Top LL.M. Programs for Health/Medical Law 2023

Taking a decidedly international perspective on health issues, Georgetown offers two specialized LL.M.s in the field: a Global Health Law & International Institutions LL.M. as well as a Global Health LL.M. Hosting the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law, Georgetown produces a range of impressive research in the field. The school is currently ranked in the top ten in US News and World Report’s Best Law Schools for Health Care Law Ranking.

With the school’s Centre for Social Ethics and Policy, Manchester has positioned itself as a thought leader in the healthcare ethics space. That knowledge and perspective has obviously trickled down into Manchester’s Healthcare Ethics and Law LL.M., which covers cutting-edge issues in bioethics, global health law, and genetics, among others.

McGill’s innovative LL.M. in Bioethics is a multidisciplinary program that focuses on both the practical and conceptual aspects of bioethics. Beyond courses in bioethics, students can opt to take electives in topics such as Law and Health Care and Ethics, Medicine, and Religion. McGill’s Faculty of Law is affiliated with the school’s Institute for Health and Social Policy, which produces research and puts on events.

Established in 1978, UH Law's Health Law & Policy Institute runs workshops and produces relevant research. Students in the school’s Health Law LL.M. can pursue a variety of relevant courses, such as “Biotechnology and the Law,” "Health Privacy," and "Genetics and the Law," among others. The school is currently ranked number three in US News’ Best Law Schools for Health Care Law ranking.

Where some Health Law LL.M.s take a rather myopic view of the regulatory field, the University of Toronto’s LL.M. concentration in Health Law, Ethics and Policy addresses the wider perspective, with classes like “Human Rights as Global Justice,” and “Mental Health and the Law.” The school’s International Reproductive and Sexual Health Law Program explores how laws around the world impact the reproductive rights of individuals.

SLU Law, which publishes the Saint Louis University Journal of Health Law & Policy and hosts the Center for Health Law Studies, is typically ranked highly for health law in various specialty rankings. Graduates of the school’s LL.M. in Health Law have gone on to careers in Baylor Health Care Systems, Genesis Health Systems, and the Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services, among other employers.

The school has carved out research niches in various health topics, with research initiatives in Law & Health Care, Health & Homeland Security, and Public Health. The Carey School of Law is currently ranked number two in US News’ Best Law Schools for Health Care Law, and offers an LL.M. concentration in Health Law.

Northeastern Law is home to the Center for Health Policy and Law, which produces research in health-related fields. The Center also coordinates in putting on the school’s LL.M. concentration in Health Policy and Law, which is designed for students who want to improve their health law knowledge and skills. Northeastern is currently ranked in the US News and World Report as one of the best schools in the health care law area.

The University of Edinburgh’s LL.M. in Medical Law and Ethics covers a broad range of subjects in medical law, jurisprudence and ethics. The Law School’s faculty publish a healthy amount of research in these fields as well.

Although the school does not offer an LL.M. in Health Law, it does offer an MA in Medical Law for interested students. KCL also hosts the Centre of Medical Law and Ethics.