville, Massachusetts
Mass Law Reform Institute, Health Unit, Boston MassachusettsMassachusetts Attorney General’s Office, Health Care Division, Boston, Massachusetts
Massachusetts Department of Mental Health, Office of the General Counsel, Westborough, Massachusetts
Massachusetts Executive Office of Health and Human Services, Boston, Massachusetts
Massachusetts General Hospital, Center for Law Brain and Behavior, Boston, Massachusetts
Massachusetts Health Policy Commission, Boston, Massachusetts
Mental Health Legal Advisors Committee, Boston, Massachusetts
Network for Public Health Law, Edina, Minnesota
New York University, Langone Health, Office of General Counsel, New York, New York
Novo Nordisk, Lexington, Massachusetts
Public Health Advocacy Institute, Boston, Massachusetts
Simcere of America, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Takeda, Cambridge, Massachusetts
UMass Memorial Health Care, Inc., General Counsel, Worcester, Massachusetts
Vertex Pharmaceuticals, Boston, Massachusetts
>> Requirements
Additional Health Law Opportunities
The School of Law is a national leader in education, research and service initiatives addressing the most pressing challenges facing society.
- The Center for Health Policy and Law provides a rich context for students and researchers interested in public health law, health and human rights, health governance, health care financing, drug law, intellectual property, bioethics, health care delivery law and the regulation of our health care systems.
- The Public Health Advocacy Institute is renowned for its leadership and commitment to research and advocacy in public health law, to public health policy development, to legal technical assistance and to collaborative work at the intersection of law and public health.
- The Health in Justice Action Lab is guided by a vision of a healthier, more just society, and advances criminal justice reform through a public health lens. Engaging with academic, community, public and private partners, it informs responses to today’s most critical community challenges.
- The Health Law Society (HLS) is a student group committed to raising the visibility of health law at Northeastern and our broader community, with a particular emphasis on traditional public health concerns.
- The Drug Law and Policy Society (DLPS) is dedicated to studying and taking action on issues related to drug policy, including pharmaceutical regulation and drug enforcement.
Additional Degrees
- Concentrations and course offerings may vary by campus and/or by program modality. Please consult with your advisor or admissions coach for the course availability each term at your campus or within your program modality.
- Certain options within the program may be required at certain campuses or for certain program modalities. Please consult with your advisor or admissions coach for requirements at your campus or for your program modality.