The University of Notre Dame, beginning this fall, will offer a Certificate in Patent Prosecution, with six courses available either online or in Chicago.
The certificate courses are a subset of those offered on campus in the MS in Patent Law, and are designed for working professionals who can’t relocate to Notre Dame for an academic year. Certificate students will learn the basics of patent law and necessary skills for a patent agent: how to write a patent application, how to negotiate with the U.S. Patent Office on behalf of an inventor, how to determine whether an invention is patentable and the ethical obligations of a patent agent.
Students receive the same level of instruction whether taking the courses online, in Chicago or in the MS in Patent Law at Notre Dame.
The Certificate in Patent Prosecution is a 12-credit curriculum. Courses run on a traditional, semester-based academic calendar. “Patent Prosecution Law I,” “Patent Application Drafting” and “Patent Searching” will be available for students to begin taking entirely online or in Chicago this fall. The remaining three courses, “Patent Prosecution Law II,” “Patent Prosecution” and “Patent Practitioner Ethics,” will be available online or in Chicago in the spring. The online certificate will have both fall and spring start dates. Prospective students can apply by visiting patentlaw.nd.edu/mspl/apply-now.
The online certificate courses blend live and pre-recorded lectures to provide maximum flexibility and efficiency, and meet in fall and spring semesters with summers off. The Chicago certificate courses are taught in-person. All instructors are successful patent agents or patent attorneys who work at law firms, in corporations or at the U.S. Patent Office. Students can take courses as personal schedules allow, as long as all 12 credits are completed by the end of the third year.
Contact: Karen Deak, director, Patent Law, 574-631-6695, kdeak@nd.edu
Originally published by at news.nd.edu on July 15, 2014.