Yeshiva University Benjamin N. Cardozo Law School is launching what it says is the first master's degree in data and privacy law offered by a law campus.

A pilot cohort of six students started in the online program last fall, and the Manhattan school is expanding the Master of Studies in Law in Data and Privacy this fall in a new collaboration with online learning provider Noodle Partners. The goal of the program is to give non-lawyers a foundation in data and privacy law so that they can ensure their companies are compliant with the latest regulations.

Professor Felix Wu said Cardozo's program is different from existing cybersecurity masters programs offered by law schools, which tend to focus more on global cybersecurity issues and policy.

“We're really focused on trying to think of this from the perspective of individual companies needing to figure out how best to comply with all these developing standards,” he said. “The focus is much more on what you might regard as the more day-to-day aspects of governing data, as opposed to the global aspects of cybersecurity issues.”

The school is hoping to attract information security professionals, IT managers, small business owners, tech entrepreneurs and paralegals to the program. The degree can be completed in 18 to 24 month with almost all coursework done online. (Students will have to come to campus for a weekend, according to Wu.) Among the courses are Introduction to U.S. Law; Corporations; E-Discovery; and International Data Protection. Each student will also complete a capstone project tailored to their background and interests.

The degree costs $38,850, and Wu said he expects a mix of employers covering tuition as well as students footing the bill themselves to further their careers. With the expanded program, Cardozo hopes to enroll about 20 students this fall, then grow from there. Applications for the fall class are open.

“Laws and regulations form the backdrop for a lot of the work that non-lawyers do, particularly around managing data,” Wu said. “Understanding those laws will help people be more effective in their careers. This type of knowledge is incredibly empowering, and that's what our [master's program] has to offer.”