Compare Master’s in Legal Studies Salary by Occupation
Choose the job before choosing a salary figure. The table compares national annual wages for occupations whose work can intersect with legal studies. All figures use the same May 2025 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release. Each occupation link leads to the BLS career profile, where you can check pay alongside duties and preparation.
These are wages of people doing the work, with varied degrees and experience. The table does not measure MLS graduate earnings, an expected starting salary, or a pay increase caused by earning the degree. The legal studies careers guide explains how the occupations differ and when graduate legal coursework may address a useful knowledge gap.
May 2025 · BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics
National Salary Comparison for Related Careers
Each row uses annual occupation wages from the same release. The median is the midpoint; the percentiles show the wage distribution, not starting and senior salary guarantees.
Scroll the table horizontally on smaller screens to compare all wage columns.
| Occupation and Typical Preparation | 10th Percentile | Median | 90th Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Compliance Officers Typically a bachelor’s degree; industry experience may be preferred or required. SOC 13-1041 | $48,220 | $80,730 | $133,720 |
| Human Resources Specialists Typically a bachelor’s degree; some positions require relevant HR experience. SOC 13-1071 | $47,180 | $75,940 | $128,720 |
| Labor Relations Specialists Typically a bachelor’s degree; many positions require related work experience. SOC 13-1075 | $50,490 | $95,420 | $156,180 |
| Paralegals and Legal Assistants Typically an associate’s degree or paralegal certificate; employer requirements vary. SOC 23-2011 | $44,740 | $62,890 | $101,500 |
| Medical and Health Services Managers Typically a bachelor’s degree and healthcare administrative or clinical experience; some employers prefer a master’s. SOC 11-9111 | $73,390 | $123,860 | $224,340 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025. Wage figures checked against the linked BLS occupation profiles on September 5, 2026. MLS study does not itself establish eligibility for these jobs or a particular wage.
Compliance and HR Salaries Describe Different Responsibilities
The May 2025 national median was $80,730 for compliance officers and $75,940 for HR specialists. Those are separate occupation estimates, not competing returns from two MLS concentrations. Compliance work can involve investigations, audits, and regulatory procedures. HR specialist work can include recruitment, employment records, policies, and employee relations. Read the BLS compliance profile and the HR specialist profile against the position you actually want.
BLS lists bachelor’s-level preparation as typical for both occupations. If you already work in one of them, a higher-paying opening may involve a different industry, larger responsibility, or experience you have yet to gain. Ask what changes between your present role and the target job. Then compare compliance curricula or employment-focused legal study against that change. A concentration label alone does not establish a compensation premium.
Read Labor Relations Pay Alongside Its Experience Requirements
Labor relations specialists had a national median of $95,420 in May 2025. The occupation includes work involving agreements, grievances, negotiations, and employee-management disputes. The BLS preparation guidance says many positions require related experience, with HR specialist or generalist work among the possible routes.
If you are moving from HR into labor relations, compare the responsibilities behind a posted salary: administering an agreement, supporting negotiations, or leading a bargaining process can demand different experience. Ask about the workforce, the kinds of agreements, and the issues the position owns. The occupation median is a useful reference for researching this specialty. It is not evidence that completing labor law electives will immediately produce that wage or replace practical labor relations experience.
Separate Legal Support Pay From Healthcare Management Pay
Paralegals and legal assistants had a May 2025 median of $62,890. Medical and health services managers had a median of $123,860. These occupations sit in the same table because legal knowledge can intersect with their work, but they involve substantially different responsibilities and entry routes. A single “legal studies salary range” built from those medians would hide those differences.
The BLS paralegal profile identifies an associate’s degree or paralegal certificate as typical preparation. The healthcare management profile describes a bachelor’s degree and administrative or clinical experience as typical, with some employers preferring a master’s. For healthcare, compare the legal coursework with the staffing, financial, and operational skills the role requires. The healthcare legal studies ranking is a curriculum comparison, not a shortcut into the management wage category.
Understand the Median and the Wage Percentiles
The median is the midpoint: half the workers earn less and half earn more. The 10th and 90th percentiles locate wages farther down and up the distribution. For compliance officers, those figures were $48,220 and $133,720 in May 2025. They describe a broad spread across workers; they do not label a new graduate’s salary and an experienced graduate’s salary.
A percentile can reflect many differences at once, including responsibilities, work setting, and location. You cannot move yourself into a higher percentile merely by adding a credential to a résumé. When reviewing an offer, identify the actual duties, reporting line, workload, and experience requested. Use the occupation distribution as context for that specific comparison.
These figures are also different from an arithmetic average. This guide uses the median consistently so each row represents the same measure. Do not compare a university’s reported average graduate salary with a BLS median without first checking the population, time period, and statistic being reported.
Compare the Industry and Location Behind a Salary
A national occupation median blends different employers. For example, BLS reports May 2025 HR specialist medians by industry of $60,550 in employment services and $82,800 in professional, scientific, and technical services. These are industry occupation medians. They do not show what an individual would gain by changing industries or earning an MLS.
For a location comparison, use the BLS occupation and area profiles to hold the occupation constant while changing the state or metropolitan area. Compare a local posted salary with the relevant labor market, then consider your own housing, commuting, and benefit costs separately. Do not relabel a personally adjusted budget as a BLS wage figure.
Program location is another decision. An online university based in a higher-wage state does not give its graduates that state’s pay. If you intend to work in Washington or Texas, the Washington program comparison and Texas program comparison help with study choices; your job search should still examine employers and requirements in the place where you will work.
Compare an Offer With Your Full Compensation
The BLS OEWS wage definitions describe gross wages and salaries, with specific inclusions and exclusions. Employer health insurance costs and retirement contributions are not included. A wage estimate is therefore not the same as the full value of an employment package or the amount deposited in your bank account.
When comparing jobs, record salary, health-plan costs, retirement contributions, paid leave, working hours, travel, and any employer education support. Keep guaranteed compensation separate from contingent bonuses or future promotion assumptions. A role that pays more can still require a different financial or scheduling commitment. For study planning, the working-professional program comparisons can help you evaluate whether the course schedule fits the job you plan to keep.
Build a Tuition Decision Without Assuming a Pay Increase
Begin with the degree cost you would personally pay after confirmed employer support or scholarships. Add required fees and any earnings you would forgo by changing your work schedule. Keep a possible promotion or external job offer separate until you have a concrete basis for it. The legal studies tuition guide helps you build the education side of that calculation.
Then write two budget scenarios: one in which your current pay continues and another using a clearly identified, plausible change. For a simple personal payback estimate, divide your net education cost by the additional annual take-home income you assume. That calculation is your scenario, not a published MLS return. Account separately for financing costs, the time until any change occurs, and the possibility that it never does.
If a university gives you a graduate salary figure, ask which degree and graduating class it describes, how many graduates responded, when earnings were measured, and whether respondents were already employed before study. Compare the reported job roles with your target. The MLS value guide helps weigh that evidence against alternatives such as a focused certificate or another professional master’s.
Wage Sources and the Year of the Data
The national median and percentile figures in this guide come from the May 2025 BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics release, checked September 5, 2026. Each median, 10th percentile, and 90th percentile was checked against the pay section of the corresponding BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook profile. The industry examples also use May 2025, so the comparisons keep a common wage year.
OEWS surveys occupations, not holders of a particular degree, and excludes self-employed workers. The employment totals and projections elsewhere in the Occupational Outlook Handbook serve a different purpose from this wage comparison. Use the linked occupation profiles to review duties and preparation; use the wage table to understand the distribution of pay for the work. Neither establishes the employment outcome of an individual legal studies master’s program.
Sources and Next Comparisons
The ABA’s legal education FAQ explains JD accreditation and the jurisdiction’s role in bar admission. The BLS compliance officer profile describes the occupation and its usual entry education.
For actual degree requirements, review the university program directory. Compare online legal studies programs, look at published tuition comparisons, and read how the program reviews are built.
Questions About Your Legal Studies Decision
What Is the Salary With a Master’s in Legal Studies?
It depends on the occupation and employer. May 2025 national BLS medians include $80,730 for compliance officers, $75,940 for HR specialists, and $62,890 for paralegals and legal assistants. These describe occupations with varied education and experience, not MLS graduate earnings.
What Is an Entry-Level MLS Salary?
A BLS occupation percentile does not establish an MLS starting salary. Research entry-level postings that match your background, location, and intended duties. The 10th percentile marks a point in the occupation’s wage distribution, not a defined experience level.
Which Legal Studies Career in This Comparison Has the Highest Median Pay?
Medical and health services managers have the highest May 2025 national median among these five occupations, at $123,860. This is a management occupation with healthcare experience requirements, not a salary available simply by completing an MLS.
Does an MLS Raise Your Salary?
The occupation data cannot measure the pay increase caused by earning an MLS. Examine a specific employer opportunity or well-described program outcome, and keep any expected raise labeled as an assumption in your personal budget.
Are the 10Th and 90Th Percentiles Starting and Senior Salaries?
No. They mark positions within an occupation’s wage distribution. They do not assign wages to a particular experience level, degree, or graduating class.
Does an Online Legal Studies Degree Have a Different Salary?
These BLS figures classify workers by occupation, not by whether their degree was online. Evaluate the actual job, employer requirements, and any degree-specific outcome report instead of assigning a salary premium or discount to the delivery format.