MLSC 6500 Organizational Effectiveness: Governance, Risk Management, and Compliancy

Technical proficiency is not enough to manage business risk. Every potential or identified threat cannot be mitigated, and organizations must choose where to focus their often limited resources to support business goals. This course focuses on Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) as an organizational capability that all organizations require in todays complex world. Topics include understanding the business context of key stakeholders, corporate culture, and organizational risks, including the benefits and risks presented by Artificial Intelligence (AI). Students will understand how GRC capabilities such as enterprise risk management (ERM), compliance management (SOX, ISO, PCI, NIST, etc.) and policy management should work together to build a cohesive and balanced risk management strategy within the business context. Students will learn about GRC technology and GRC program management required to support and grow GRC capabilities. Lastly, students will hear from guest lecturers about the roles and responsibilities of the Board of Directors, Risk/Audit Governance Committees, Chief Executives (Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), Chief Risk Officer (CRO), Chief Security Officer (CSO), etc.) and how they rely on GRC capabilities to support the business.

Course overview

Department
Law
School
LAW
Credits
3
Level
Graduate
Offered
Annually

Course evaluations

Response-weighted averages from Boston College’s official course evaluations (Avalanche/Blue).

Course rating
3.60 / 5 · Very Good
25 responses
Instructor rating
3.84 / 5 · Very Good
25 responses
Terms evaluated
2
Most recent: Spring 2026

Scales: overall ratings run from 1 (poor) to 5 (excellent); agreement questions from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree); weekly effort from 1 (up to 1 hour) to 5 (10 or more hours).

Evaluations by term and instructor
TermInstructorCourse overallInstructor overallWell organizedClear learning objectivesIntellectually challengingHelpful assignmentsApplicable beyond courseAttendance necessaryWeekly effortResponses
Spring 2026Philip Aldrich4.44.44.64.54.94.54.54.510+ hrs/week11 of 12
Fall 2025Philip Aldrich3.03.43.83.64.13.94.14.14–6 hrs/week14 of 18

Data freshness

Course and evaluation data last updated 2026-10-09. Source details and limitations are documented in Data Sources and Methodology.

Instructors