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Non-Professional Legal Studies

Types of Degrees Non-Professional Legal Studies Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Non-Professional Legal Studies may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	86
Associate’s Degree	458
Bachelor’s Degree	3,253
Master’s Degree	992
Doctor’s Degree	7

What Non-Professional Legal Studies Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Non-Professional Legal Studies emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Law and Government — Importance 4.8 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Administrative — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.4 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set developed in a Non-Professional Legal Studies program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Writing — Importance 4 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 3.6 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.6 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Non-Professional Legal Studies careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Written Comprehension — Importance 4 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Speech Recognition — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 3.8 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Non-Professional Legal Studies graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Documenting/Recording Information	4.4 / 7
Working with Computers	4.4 / 7
Communicating with People Outside the Organization	4.3 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.3 / 7
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.1 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.0 / 7
Performing Administrative Activities	3.8 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	3.8 / 7
Processing Information	3.6 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Non-Professional Legal Studies professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Inmagic DB/TextWorks	Document management software	—
Iron Mountain Accutrac records management software	Document management software	—
Document management system software	Document management software	—
Wilson’s Computer Applications RealEasy Appraisals	Analytical or scientific software	—
Summation Blaze	Document management software	—
Microsoft Project	Project management software	—
Appligent Citation FDFMerge	Document management software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
American LegalNet USCourtForms	Information retrieval or search software	—
iManage document management software	Document management software	—
IBM Notes	Electronic mail software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Non-Professional Legal Studies graduates include:

• Legislative Assistant
• Contract Clerk
• Trial Examiner
• Closer
• Brief Writer
• Life Care Planner
• Patent Examiner
• Law Researcher
• Patent Searcher
• Juror
• Advocate
• Legislative Aide
• Escrow Closer
• Friend of the Court
• Law Examiner

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Non-Professional Legal Studies graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	36.9%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	20.1%
High school diploma or equivalent	18.6%
Doctoral degree	10.0%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	9.6%
Postsecondary certificate	2.4%
Some college courses	2.3%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Non-Professional Legal Studies?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 68.2% of Non-Professional Legal Studies degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	3,272	68.2%
Men	1,524	31.8%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Non-Professional Legal Studies graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	2,306	48.1%
Asian	270	5.6%
Hispanic or Latino	1,122	23.4%
Black or African American	537	11.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native	39	0.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	15	0.3%
Two or More Races	216	4.5%
Race Unknown	202	4.2%
International Students	89	1.9%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Non-Professional Legal Studies Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Non-Professional Legal 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	$41,185
4 years	$51,677
5 years	$63,687

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $63,687 — roughly 55% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Non-Professional Legal Studies Programs

Fully online options is reported by IPEDS for Non-Professional 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
Associate’s	11	10
Bachelor’s	16	9
Master’s	8	3

^{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 Non-Professional Legal Studies Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Non-Professional Legal Studies graduates earn a median of $51,677 four years after completion — roughly 36% 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
Law	22.01
Legal Professions and Studies, Other	22.99
Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies	22.02
Legal Support Services	22.03

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.