MSL in National Security and Cybersecurity Law

Director: L. Schenck; Faculty Co-Directors: L. Dickinson, E. Swaine; Faculty Advisers: S. Kieff, S. Murphy, D. Solove


To earn an MSL in National Security and Cybersecurity Law, students must complete 24 credit hours, including: National Security Law (6870), Cybersecurity Law and Policy (6879) AND Technology Foundations for Cybersecurity (6884); OR Cybersecurity Law and Technology (6890), Introduction to U.S. Law and Legal Writing for M.S.L. Students (6950), 5 credits of advanced cyber-related courses, and a minimum of 8 credits from the courses listed below.

Note: Credit earned in courses offered as part of GW Law's Oxford Program may be applied toward MSL program requirements. 

Note: Students who have a background in information technology may submit a request to the program director to obtain a waiver from Technology Foundations for Cybersecurity (6884) enrollment.

Foundational Courses

  • National Security Law (6870)
  • U.S. Foreign Relations Law (6871)
  • Cybersecurity Law & Policy (6879)
  • Technology Foundations for Cybersecurity (6884)
  • Cybersecurity Law & Technology (6890)

Cyber-Related Courses

  • Computer Crime (6369)
  • Constitutional Law Seminar (Cyber, Privacy, and Speech) (6399)
  • Telecommunications Law (6414)
  • Public Law Seminar (Telecommunication and Technology) (6426)
  • Computer Law (6484)
  • Law in Cyberspace (6485)
  • Information Privacy Law (6486)
  • Internet Law (6493)
  • Selected Topics in Government Contracts (Government Procurement of Technology) (6513)
  • Space Law (6548)
  • Intelligence Law (6878)
  • Artificial Intelligence Law and Policy (6881)
  • Counterintelligence Law and Policy (6883)
  • Foreign Access to U.S. Technology (6891)
  • Selected Topics in Cybersecurity Law (6892)**
  • Disinformation, National Security, and Cybersecurity: Overview and Legal Approaches (6893)
  • Blockchain:  Law, Policy, and Cybersecurity (6894)
  • Global Privacy Law and Conflict Seminar (6895)
  • Consumer Privacy and Data Protection: Regulatory Approaches (6896)
  • Cybersecurity Law Crisis Challenges: Protecting Critical Infrastructure, Risk Management, and Incident Response (6898)

National Security Law Courses

  • Professional Responsibility and Ethics (National Security) (6218)
  • Role of the Federal Prosecutor (6363) 
  • Immigration Criminal Enforcement (6367)
  • Law of Separation of Powers (6384)
  • Legislation (6416)
  • Legislative Analysis and Drafting (6418)
  • Congressional Investigations (6420)
  • Veterans Law (6423)
  • Veterans Advocacy (6428)
  • Anti-Corruption and Compliance (6511)
  • International Law (6520)
  • International Money Laundering, Corruption, and Terrorism (6521)
  • Immigration Law I (6538)
  • Refugee and Asylum Law (6540)
  • International Law of Human Rights (6546)
  • Law of the Sea (6550)
  • Law of War (6552)
  • U.S. Export Control Laws and Economic Sanctions (6553)
  • International Criminal Law (6554)
  • Nation Building and the Rule of the Law (6559)
  • Public International Law Seminar (6562)**
  • Human Trafficking Law (6572)
  • Legal Drafting (National Security) (6652)
  • Field Placement (6668)
  • Graduate Clinical Studies (6697)
  • Selected Topics in National Security Law (6869)**
  • U.S. Foreign Relations Law (6871)
  • National Security Law Seminar (6872)** 
  • Military Justice (6873)
  • Counterterrorism Law (6875)
  • Homeland Security Law and Policy (6876)
  • Nuclear Nonproliferation Law and Policy (6877)
  • The Law of Emergencies: Natural Disasters, Climate Crises, Pandemics, and Beyond (6880)
  • Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (6882)
  • Transnational Security (6885)
  • Domestic Terrorism (6886)
  • Problems Trying Terrorists in Article III Courts (6887)
  • Crisis and Legal Controversy in the CIA (6888)
  • Aviation Law and National Security (6889)
  • Foreign Direct Investment Law: The Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. and National Security (6897)
  • Internal Investigations, Modern Politics, and the Office of the Inspector General (6899)

** Check Course Catalog for latest offerings.