Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies
Legal Professions & Studies
Median earnings by degree level
| Degree | Median earnings | Typical range | Schools | Clear the bar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $107,540 | $82,071 to $122,699 | 49 | 100% |
| First Professional Degree | $89,975 | $81,178 to $99,212 | 5 | 100% |
"Clear the bar" is the share of programs whose graduates out-earn a typical high-school graduate (the federal earnings-premium test). Typical range is the 25th to 75th percentile of program medians.
Job outlook
Projected employment growth +4% (2025 to 2035), about 30,500 openings a year across the occupations this field commonly leads to.
| Occupation | Median pay | Growth | Openings/yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lawyers | $159,670 | +4.7% | 28,700 |
| Law Teachers, Postsecondary | $128,500 | +2.6% | 1,800 |
Occupation pay and outlook: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS wages, Employment Projections). A field maps to several occupations, and the same occupations serve many majors, so these are the jobs this major commonly leads to, not positions reserved for its graduates; the openings should not be added up across majors.
Where this is studied
The 8 colleges where the most students complete a legal research and advanced professional studies program, of 160 that report one. Ordered by number of completions only: this is where people study it, not a judgement about where to.
- University of Southern California
- Texas A&M University-College Station
- Washington University in St Louis
- Georgetown University
- New York University
- Columbia University in the City of New York
- University of California-Berkeley
- Arizona State University Digital Immersion
Earnings source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (release 2026-06-10), median earnings of graduates measured up to four years after completing. Figures describe past graduates and are never a promise. Method: methodology. Report an error.