Compliance and Risk Management, MCRM/Patent Practice, MA
Degree: Master of Compliance and Risk Management (MCRM)
Compliance and Risk Management (MCRM) Program Information
Degree: Master of Arts (MA)
Field of Study: Patent Practice
Patent Practice (MA) Program Information
Program Overview
With the increasing public awareness of patents, U.S. Congress having enacted patent reform, and the U.S. Supreme Court taking on expanding numbers of patent cases, the pressure on organizations to define and improve their intellectual property culture is higher than ever before. This situation translates into a high, and rapidly growing, demand for individuals graduating with a joint Master of Compliance and Risk Management (MCRM)/MA in Patent Practice degree.
Regardless of the size of its business or the activities in which it is engaged, intellectual property is an important business asset for every company and an important factor in the development of the company's competitive strategies. While the proper management of intellectual property assets is essential to a healthy business, knowing how to proactively protect IP assets is far from intuitive. It is the job of compliance officers with a specialized knowledge of IP law and regulations to create comprehensive compliance programs that are consistent with a company's overall intellectual property strategy, comply with complicated IP laws, and assist executives with nuanced decision-making when making strategic deals and developing the company’s assets. To this end, compliance officers with an expertise in IP implement compliance programs that identify, perfect, protect, maintain, and prosecute a company’s own intellectual property rights—patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets—and avoid potential liability for knowingly or inadvertently infringing the intellectual property rights of others.
Program Requirements
Required Core Courses for the Master of Compliance and Risk Management (MCRM)
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses: | ||
| LAWS 5501 | Risk Management | 4 |
| LAWS 4561 | Governance, Risk Management, and Compliance | 3 |
| LAWS 4570 | Compliance & Risk Management Skills: Planning, Auditing, Investigating, and Reporting | 3 |
| LAWS 7511 | Thesis M.A. | 4 |
| Electives a | 1-4 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 15-18 | |
- a
Students will be required to take between 1-4 credit hours from among the elective courses that are part of the MCRM curriculum, depending on their chosen area of specialization.
Required Courses for MCRM Concentrations
Students can choose one of the following areas of concentration: Healthcare, Business Finance, or Intellectual Property.
Healthcare Concentration
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses: | ||
| LAWS 4201 | Health Law | 3 |
| LAWS 5218 | Health Care Organizations, Finance, and Regulation | 3 |
Business Finance Concentration
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses: | ||
| LAWS 4401 | Business Associations | 4 |
| LAWS 5431 | Securities Regulation | 3 |
Intellectual Property Concentration
The requirements for the Intellectual Property concentration depend on the student’s chosen area of focus. The concentration in Intellectual Property is made up of three possible areas of focus:
Fusion Focus
Students focus on the process of translating innovative technologies into real world business opportunities through intellectual property strategies.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses: | ||
| LAWS 5341 | Commercialization and Intellectual Property Management | 3 |
| LAWS 4302 | Patent Law | 3 |
| LAWS 4301 | Copyright Law | 3 |
| or LAWS 4303 | Trademark Law | |
Patent Law Focus
Students focus on securing and protecting intellectual property rights generally.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses: | ||
| LAWS 4302 | Patent Law | 3 |
| LAWS 4311 | Patent Preparation and Prosecution I | 3 |
| LAWS 4312 | Patent Preparation and Prosecution II | 2 |
Law and the Arts Focus
Students focus on securing and protecting intellectual property rights in the visual, literary, and performing arts, as well as rights and expressions associated with amateur and professional athletics.
Required Core Courses for the Master of Arts in Patent Practice
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses: | ||
| LAWS 4302 | Patent Law | 3 |
| LAWS 4311 | Patent Preparation and Prosecution I | 3 |
| LAWS 4312 | Patent Preparation and Prosecution II | 2 |
| LAWS 4315 | Patent Agent Lab | 3 |
| LAWS 4820 | Patent Bar Review | 4 |
| LAWS 5341 | Commercialization and Intellectual Property Management | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours | 18 | |
Sample Plans of Study
Healthcare Concentration
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credit Hours | |
| LAWS 5501 | Risk Management | 4 |
| LAWS 4302 | Patent Law | 3 |
| LAWS 4311 | Patent Preparation and Prosecution I | 3 |
| LAWS 4201 | Health Law | 3 |
| Elective a | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| LAWS 4561 | Governance, Risk Management, and Compliance | 3 |
| LAWS 4312 | Patent Preparation and Prosecution II | 2 |
| LAWS 4315 | Patent Agent Lab | 3 |
| LAWS 4820 | Patent Bar Review | 4 |
| LAWS 5218 | Health Care Organizations, Finance, and Regulation | 3 |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Summer | ||
| LAWS 4570 | Compliance & Risk Management Skills: Planning, Auditing, Investigating, and Reporting | 3 |
| Credit Hours | 3 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| LAWS 7511 | Thesis M.A. | 4 |
| LAWS 5341 | Commercialization and Intellectual Property Management | 3 |
| Experiential or Technical Elective | 3 | |
| Elective a | 2 | |
| Elective a | 2 | |
| Credit Hours | 14 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 48 | |
- a
Electives must be approved by advisor, but can include any courses offered by CWRU.
Business Finance Concentration
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credit Hours | |
| LAWS 5501 | Risk Management | 4 |
| LAWS 4302 | Patent Law | 3 |
| LAWS 4311 | Patent Preparation and Prosecution I | 3 |
| LAWS 4401 | Business Associations | 4 |
| Credit Hours | 14 | |
| Spring | ||
| LAWS 4561 | Governance, Risk Management, and Compliance | 3 |
| LAWS 4312 | Patent Preparation and Prosecution II | 2 |
| LAWS 4315 | Patent Agent Lab | 3 |
| LAWS 4820 | Patent Bar Review | 4 |
| LAWS 5431 | Securities Regulation | 3 |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Summer | ||
| LAWS 4570 | Compliance & Risk Management Skills: Planning, Auditing, Investigating, and Reporting | 3 |
| Credit Hours | 3 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| LAWS 7511 | Thesis M.A. | 4 |
| LAWS 5341 | Commercialization and Intellectual Property Management | 3 |
| Experiential or Technical Elective | 3 | |
| Elective a | 3 | |
| Elective a | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 48 | |
- a
Electives must be approved by advisor, but can include any courses offered by CWRU.
Intellectual Property Concentration with Fusion Focus
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credit Hours | |
| LAWS 5501 | Risk Management | 4 |
| LAWS 4302 | Patent Law | 3 |
| LAWS 4311 | Patent Preparation and Prosecution I | 3 |
| LAWS 4300 or LAWS 4303 | Intellectual Property Survey or Trademark Law | 3 |
| Elective | 2 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| LAWS 4561 | Governance, Risk Management, and Compliance | 3 |
| LAWS 4312 | Patent Preparation and Prosecution II | 2 |
| LAWS 4315 | Patent Agent Lab | 3 |
| LAWS 4820 | Patent Bar Review | 4 |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Summer | ||
| LAWS 4570 | Compliance & Risk Management Skills: Planning, Auditing, Investigating, and Reporting | 3 |
| Credit Hours | 3 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| LAWS 7511 | Thesis M.A. | 4 |
| LAWS 5341 | Commercialization and Intellectual Property Management | 3 |
| LAWS 4301 | Copyright Law | 3 |
| Experiential or Technical Elective | 3 | |
| Elective a | 2 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 48 | |
- a
Electives must be approved by advisor, but can include any courses offered by CWRU.
Intellectual Property Concentration with Patent Law Focus
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credit Hours | |
| LAWS 5501 | Risk Management | 4 |
| LAWS 4302 | Patent Law | 3 |
| LAWS 4311 | Patent Preparation and Prosecution I | 3 |
| Elective a | 3 | |
| Elective a | 2 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| LAWS 4561 | Governance, Risk Management, and Compliance | 3 |
| LAWS 4312 | Patent Preparation and Prosecution II | 2 |
| LAWS 4315 | Patent Agent Lab | 3 |
| LAWS 4820 | Patent Bar Review | 4 |
| Elective a | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Summer | ||
| LAWS 4570 | Compliance & Risk Management Skills: Planning, Auditing, Investigating, and Reporting | 3 |
| Credit Hours | 3 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| LAWS 7511 | Thesis M.A. | 4 |
| LAWS 5341 | Commercialization and Intellectual Property Management | 3 |
| Experiential or Technical Elective | 3 | |
| Elective a | 3 | |
| Elective a | 2 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 48 | |
Intellectual Property Concentration with Law & the Arts Focus
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credit Hours | |
| LAWS 5501 | Risk Management | 4 |
| LAWS 4302 | Patent Law | 3 |
| LAWS 4311 | Patent Preparation and Prosecution I | 3 |
| LAWS 5332 or LAWS 5324 | Sports Law or Law of the Music Industry | 1-2 |
| Elective a | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 14-15 | |
| Spring | ||
| LAWS 4561 | Governance, Risk Management, and Compliance | 3 |
| LAWS 4312 | Patent Preparation and Prosecution II | 2 |
| LAWS 4315 | Patent Agent Lab | 3 |
| LAWS 4820 | Patent Bar Review | 4 |
| LAWS 4303 | Trademark Law | 3 |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Summer | ||
| LAWS 4570 | Compliance & Risk Management Skills: Planning, Auditing, Investigating, and Reporting | 3 |
| Credit Hours | 3 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| LAWS 7511 | Thesis M.A. | 4 |
| LAWS 4301 | Copyright Law | 3 |
| LAWS 5341 | Commercialization and Intellectual Property Management | 3 |
| Experiential or Technical Elective | 3 | |
| Elective a | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 48-49 | |