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Law

Types of Degrees Law Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Law have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Doctor’s Degree	39,447

What Law Majors Need to Know

Programs in Law build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Law graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

Coursework in Law emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Law and Government — Importance 4.8 / 5; level 5.9 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.7 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.1 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.0 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set developed in a Law program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Law careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Law graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.7 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.3 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.3 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.0 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.0 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.9 / 7
Processing Information	3.9 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	3.8 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.8 / 7
Thinking Creatively	3.8 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Law professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
LexisNexis	Information retrieval or search software	—
Thomson Reuters Westlaw	Information retrieval or search software	✓
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
AbacusNext HotDocs	Document management software	—
LexisNexis CaseMap	Data base user interface and query software	—
CT Summation iBlaze	Document management software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Law graduates include:

• Professor
• Instructor
• Law Instructor
• Associate Professor
• Adjunct Professor
• Business Law Instructor
• Adjunct Law Professor
• Adjunct Instructor
• Assistant Professor
• Environmental Law Professor
• Clinical Law Professor
• U.S. Law Instructor (United States Law Instructor)
• Law Adjunct Professor
• Faculty Member
• Torts Law Professor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Law graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	40.2%
First professional degree	35.6%
Master’s degree	9.6%
Bachelor’s degree	3.7%
Post-doctoral training	3.0%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	2.3%
Post-master’s certificate	2.2%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	1.1%
Some college courses	1.1%
Less than a high school diploma	0.6%
High school diploma or equivalent	0.5%
Postsecondary certificate	0.2%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Law?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 56.5% women and 43.5% men among Law graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	22,302	56.5%
Men	17,145	43.5%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Law graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	24,204	61.4%
Asian	2,789	7.1%
Hispanic or Latino	5,236	13.3%
Black or African American	2,957	7.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native	138	0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	54	0.1%
Two or More Races	1,482	3.8%
Race Unknown	1,362	3.5%
International Students	1,225	3.1%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Law Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Law graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Earnings tend to climb steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$85,952
4 years	$103,350
5 years	$119,373

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $119,373 — roughly 39% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Is a Degree in Law Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Law graduates earn a median of $103,350 four years after completion — roughly 172% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Legal Studies and Professions	22
Legal Professions and Studies, Other	22.99
Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies	22.02
Legal Support Services	22.03
Non-Professional Legal Studies	22.00

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.