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Non-Professional Legal Studies

Types of Degrees Non-Professional Legal Studies Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Non-Professional Legal Studies can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	28
Associate’s Degree	69
Bachelor’s Degree	467
Master’s Degree	164

What Non-Professional Legal Studies Majors Need to Know

Programs in Non-Professional Legal Studies emphasize 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

Coursework 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

Skills emphasized by 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.
• Written Expression — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4 / 7.
• Near Vision — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.6 / 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
Online database search and retrieval software	Information retrieval or search software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Intuit QuickBooks	Accounting software	—
Document management system software	Document management software	—
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
Dataflight Opticon	Desktop publishing software	—
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
LexisNexis CourtLink Strategic Profiles	Analytical or scientific software	—
Adobe Acrobat	Document management software	—
Electronic discovery software	Analytical or scientific software	—
Corporate Focus Solium Shareworks	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft Outlook	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:

• Law Researcher
• Patent Searcher
• Legal Technician
• Legislative Aide
• Legislative Assistant
• Patent Examiner
• Law Examiner
• Case Briefer
• Escrow Closer
• Juror
• Tariff Expert
• Advocate
• Life Care Planner
• Friend of the Court
• Trial 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 65.2% of Non-Professional Legal Studies degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	475	65.2%
Men	253	34.8%

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	413	56.7%
Asian	18	2.5%
Hispanic or Latino	101	13.9%
Black or African American	76	10.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native	10	1.4%
Two or More Races	37	5.1%
Race Unknown	56	7.7%
International Students	17	2.3%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Non-Professional Legal Studies Graduates Earn?

College Scorecard reports 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	Annual Degrees Awarded
Legal Studies and Professions	68,755
Law	39,447
Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies	11,533
Legal Support Services	10,492
Legal Professions and Studies, Other	2,487

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.