Meet Kimberly Blue, a current student in the online Master of Legal Studies in Compliance and Risk Management program at Seattle University School of Law. Aside from life as a student, Kimberly oversees accountability and compliance measures and conducts internal auditing processes for Continuing Education and Workforce Development at Sandhills Community College. She has a very busy role supporting central operations, program areas, and full-time equivalent compliance. Below, she shares some amazing real-world insights so you can envision the type of commitment this program requires—and the value you get in return.
Why I Wanted My MLS in Compliance
Kimberly Blue is the Senior Director for Compliance and Accountability at Sandhills Community College located in South Central North Carolina. She started as an auditor, and now is in short-term workforce development. Kimberly always says that compliance touches everything: she’s in a position where one has to be fully aware of what’s going on in conversations about planning and changes, while also staying fully aware of state regulations.
Four years into her career as an auditor, a change in leadership brought in someone who really valued compliance and began including Kimberly into the conversation. Historically, companies only had to deal with compliance on the reactive side. Only recently have organizations shifted the focus to how we build these processes and systems, realizing that when we put compliance strategies in place on the front end, far less auditing and far fewer concerns are faced on the back end. Compliance should always be a function of the business, and installing accountability measures throughout the operations leads to true compliance. Without internal control and accountability measures, there will certainly be compliance issues. Eventually, Kimberly knew she had to take the next step and evolve with this evolving position. Seattle U’s MLS program was the perfect fit.
The Time Commitment
How does a student juggle her MLS and the rest of her life? There’s a lot of ground to cover in the first semester because this is a formal education program, which was something Kimberly looked for initially. It’s important to invest the time from the start while learning foundational and fundamental concepts of the law that will facilitate learning moving forward. She’s been investing about 30 hours per week and recommends breaking up the time blocks as much as possible. Blend it into the rest of life and make it manageable! The learning curve is steep at the beginning, so plan accordingly. Kimberly likes to keep her reading assignments and a little notebook with her at all times. A “rock-star” mom, she resourcefully balances her job, studies, and parenting in a way that works for her and her family.
Support Your Professional Development
One of the most helpful concepts Kimberly has learned through Seattle U’s MLS coursework is how to build and incorporate an informed foundation for navigating administration. She now looks at her full-time work in a whole new light after learning how to write more concisely, sift through online resources, properly cite research sources, and more. Kimberly shares that an MLS degree positions anyone to be a preferred candidate with disciplined, formal knowledge, more so than pure work experience or a certificate program. It’s a worthy investment in your career. The advanced degree opens the door to tremendous options and provides increased financial opportunities, so she knows that there’s truly great value in earning your MLS degree.
Get Started Now
Seattle University School of Law’s fully online masters degree was designed to allow students like Kimberly to excel. Grounded in training in legal methods, analysis, and communication, the coursework prepares graduates to further their careers, assume leadership roles within organizations, and master compliance in any industry.
Depending on your professional goals and interests, you can choose to focus on one of the following concentrations: Healthcare Compliance, Corporate Compliance, Financial Compliance, and Data and Cybersecurity Compliance. Whatever your concentration, your degree is tailored to fit your current life – full-time job, family, and all.
