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Legal Professions

Instructional programs that prepare individuals for the legal profession, for related support professions and professional legal research, and focus on the study of legal issues in non-professional programs.

Types of Degrees Legal Professions Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Legal Professions may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	2,522
Associate’s Degree	5,166
Bachelor’s Degree	4,793
Master’s Degree	16,253
Doctor’s Degree	39,889

What Legal Professions Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Legal Professions emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Law and Government — Importance 4.9 / 5; level 6.0 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.7 / 5; level 5.9 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.5 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Communications and Media — Importance 3.2 / 5; level 3.7 / 7.

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

Skills

Skills developed in a Legal Professions program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.

Abilities

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

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 5.3 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Legal Professions graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.6 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.4 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.4 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.3 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.1 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	4.0 / 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
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.8 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Legal Professions professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
LexisNexis	Information retrieval or search software	—
Thomson Reuters Westlaw	Information retrieval or search software	✓
AbacusNext HotDocs	Document management software	—
Microsoft Publisher	Desktop publishing 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 Legal Professions graduates include:

• Adjunct Instructor
• Teacher
• Business Law Professor
• Torts Law Professor
• Faculty Member
• Adjunct Professor
• College Faculty Member
• Legal Writing Professor
• Professor
• Law Lecturer
• Associate Professor
• Adjunct Law Professor
• Law Instructor
• Instructor
• University Faculty Member

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
First professional degree	40.5%
Doctoral degree	38.7%
Master’s degree	12.8%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	2.3%
Post-master’s certificate	1.8%
Bachelor’s degree	1.3%
High school diploma or equivalent	1.2%
Postsecondary certificate	0.8%
Some college courses	0.4%
Post-doctoral training	0.2%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	0.1%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Legal Professions?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 62.5% of Legal Professions degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	42,984	62.5%
Men	25,771	37.5%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	35,226	51.2%
Asian	4,014	5.8%
Hispanic or Latino	10,247	14.9%
Black or African American	6,079	8.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native	392	0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	95	0.1%
Two or More Races	2,364	3.4%
Race Unknown	3,517	5.1%
International Students	6,821	9.9%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Legal Professions Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Legal Professions graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$78,220
4 years	$90,204
5 years	$103,959

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $103,959 — roughly 33% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Legal Professions Programs

Distance learning is tracked by IPEDS for Legal Professions. 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	286	134
Bachelor’s	86	66
Master’s	150	144
Doctoral (Research)	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 Legal Professions Worth It?

Looking purely at the federal earnings tracker, Legal Professions graduates earn a median of $90,204 four years after completion — roughly 137% 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.}

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.