Best Master’s in Legal Studies Programs for Delaware
Delaware's Division of Corporations offers a practical introduction to the documents behind business administration: entity searches, annual reports, certificates and Uniform Commercial Code filings. For a master's in legal studies in Delaware, corporate governance and business law deserve close attention if those documents are part of your work. You can judge a program by whether it teaches the reasoning behind the paperwork, as well as how to find and evaluate the governing law.
Business records and corporate decision-making put DePaul first in this Delaware comparison, with Cornell offering a broader business-professional curriculum at a higher published price. Arizona State adds a business-law emphasis in shorter classes. The Division of Corporations' public filings are a useful way to ask each program what lies behind routine paperwork.
The 3 universities below offer online study from outside Delaware. Known published enrollment exclusions are applied. Confirm authorization for your address and start date with the university. Our ranking criteria.
Compare the Legal Studies Options for Delaware
Scroll across the table to compare the study plan and price.
University
Study Format
Credits
Displayed Degree Price
DePaul UniversityCollege of Law’s Online Master of Legal Studies (MLS)Online alternative · IL
OnlineTwo and a half years, or two years with an approved experience waiver
30
$39,660Published degree tuition2026–2027
Cornell UniversityCornell Law School’s Online Master of Science in Legal Studies (M.S.L.S.)Online alternative · NY
Online20 months part time
30
$69,960Calculated base tuition2026–2027
Arizona State UniversitySandra Day O’Connor College of Law’s Online Master of Legal Studies (MLS)Online alternative · AZ
Online
30
$35,970Calculated tuition + fees2026–2027
Tuition amounts use the conditions shown in each card; fees and academic years vary. Table controls change this comparison view. The full reviews below retain their original ranking order.
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DePaul makes a strong first comparison for a Delaware applicant whose work includes business records, agreements or internal approvals. Its Business Law concentration sits alongside required study in compliance, negotiation, organizational management and legal research. Standard tuition is $39,660 for 30 credits before fees, giving you a published starting point for comparing a business-oriented master's with Cornell.
Where it stands out. Use a Delaware business filing to ask how the curriculum teaches the decisions behind the form. An experienced corporate administrator should also investigate the process for waiving up to six credits based on relevant work.
What to weigh. The ordinary plan takes two and a half years and includes live evening sessions. An experience waiver may reduce the requirements, but approval is individual. Arizona State's 7.5-week classes offer a different rhythm, so compare the calendars before assuming online study means the same weekly commitment.
Curriculum, Admission, Tuition, and Sources +
How the Program Works
Up to six credits waived for approved professional experience
Live evening and asynchronous coursework
Three concentration choices
Documented Subjects and Concentrations
Business Law
Data Privacy and Cybersecurity Law
General Legal Studies
Tuition and Rate Conditions
2026–2027. Standard 30-credit MLS tuition before fees. An approved professional experience waiver can reduce degree requirements to 24 credits.
$1,322 per credit × 30 credits = $39,660 in base tuition.
DePaul states that eligible MLS students may apply Yellow Ribbon benefits to this degree and directs them to its Veterans Affairs Coordinator for eligibility support.
Cornell's MSLS is designed around the legal questions business professionals encounter in contracts, risk, HR and finance. For a Delaware applicant, that is a useful match when corporate filings are only one part of a broader administrative role. The 30-credit degree is asynchronous, requires no campus visits and ends with a capstone over a normal 20-month part-time plan.
Where it stands out. Ask whether a capstone could analyze the connection between a transaction, required approvals and organizational records. Delaware's Division of Corporations supplies public examples for planning that work and comparing Cornell's assignments with DePaul's.
What to weigh. Calculated 2026–2027 tuition is $69,960 before fees and possible annual increases, substantially above DePaul's standard published tuition. Cornell also estimates 15 to 20 study hours weekly. Its approved MSLS course list is defined, so verify the electives instead of assuming access to every law course.
Curriculum, Admission, Tuition, and Sources +
How the Program Works
No required campus visits
No LSAT, GRE, or GMAT
A capstone completes the degree
Admission Details
Bachelor's degree or international equivalent
No LSAT, GRE, or GMAT
Tuition and Rate Conditions
2026–2027. Calculated tuition for 30 credits at the published 2026–2027 MSLS rate. Cornell advises that per-credit tuition can increase each academic year; fees are additional.
$2,332 per credit × 30 credits = $69,960 in base tuition.
Arizona State provides a Delaware business-law alternative organized into ten 7.5-week classes. Its 30-credit MLS offers Business Law and Conflict Resolution emphases, which allow two different ways to frame the work around agreements and internal decisions. Against Cornell's business-professional curriculum and DePaul's longer standard timetable, the shorter class format is an important part of the comparison.
Where it stands out. If you manage vendors or corporate records, ask which Business Law courses explain the legal authority behind the documents you process. A Delaware entity filing is a useful opening example, but your final course plan should follow the responsibilities you expect to add.
What to weigh. Shorter classes concentrate the work. Get the total tuition and online course schedule, then compare both with DePaul's published $39,660 baseline. The emphasis should deliver enough directly useful coursework to justify the investment and pace.
Curriculum, Admission, Tuition, and Sources +
How the Program Works
The MLS requires 30 credits across 10 classes.
Classes run for 7.5 weeks.
The online application does not require an entrance exam.
Documented Subjects and Concentrations
Business Law
Conflict Resolution
Corporate and Health Care Compliance
Admission Details
No entrance exam required
Tuition and Rate Conditions
2026–2027. Calculated online MLS tuition and fees for five terms of six credits, using the published $7,194 six-credit term charge. Books and other expenses are additional; a different course load changes this estimate.
For a Delaware applicant moving from business operations into legal study, previous work can affect more than the application essay. DePaul's MLS curriculum describes a professional-experience waiver for eligible applicants. Ask which duties qualify and what evidence the school needs, then request an approved remaining course plan. Compare DePaul's Delaware option with Arizona State's business-law route after that review. Our MLS cost guide explains how to separate a reduced credit requirement from a lower tuition rate. Both can change the bill, but they change your education in different ways.
Making a Corporate-Law Project Useful Beyond Graduation
Cornell's MSLS admissions information describes a capstone intended to be research-based and professionally grounded. For your Delaware comparison, propose a question you could investigate without disclosing confidential company records. Ask whether the final work can take a form you could later discuss with an employer, how advisers help narrow the scope and how the analysis is assessed. Our Cornell assessment for Delaware weighs the larger commitment. A polished project can demonstrate how you reason through a business issue, but choosing a recognizable company topic alone won't make it a strong legal analysis.
Comparing Corporate-Law Study in Delaware
Choose a sample business filing from the Division of Corporations and consider what you need to understand beyond completing the form. Ask programs about business organizations, contracts, corporate governance and legal research. A strong assignment might require you to explain how a transaction affects a company's records or approval process. If you work full time, check that the relevant courses are open to part-time MLS students. Don't assume every law-school business elective is included in the master's tuition.
Delaware Division of Corporations supplies the state materials discussed here. Use them to question the curriculum, rather than assuming an MLS teaches the law of your state.
Using Legal Studies in Your Delaware Career
Entity administration rewards careful records and clear communication. An MLS applicant who already supports company secretarial, contracts or compliance work should identify a specific responsibility the degree would help with. Corporate filing counts describe registered entities, not the number of local jobs, so compare hiring evidence independently of Delaware's business-registration profile.
Compliance Officer Pay in Delaware
10th percentile pay
$51,930
Median annual pay
$91,050
90th percentile pay
$137,540
Delaware has an estimated 2,150 compliance officer jobs. The occupation’s median annual wage is $91,050, with the 10th and 90th percentiles at $51,930 and $137,540.
BLS OEWS, May 2025, SOC 13-1041. Occupation wages cover workers with varied education and experience; these are not MLS graduate outcomes or starting salary estimates. BLS compliance officer wage data.
Each ranking card contains the university sources for its curriculum, admission, delivery, and tuition details.
Questions About Legal Studies in Delaware
Which MLS Subjects Fit Delaware Corporate Administration?+
Business organizations, corporate governance, contracts and legal research are sensible subjects to compare. Use the Division of Corporations' filings and certificate resources to identify the kinds of documents you want to understand more deeply.
Do Delaware Incorporation Statistics Show Demand for MLS Graduates?+
They count business entities, not graduate hiring. To evaluate career value, examine actual jobs in corporate administration or compliance and ask how a program's work matches the duties employers describe.
