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Advanced Legal Research/Studies

Types of Degrees Advanced Legal Research/Studies Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Advanced Legal Research/Studies have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Bachelor’s Degree	94
Master’s Degree	4,224
Doctor’s Degree	310

What Advanced Legal Research/Studies Majors Need to Know

Coursework for Advanced Legal Research/Studies emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Advanced Legal Research/Studies graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Advanced Legal Research/Studies emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Law and Government — Importance 4.9 / 5; level 6.1 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.7 / 5; level 6.0 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.7 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Communications and Media — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills developed in a Advanced Legal Research/Studies program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Learning Strategies — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Advanced Legal Research/Studies careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.7 / 5; level 5.3 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 5 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.1 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.3 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Advanced Legal Research/Studies graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.6 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.6 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.5 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.4 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.2 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	4.1 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.0 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	3.9 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	3.9 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	3.8 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Advanced Legal Research/Studies professionals:

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

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Advanced Legal Research/Studies graduates include:

• Instructor
• Labor Law Professor
• Adjunct Professor
• Constitutional Law Professor
• Environmental Law Professor
• Contracts Law Professor
• Faculty Member
• Associate Professor
• Media Law Faculty Member
• University Faculty Member
• Business Law Professor
• U.S. Law Instructor (United States Law Instructor)
• Torts Law Professor
• Law Professor
• College Professor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Advanced Legal Research/Studies graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
First professional degree	43.2%
Doctoral degree	40.6%
Master’s degree	13.5%
Post-master’s certificate	1.8%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	0.9%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Advanced Legal Research/Studies?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 62.9% of Advanced Legal Research/Studies degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	2,910	62.9%
Men	1,718	37.1%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Advanced Legal Research/Studies graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	1,025	22.1%
Asian	129	2.8%
Hispanic or Latino	354	7.6%
Black or African American	365	7.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native	15	0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	3	0.1%
Two or More Races	91	2.0%
Race Unknown	695	15.0%
International Students	1,951	42.2%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Advanced Legal Research/Studies Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Advanced Legal Research/Studies graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$78,306
4 years	$93,383
5 years	$107,509

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $107,509 — roughly 37% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Advanced Legal Research/Studies Programs

Distance learning is tracked by IPEDS for Advanced Legal Research/Studies. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Master’s	12	14

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Advanced Legal Research/Studies Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Advanced Legal Research/Studies graduates earn a median of $93,383 four years after completion — roughly 146% 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 Research and Advanced Professional Studies	22.02
Agriculture Law	22.0214
American/US Law/Legal Studies/Jurisprudence	22.0203
Arts and Entertainment Law	22.0215
Banking, Corporate, Finance, and Securities Law	22.0205
Canadian Law/Legal Studies/Jurisprudence	22.0204
Comparative Law	22.0206
Compliance Law	22.0216
Criminal Law and Procedure	22.0217
Energy, Environment, and Natural Resources Law	22.0207
Entrepreneurship Law	22.0218
Family/Child/Elder Law	22.0219

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.