Webster U. Offers MA in Patent Agency

Webster University of St. Louis is offering a Master of Arts in Patent Agency. According to their program description, the global legal community is experiencing an increasing demand for intellectual property law services, thereby resulting in an increasing demand for patent agents knowledgeable in the field of intellectual property law. The patent agency program prepares students who have a science or engineering background to practice as patent agents before the United States Patent and Trademark Office in patent cases:

The program provides the theoretical and practical knowledge needed to
enter the field of patent agency well-prepared to prepare and prosecute patent
cases. [Since] the written portion of the Patent Agent Bar Examination has
recently been eliminated. . . many patent agents who pass the
examination could be entering the work force with virtually no preparation in
patent application drafting. A course of study that teaches students the art of
patent drafting, such as this one, will likely result in the student being more
competent, marketable, and hopefully, more highly compensated.

The 36 credit hours required for the M.A. degree include the following courses:

• LEGL 5000 Introduction to Legal Studies (Requisite Course)
• LEGL 5260 Methods of Legal Research and Writing I
• LEGL 5900 Foundations of Intellectual Property Law
• LEGL 5910 Patent Law
• LEGL 5920 Patent Drafting
• LEGL 5930 Patent Prosecution
• LEGL 5940 Patent Law Regulations, Procedures, and Ethics
• LEGL 5950 Patent Litigation in the Federal Circuit
• LEGL 6030 Integrated Practices in Patent Agency