Program Finder
Master’s in Legal Studies
Find Your Legal Studies Program in About a Minute
Our legal studies program finder asks six quick questions about the work you want to do, then compares 42 master’s programs built for people who aren’t lawyers and shows you the five that fit best.
Takes about two minutes. No sign-up.
Question 1 of 6
How Do You Want to Study?
Question 2 of 6
Where Do You Live?
A few online programs don’t enroll students from every state, and campus matches start close to home.
Question 3 of 6
Where Are You in Your Career?
Question 4 of 6
What Kind of Work Do You Picture After You Graduate?
Pick any that sound like you.
Question 5 of 6
What Matters Most in a Program?
Choose up to three.
Question 6 of 6
Anything Else We Should Know?
Your work schedule, your industry, help from your employer. Skip it if nothing comes to mind.
Please leave out your name and contact details.
Finding Your Matches
- Narrowing 42 programs to how you want to study
- Reading what each program teaches
- Ranking your best fits
Your Results
Your Top Legal Studies Matches
How the Legal Studies Program Finder Works
You don’t need a shortlist yet. Tell the legal studies program finder what you want from your degree and it does the first round of comparing for you.
You Answer Six Questions
How you want to study, where you live, where you are in your career, the work you picture, what matters most and anything else worth knowing.
We Read 42 Programs
The program finder drops programs that don’t match your format or aren’t open in your state, then reads each one’s description against your answers.
You Get Five Matches
Each match shows a match percentage, the degree tuition, the credits, the format and a link to the program’s card in our national ranking.
What Our Legal Studies Program Finder Looks At
How You Want to Study
33 programs are 100% online, 2 mix online classes with short campus visits and 7 meet on campus. Pick "Either Way" to see all 42.
Where You Live
Some schools don't enroll online students from every state, so the program finder leaves out programs closed to yours. Choose campus study and it starts with programs in your state when there are at least three.
The Work You Picture
29 programs cover compliance or regulatory work, 22 health care law, 20 employment law and HR, and 21 cybersecurity, privacy or intellectual property.
Your Budget
Degree tuition runs from about $16,900 to $72,600 across these programs, with a median near $43,100. Choose "Low tuition" and price counts for more.
Exams and Military Benefits
21 programs list no LSAT or GRE requirement, and 10 document military benefits. Ask for either and those programs move up your list.
Which Master’s in Legal Studies Fits Your Career Goal?
Compliance and Regulatory Work
Compliance officers turn rules into everyday practice: policies, training, audits and reports. 29 programs in our data cover compliance or regulatory study, from Seattle University’s dedicated compliance degree to finance and health care tracks elsewhere. Compare them in our legal studies rankings for compliance work.
Employment Law and Human Resources
If your HR work brings you into investigations, leave policies or terminations, employment law courses help you spot problems early and ask counsel better questions. 20 programs cover employment law or HR. See our legal studies programs for human resources.
Health Care Law and Compliance
Hospitals, insurers and drug makers need staff who understand privacy rules, billing regulation and licensing. 22 programs cover health care law or compliance. Our legal studies programs for healthcare compare them. None of them is clinical training.
Cybersecurity, Privacy and Intellectual Property
21 programs cover data privacy, cybersecurity, technology law or intellectual property. They suit people who work beside IT, product or research teams and want to understand the rules those teams work under. Start with our intellectual property legal studies rankings.
Working with contracts, vendors or procurement? Nearly every program here teaches contracts and business law, so the program finder reads each program’s courses against what you tell it. Our guide to legal studies concentrations explains the options.
What a Master of Legal Studies Can and Can’t Do for You
A master of legal studies teaches you how the law works so you can use it in the job you have or want. It isn’t a law license. It doesn’t qualify you for bar admission, and you can’t represent clients or give legal advice with it. You’ll work alongside lawyers, not as one.
If practicing law is the goal, you’ll need a JD, and our MLS vs. JD guide lays out the difference. Weighing a shorter credential? Read our MLS vs. paralegal certificate guide. For the jobs people hold with the degree, see our legal studies careers guide.
Legal Studies Program Finder FAQ
How Does the Legal Studies Program Finder Work?
You answer six questions: how you want to study, where you live, where you are in your career, the work you picture, what matters most and anything else we should know. The legal studies program finder narrows our 42 programs to the ones that fit, reads each program's description against your answers and shows you the five that fit best.
How Is My Match Percentage Worked Out?
Your match percentage shows how closely a program fits what you told us. It comes from the program's description (concentrations, courses and format) and its facts (degree tuition, credits and admissions). It compares programs for you. It isn't a grade of the school.
Will a Master of Legal Studies Let Me Practice Law?
No. An MLS, MSL or MJ is a master's for people who use the law in another job, like compliance, HR or contract management. It doesn't qualify you for bar admission, and it doesn't let you represent clients or give legal advice. If practicing law is your goal, you'll need a JD.
Do Schools Pay to Appear in My Program Finder Results?
Not in your matches. The listing at the top of your results is marked AD and comes from schools that pay to appear there. Your five matches below it come from our own data, and no school can pay to change them.
Are These Legal Studies Programs Online?
35 of the 42 programs offer online study. 33 are 100% online, 2 add short campus visits and 7 meet on campus. Tell the program finder how you want to study and it leaves out the rest.
Do I Need an Account or to Share My Contact Details?
No. The legal studies program finder never asks for your name, email or phone number, and you don't need to sign up. Please leave contact details out of the optional text boxes.
Can I Run the Program Finder Again With Different Answers?
Yes. Tap "Start Over" on your results and change any answer. Trying a different format or career goal is a quick way to see how your options shift.