Best Master’s in Legal Studies Programs for Minnesota
Minnesota's Department of Commerce groups its work into money and banking, insurance, energy, business regulation and licensing. That range is useful when you're comparing a master's in legal studies in Minnesota: a compliance label can cover very different kinds of work. Pick the industry you intend to serve, then compare the depth of the relevant courses. A program that fits your existing responsibilities may be more useful than one with the longest elective list.
Minnesota's finance and energy regulation points toward different degrees, so this shortlist avoids treating compliance as one subject. Wake Forest leads for financial-services work, Texas A&M offers an energy-and-environment route, and Oklahoma keeps the comparison open for broader legal skills. Department of Commerce resources help you decide which industry direction warrants specialized graduate study.
The 3 universities below offer online study from outside Minnesota. 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 Minnesota
Scroll across the table to compare the study plan and price.
University
Study Format
Credits
Displayed Degree Price
Wake Forest UniversitySchool of Law’s Online Master of Legal Studies (MLS)Online alternative · NC
Online
30
$38,520Published degree tuition
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
University of OklahomaCollege of Law’s Online Master of Legal Studies (MLS)Online alternative · OK
Online15 to 18 months or longer
32
$37,360Calculated base tuition
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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Online Legal Studies Programs Ranked for Minnesota
Wake Forest is the first Minnesota option to inspect if your work falls on the financial-services side of the Department of Commerce's remit. The 30-credit MLS names Financial Services and Business Law and Compliance among its choices. Weekly asynchronous assignments support remote study while giving you a clear reason to request the exact specialization sequence before deciding.
Where it stands out. Use a Commerce consumer-finance or insurance resource to explain the documents you want to read more confidently. Ask which courses are relevant to that specific function instead of assuming a financial-services concentration covers every type of financial regulation.
What to weigh. Texas A&M's Energy & Environmental Law track is a more directly named option for a Minnesota energy goal. Oklahoma's general MLS may suit work spanning several areas. Compare Wake Forest's complete price, course schedule and assessed writing with those alternatives before choosing a specialized title.
Curriculum, Admission, Tuition, and Sources +
How the Program Works
Asynchronous courses with weekly assignments
Optional campus intensives
Up to six approved graduate transfer credits
Documented Subjects and Concentrations
Business Law and Compliance
Health Law and Policy
Human Resources
Financial Services
General
Admission Details
At least one year of professional experience in any field documented on a résumé or CV
Tuition and Rate Conditions
Published tuition for the 30-credit online MLS. Add a $270 technology fee in each fall and spring term; the summer term has no technology fee. Books and materials are additional.
$1,284 per credit × 30 credits = $38,520 in base tuition.
Texas A&M earns its place here for Minnesota applicants focused on energy-related obligations rather than banking or insurance. Its Energy & Environmental Law track is part of a 30-credit asynchronous MLS, with a published $36,000 total for tuition and fees. That is a different direction from Wake Forest's financial-services concentration, even though both degrees can be described as relevant to compliance work.
Where it stands out. Read the Minnesota Commerce resources closest to your role and ask how the track divides energy transactions, environmental regulation and other legal subjects. A utility-related goal needs that course-level check before the energy title becomes a reason to enroll.
What to weigh. Ask which courses from the wider MLS can fit your approved track. Oklahoma remains the general alternative if your intended skills span industries, while Wake Forest supplies a financial-services comparison. Choose around the regulatory work you expect to handle.
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.
Oklahoma offers Minnesota applicants a broad 32-credit MLS when the career question is still wider than finance or energy. Courses are asynchronous with optional live lectures, and the university estimates 15 to 20 study hours a week. The general curriculum is worth inspecting if you need legal reading and writing that can support several organizational responsibilities.
Where it stands out. Choose examples from two parts of Minnesota Commerce's work and ask which foundational courses would help you analyze both. That exercise can show whether you need general legal study or should instead commit to Wake Forest's finance direction or Texas A&M's energy track.
What to weigh. Breadth means the actual elective list matters. Oklahoma's general MLS shouldn't be assumed to provide a concentrated sequence in either Minnesota industry. Its normal 15-to-18-month or longer timeline also needs a realistic weekly study budget, even when live lectures are optional.
Curriculum, Admission, Tuition, and Sources +
How the Program Works
The general MLS requires 32 credits.
Coursework is asynchronous with optional live lectures.
The university estimates 15 to 20 hours of study each week.
Documented Subjects and Concentrations
General Legal Studies
Admission Details
A bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited institution or equivalent is required.
A minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 is required.
No LSAT required.
Tuition and Rate Conditions
Calculated nonresident tuition for the 32-credit online MLS. Oklahoma resident tuition is $643.30 per credit. Add $201.30 in fees per credit and $117.50 per semester, plus books and materials.
$1,167.50 per credit × 32 credits = $37,360 in base tuition.
Comparing the Weekly Work Before Choosing a Specialty
Minnesota's finance and energy options deserve a calendar comparison as well as a curriculum comparison. Wake Forest's MLS curriculum includes asynchronous weekly units, discussions and collaborative assignments. Oklahoma's general MLS estimates 15 to 20 hours of weekly study. Ask Wake Forest how group work is coordinated, then ask Oklahoma how that weekly estimate changes when several assessments fall together. Read Wake Forest's Minnesota assessment and Oklahoma's alternative with a realistic workweek beside you. The online rankings help distinguish flexibility in meeting times from the amount of work the degree requires.
Building a Course Plan Before Committing to Energy Law
A Minnesota applicant interested in energy should ask Texas A&M to show the complete sequence for its Energy and Environmental Law track. Review our Texas A&M comparison and identify which legal questions you want the electives to address. Ask where the track permits broader business or risk-management study, rather than assuming every advertised subject can fit. The guide to judging an MLS investment helps you explain why that specialization would be useful in your current or intended work. Commit to the approved curriculum once it fits that purpose, with a study schedule you can maintain.
Choosing Between Minnesota Regulatory Specialties
Use Commerce's industry resources to identify the documents you expect to read at work. A financial-services goal may call for consumer protection and business law, while an energy goal may require more administrative and utility-law study. Ask how each program develops legal research and writing within your chosen subject. Confirm the sequence of electives for part-time students. If you're undecided between industries, preserve room for exploration without paying for a specialized title you may never use.
Minnesota Department of Commerce 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 Minnesota Career
Compliance jobs can call for legal knowledge, industry experience and analytical skills in different proportions. The Department of Commerce's resources show the subjects being regulated, but they don't establish an MLS hiring requirement. Review real positions and talk with a manager about the practical value of the courses you're considering.
Compliance Officer Pay in Minnesota
10th percentile pay
$55,830
Median annual pay
$85,920
90th percentile pay
$134,040
Minnesota has an estimated 6,140 compliance officer jobs. The occupation’s median annual wage is $85,920, with the 10th and 90th percentiles at $55,830 and $134,040.
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 Minnesota
Is a Broad Compliance MLS a Good Fit for Minnesota?+
It can be, if the elective choices match your intended industry. Minnesota Commerce's separate banking, insurance, energy and business resources show why the word compliance alone is too broad to judge a program.
What Should Minnesota Part-Time Applicants Ask About Electives?+
Get the expected course sequence and ask how often each desired elective is offered. Confirm that your chosen specialty can be completed within the number of terms and tuition budget you plan.
