Master of Health Law (MHL) & Graduate Diploma in Health Law (GradDipHL)

Sydney Law School offers one of the nation’s leading postgraduate programs in health and medical law. The Master of Health Law (MHL) is a flexible, specialist postgraduate qualification in health law providing wide-ranging interdisciplinary coverage of contemporary legal and social issues in health care. The degree will be of particular interest to lawyers with a health/professional liability practice, hospital and other health organization administrators, doctors, nurses and other eligible health professionals. An exciting feature of the MHL program is the opportunity for dialogue between the legal and health professions about legal and ethical issues of relevance to both practice and administration. The MHL attracts a diverse mix of students.

Candidates enrolled in the MHL must choose three out of four core units, and five optional units. Candidates without an undergraduate law degree must also complete, in lieu of one of the optional units, either Legal Reasoning and the Common Law System or Health Law for Health Professionals.

The Graduate Diploma in Health Law (GradDipHL) is designed for students who have an interest in health law, but do not wish to complete the full Master's program. The Graduate Diploma consists of two compulsory units, and two optional units.

Program Co-ordinator

Associate Professor Roger Magnusson

Admission requirements

While an undergraduate degree is required, admission in the program is open to both lawyers, health professionals working in their respective professions, and other approved applicants.

Program structure

Each unit of study in the health law program is equivalent to six credit points. A total of 48 credit points (or eight units of study) is required for the award of the Master of Health Law (MHL). 24 credit points (four units of study) is required for the Graduate Diploma.

Attendance Pattern

Each unit of study entails 26 contact hours. Units are offered on a semester length basis or intensive basis. Semester length units are taught once a week over 13 weeks on either a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday evening between 6pm and 8pm. Intensive units of study condense the 26 hours over a period of four to five days. The units are then taught between 9am and 5pm over a block period. For example, an intensive unit may be taught two consecutive days one week and then two consecutive days in a fortnight's time. All classes are held in the Law School or another Sydney CBD location.

Duration

Mode
Timeframe
Full-time 1-3 years
Part-time 2-6 years

Units of study

Compulsory units of study

Candidates are required to complete 3 out of the following 4 units:

  • Government Regulation, Health Policy and Ethics (not offered in 2008)
  • Health Care and Professional Liability
  • Information Rights in Health Care
  • Critical Issues in Public Health Law
Health Law for Health Professionals (not offered in 2008) or Legal Reasoning and the Common Law System

Optional units of study
Advanced Forensic Psychiatry
Class Actions & Complex Litigation
Death Law
Dispute Resolution in Australia
Drugs, Drug Policy and the Law
Expert Evidence
Forensic Psychiatry
Health Law and Globalisation
Law, Ageing and Disability
Law, Ethics & the Autonomy Rationale
Law Reform: Processes, Practices & Problems
Legal Issues in Health Care & Technology
Legal Issues in Sports Medicine
Mediation - Skills and Theory
Mental Illness: Law & Policy
New Directions in Public Health Law & Policy
Policing Bodies: Crime, Sexuality and Reproduction
Privacy, Surveillace and Fair Information Practices
Problems in Medical Negligence Litigation
Reproduction and the Law

Staff

Information on individual staff, their research interests and publications, may be obtained from the Our People section of the website.