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Major · Legal Professions & Studies

Legal Studies reads law without licensing you to practice it

Legal Studies is an academic look at how law works — research, writing, constitutional doctrine, civil procedure, contracts, and ethics — taught from a humanities and social-science angle. It is not a path to becoming an attorney; practicing law still requires a JD, the bar exam, and state licensure after the bachelor’s.

Schools offering
177
Annual completions
2,891
Typical degree level
Associate's + Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$64k

About this major

Legal Studies (CIP 22.0001) is an academic program that examines law as a social and humanistic system rather than a professional craft. The curriculum typically covers legal research and writing, the U.S. Constitution, civil procedure, contracts, torts, criminal law, business law, ethics, and jurisprudence — the philosophy of law itself. Some programs add electives in international law, public policy, or comparative legal systems. Coursework leans on reading appellate opinions, briefing cases, and writing argumentative memos. It is closer in feel to political science or philosophy than to a vocational paralegal program. The major fits students who want to think rigorously about how rules, institutions, and rights interact, who plan to apply to law school, or who want a launchpad into compliance, regulatory affairs, public administration, or contract-heavy corporate roles. It is not a license to practice law — that requires a JD plus the bar exam. One grounded data point worth weighing: only 2,891 students complete this major yearly across 177 institutions, against roughly 5,188 in the more vocational Paralegal/Legal Assistant program. Pre-law students often choose political science or English instead, since law schools weigh LSAT and GPA far more than major name. Median earnings five years out land at about $63,742, with bachelor’s holders ($64,849) earning roughly $22K more than associate’s holders ($42,159).

Section 3 · Careers

Where this major leads

Occupations most often associated with this major, from the federal BLS+O*NET crosswalk. Job-growth projections and median wages are national.

Occupation Median wage Job growth Typical education
Paralegals and legal assistants $61k +0.2% Associate's degree
Legal support workers, all other $69k -1.2% Associate's degree
Section 4 · Earnings

Earnings at a glance

Median graduate earnings from the federal College Scorecard, 5 and 10 years out.

Median 5-year earnings

$64k

Associate's vs Bachelor's — early-career earnings

Associate's

$42k

Bachelor's

$65k

Who this major is for

Strong fit if you genuinely enjoy reading dense prose, can sit with ambiguity, and want to argue both sides of a question before deciding which one you believe. The major rewards students who write well, take feedback on drafts, and can hold structured debate without losing the thread. It also fits students with a clear plan: law school, a compliance or contracts career, court administration, mediation, or a graduate program in public policy. Two grounded signals: the bachelor’s pays roughly $22,000 more than the associate’s in median earnings, and roles like paralegal ($61,010 median) cluster around associate-level credentialing — so finishing the bachelor’s matters financially. Worth a hard second look if you picked this major mainly because it sounds like a step toward becoming a lawyer. It is not. Law schools admit from every undergraduate background, and your LSAT and GPA matter more than your major. If law school is the goal, a major with stronger grade potential or broader career fallback — political science, English, economics — may serve you better. Also reconsider if you want hands-on paralegal training; the vocational Paralegal/Legal Assistant program (5,188 completions yearly versus 2,891 here) is built for that lane.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Legal Studies

Ranked by annual completions at the associate's or bachelor's level — a proxy for program scale.

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
University of Central Florida Orlando, FL 0 189 189
University of California-Berkeley Berkeley, CA 0 163 163
University of Maryland Global Campus Adelphi, MD 0 105 105
CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice New York, NY 0 104 104
University of Washington-Seattle Campus Seattle, WA 0 104 104
University of California-Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA 0 104 104
Arizona State University Campus Immersion Tempe, AZ 0 94 94
University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, WI 0 90 90
St. John's University-New York Queens, NY 0 89 89
University of Massachusetts-Amherst Amherst, MA 0 87 87
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Legal Assistant/Paralegal

5,188 completions/yr

Pre-Law Studies

520 completions/yr

Legal Professions and Studies, Other

505 completions/yr

Advanced Legal Research/Studies, General

88 completions/yr

American/U.S. Law/Legal Studies/Jurisprudence

45 completions/yr

Non-Professional Legal Studies, Other

4 completions/yr
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

Does a Legal Studies bachelor’s let me become a lawyer?
No. Practicing law in the United States requires a Juris Doctor (JD), three years of law school after your bachelor’s, plus passing a state bar exam and meeting character-and-fitness requirements. A Legal Studies major can prepare you intellectually for law school, but it is not the credential admissions committees weigh. LSAT score and undergraduate GPA do most of the work. Students from political science, English, philosophy, history, and economics enter law school in similar or larger numbers.
How is this different from a Paralegal program?
Paralegal/Legal Assistant programs (CIP 22.0302) are vocational and built around immediate workforce entry, often as an associate’s degree. Coursework leans into procedure, document drafting, e-discovery tools, and supervised practice. Legal Studies (CIP 22.0001) is broader and more theoretical — constitutional law, jurisprudence, legal history, and policy. You can land paralegal roles with either credential, but employers hiring for production work sometimes prefer the paralegal-specific program because it signals task-ready training.
What jobs do graduates actually take?
The packet shows Paralegals and Legal Assistants (median $61,010, slow 0.2% growth) and Legal Support Workers ($68,760, projected to shrink 1.2%) as the headline destinations. Beyond those, graduates land in compliance, contract administration, court administration, mediation, public-sector administrative work, insurance claims, and human-resources roles where reading regulations matters. Some go on to law school; others use the major as a stepping stone to an MBA, public policy, or social-work graduate program.
Is the earnings gap between associate’s and bachelor’s real here?
Yes, and it is wide. The packet reports associate-level legal-studies graduates earning a median of about $42,159 five years out, versus roughly $64,849 for bachelor’s holders — a gap near $22,000. The bachelor’s also opens doors to compliance, government, and corporate roles that often screen for a four-year degree. If you stop at the associate’s, you will likely cap out at paralegal-track wages unless you add credentials like a paralegal certificate, CFE, or law-school admission.
If I want law school, should I major in Legal Studies?
Not necessarily. Law schools admit from every undergraduate background, and the data on admissions outcomes shows political science, English, philosophy, history, and economics majors landing in law school at high rates. The major name will not move your application; LSAT and GPA will. Pick the major where you will earn the strongest grades, write a lot, and build analytical reading skills. Legal Studies works for students who are sure about law and want a head start on terminology — but it is not a strategic edge.
Why are completions relatively low — only 2,891 a year?
Two reasons. First, students aiming at law school usually pick majors with broader career fallbacks if law plans change — political science, English, history. Second, students aiming at paralegal jobs often choose the more vocational Paralegal/Legal Assistant programs (CIP 22.0302), which graduate roughly 5,188 students yearly, almost double the Legal Studies count. Legal Studies sits in a middle lane: too academic for direct paralegal hiring, too narrow for students hedging against law-school plans falling through.