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International Law & Legal Studies

Types of Degrees International Law & Legal Studies Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing International Law & Legal Studies may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Master’s Degree	404
Doctor’s Degree	10

What International Law & Legal Studies Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in International Law & Legal 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

The skill set emphasized by a International Law & Legal 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

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to International Law & Legal 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, International Law & Legal 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 International Law & Legal Studies professionals:

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

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for International Law & Legal Studies graduates include:

• Labor Law Professor
• Law Lecturer
• Constitutional Law Professor
• College Faculty Member
• Paralegal Instructor
• Adjunct Law Professor
• Contracts Law Professor
• Clinical Law Professor
• Business Law Professor
• Business Law Instructor
• Law Instructor
• Media Law Faculty Member
• Teacher
• Adjunct Instructor
• Faculty Member

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to International Law & Legal 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 International Law & Legal Studies?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 57.5% women and 42.5% men among International Law & Legal Studies graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	238	57.5%
Men	176	42.5%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	39	9.4%
Asian	12	2.9%
Hispanic or Latino	25	6.0%
Black or African American	13	3.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native	1	0.2%
Two or More Races	1	0.2%
Race Unknown	21	5.1%
International Students	302	72.9%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do International Law & Legal Studies Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports median earnings of International Law & Legal Studies 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	$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 International Law & Legal Studies Programs

Online study is reported by IPEDS for International Law & Legal 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	2	4

^{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 International Law & Legal Studies Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, International Law & Legal 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
Advanced Legal Research/Studies, General	22.0201
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

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.