Southwestern Law School has partnered with the Keck Graduate Institute, a member of the Claremont Colleges, to offer a Certificate of Bioscience Industry Law and Practice to students at both institutions.
The school hopes to serve attorneys and business leaders who wish to develop an expertise in Bioscience Law. People who are knowledgeable about business practices and intellectual property rights are in high demand in the bioscience industry, the school said.
“The biosciences industry has an unmet need for attorneys who are knowledgeable about business practices and intellectual property rights,” said Southwestern Professor Ryan Abbott, who is also an M.D. “There is also a strong demand for business leaders who know the law and industry regulations.”
Beginning in the Fall of 2013, qualified students from KGI can take courses at Southwestern in intellectual property law, patent and trademark law, and regulatory law as it applies to health care and the bioscience industry.
Qualified students from Southwestern can take courses at KGI in the area of technology management, entrepreneurship, and bioscience-related industry dynamics. Students from both schools who complete the required coursework will earn a Certificate in Bioscience Industry Law and Practice.
“The certificate program provides an excellent opportunity for our students to study the interplay between law and biosciences, and should be particularly attractive for those interested in an intellectual property law career,” said Dean Austen Parrish of Southwestern.
KGI educates future leaders of the bioscience industry through distinctive Professional Science Master’s and Ph.D. programs offering integrated life science/engineering/business curriculums and focusing on industry projects and collaborations.
KGI is the second institution in the Claremont Colleges Consortium with which Southwestern has established a partnership – concurrent JD/MBA degree programs have been offered in collaboration with The Drucker Graduate School of Management since 2009.
Students will need to complete a minimum of 2 units at KGI and 4 units at Southwestern to earn the Certificate in Bioscience Industry Law and Practice (generally two courses at each school). Students will be graded on a credit/no credit (C+ or better) basis in the courses they take at the partner school. Eligible Southwestern and KGI students will pay no additional tuition for the certificate courses.
This partnership offers students an important entrée into this fast-growing industry through specialized courses and interdisciplinary team projects sponsored by companies.
