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Legal Studies

Types of Degrees Legal Studies Majors Are Earning

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

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	58
Associate’s Degree	389
Bachelor’s Degree	2,786
Master’s Degree	828
Doctor’s Degree	7

What Legal Studies Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in 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 built by a Legal Studies program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Writing — Importance 4 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — 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 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, 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 Legal Studies professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Thomson Reuters Westlaw	Information retrieval or search software	✓
Fastcase legal software	Information retrieval or search software	—
Database software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Adobe Acrobat	Document management software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Corel WordPerfect Office Suite	Office suite software	—
Google Workspace software	Office suite software	—
Document management system software	Document management software	—
Litigation support software	Analytical or scientific software	—
Corporate Focus Solium Shareworks	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft Project	Project management software	—
LexisNexis	Information retrieval or search software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Legal Studies graduates include:

• Law Researcher
• Escrow Officer
• Legal Research Analyst
• Legal Administrator
• Friend of the Court
• Trial Examiner
• Juror
• Life Care Planner
• Closer
• Escrow Closer
• Patent Searcher
• Legal Technician
• Case Briefer
• Brief Writer
• Legislative Aide

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to 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 Legal Studies?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 68.8% of Legal Studies degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	2,797	68.8%
Men	1,271	31.2%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	1,893	46.5%
Asian	252	6.2%
Hispanic or Latino	1,021	25.1%
Black or African American	461	11.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native	29	0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	15	0.4%
Two or More Races	179	4.4%
Race Unknown	146	3.6%
International Students	72	1.8%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Legal Studies Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of 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	$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 Legal Studies Programs

Fully online options are documented by IPEDS for 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	6	7
Bachelor’s	13	6
Master’s	7	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 Legal Studies Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, 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
Non-Professional Legal Studies	22.00
Non-Professional Legal Studies, Other	22.0099
Pre-Law Studies	22.0001
Legal Assistant/Paralegal	22.0302
Court Interpreter	22.0304

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.