Best Master’s in Legal Studies Programs for Kansas
Kansas's Department of Agriculture publishes educational materials for lodging operators, including guest safety, records and food-related topics. If you run a hospitality or food business, those resources offer a practical test of why you want a master's in legal studies. You may need broad contracts and regulatory analysis, or you may need focused training for a specific operating procedure. Make that distinction before comparing Kansas legal studies options and national online programs.
Kansas hospitality and food-business managers may need legal breadth more than an industry label. Texas A&M brings business compliance and asynchronous study, Arizona State adds a shorter-course business or conflict-resolution route, and Liberty supplies a lower-priced general option in a Christian setting. Use lodging guidance to separate legal decision-making from technical operating training.
The 3 universities below offer online study from outside Kansas. 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 Kansas
Scroll across the table to compare the study plan and price.
University
Study Format
Credits
Displayed Degree Price
Texas A&M UniversitySchool of Law’s Online Master of Legal Studies (MLS)Online alternative · TX
Online1 to 2 years
30
$36,000Published tuition and fees
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
Liberty UniversitySchool of Law’s Online Juris Master (JM)Online alternative · VA
Online
30
$18,000Calculated base tuition2026–2027
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.
No table entries match. Clear the search to show all reviewed programs.
Texas A&M offers a first comparison for a Kansas manager who handles vendors, staff and regulatory records. Its Business Law & Compliance MLS track sits within a 30-credit asynchronous degree, with a published $36,000 tuition-and-fee total. That combination gives you a clear business focus and a defined cost before evaluating Arizona State's emphases or Liberty's broader Juris Master.
Where it stands out. Choose an issue from Kansas lodging education materials, such as agreements or records behind a process, and ask how the relevant legal subjects fit the curriculum. The degree should address recurring decisions across the operation, not just one procedure.
What to weigh. Ask for your actual business-compliance course plan and compare it with the operating knowledge you already have. Liberty has lower calculated full-time tuition, while ASU offers Conflict Resolution. The more expensive track needs a clear benefit in the legal subjects you'll use repeatedly.
Curriculum, Admission, Tuition, and Sources +
How the Program Works
The MLS requires 30 credits.
Online coursework uses an asynchronous format.
Fall, spring and summer starts are available.
Documented Subjects and Concentrations
General Legal Studies
Business Law & Compliance
Cybersecurity Law & Policy
Education Law and Policy
Energy & Environmental Law
Health Law, Policy & Management
HR & Employment Law, Policy & Management
Intellectual Property, Technology, & Innovation
Risk Management & Compliance
Admission Details
The MLS is designed for degree-holding professionals.
No entrance exam required.
Tuition and Rate Conditions
Published MLS online and hybrid tuition and fees for the full 30-credit program; living expenses and books excluded.
$1,200 per credit × 30 credits = $36,000 in base tuition.
Arizona State gives a Kansas owner or supervisor two distinct MLS directions to investigate: Business Law and Conflict Resolution. Its online 30-credit degree runs through ten 7.5-week classes. If the problems behind a hospitality operation include both agreements and disagreements, that choice is more informative than a general promise of relevance to business.
Where it stands out. Choose an emphasis around your most frequent decisions. A vendor contract and an employee dispute can lead to different course priorities within the same Kansas business. Request a proposed plan before deciding which direction adds more useful study.
What to weigh. The shortened classes can compress your study around demanding operating weeks. Texas A&M explicitly describes asynchronous instruction, and Liberty advertises independent online study while noting that some courses include scheduled activities. Compare ASU's weekly expectations and confirmed total price with both, including whether the relevant emphasis courses run when you need them.
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.
Liberty's Juris Master introduces a lower-cost general-law option for a Kansas applicant who wants legal study within a Christian university. Its online calendar includes eight-week and full-semester courses, with attendance details set by the individual class. The 30-credit degree includes American Legal Studies among its choices, with calculated full-time tuition of $18,000 before fees at the published $600-per-credit rate.
Where it stands out. If you want legal principles across several business functions, compare the American Legal Studies courses with Texas A&M's business-compliance track. Kansas lodging guidance can help you identify agreements, staff policies and records to discuss with an adviser.
What to weigh. The Christian educational approach is part of the choice, and part-time tuition is $665 per credit instead of $600. A schedule that protects your business may therefore change the bill. ASU offers a named conflict-resolution emphasis if dispute handling is the more specific goal.
Curriculum, Admission, Tuition, and Sources +
How the Program Works
Online courses may include scheduled activities; check the course calendar
Christian educational setting
Separate full-time, part-time, and military rates
Documented Subjects and Concentrations
General
American Legal Studies
Compliance
Health Law
International Legal Studies
Admission Details
Bachelor's degree and college transcripts
Tuition and Rate Conditions
2026–2027. Calculated tuition for 30 credits at the full-time graduate rate. Part-time tuition is $665 per credit. Qualifying military students have a separate $310 rate. Fees are additional.
$600 per credit × 30 credits = $18,000 in base tuition.
The JM page publishes $310 per graduate credit for qualifying service members, veterans, military spouses, and Department of Defense employees. It also describes an application-fee waiver with military documentation.
Checking the Study Load Behind a Kansas Tuition Comparison
Liberty's published graduate tuition distinguishes full-time and part-time enrollment. A Kansas applicant should read the Juris Master tuition information against the load they actually intend to carry, rather than applying a full-time rate to a slower plan. Ask when enrollment status is determined and how changing the number of classes affects the bill. Our Liberty assessment for Kansas sets that price question beside the curriculum. The affordable legal studies comparison and cost planning guide help you build a consistent comparison across different rate structures.
Deciding How Much Business Specialization You Want
The Kansas alternatives create a useful choice between a short-course rhythm and a broader selection of tracks. Arizona State's online MLS uses 7.5-week classes. Texas A&M lets online students select a track within its asynchronous MLS. Compare ASU's Kansas review with Texas A&M's assessment by asking each adviser for a complete sequence that addresses the same business responsibility. Then examine which required subjects sit outside that goal. Breadth can be valuable for a manager whose duties change, but it should be an intentional part of the degree you're buying.
An MLS for Kansas Business Operations
Choose an operational issue from the Department of Agriculture's materials and identify the decisions behind it: the agreement with a vendor, the policy for staff, or the records kept after an incident. Ask MLS programs how they teach contracts, liability, regulatory research and employment law. Compare the degree with subject-specific training where the goal is narrow. For an owner or manager, the value comes from repeated use across business decisions rather than the credential alone.
A legal studies curriculum can be useful to examine from the perspective of the person coordinating outside counsel, staff and inspectors. It does not provide technical food-safety training simply because it discusses regulation. Keep your operating knowledge and the legal skills you want to add in separate columns when reviewing programs.
Compliance Officer Pay in Kansas
10th percentile pay
$42,620
Median annual pay
$69,740
90th percentile pay
$121,370
Kansas has an estimated 3,560 compliance officer jobs. The occupation’s median annual wage is $69,740, with the 10th and 90th percentiles at $42,620 and $121,370.
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 Kansas
How Can Kansas Hospitality Managers Evaluate an MLS?+
Connect the curriculum to contracts, staff policies, incident records and regulatory research. Kansas Agriculture's lodging materials provide concrete operating subjects to use when asking about assignments.
Is Graduate Legal Study Necessary for a Kansas Operating Procedure?+
A focused training course may be the more direct choice for one procedure. Consider a full MLS when you need to analyze legal questions across several areas of the business.
