Best Master’s in Legal Studies Programs for Montana
Montana's Department of Natural Resources and Conservation publishes water-right forms, application tools and public-notice resources. For a master's in legal studies in Montana, those materials offer a distinctive way to examine property and natural-resource coursework. If your work touches land or water administration, look for legal research that deals with records, agency procedure and competing claims. A broad environmental label is less useful than knowing which subjects you can actually study.
Water administration is the organizing question for this Montana comparison. McGeorge comes first for its named water and environmental route; Lewis & Clark provides the broader environmental-law alternative. Arizona adds a lower published tuition and Indigenous peoples law options. The order changes when the applicant's work concerns tribal policy rather than a water-right process.
The 3 universities below offer online study from outside Montana. 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 Montana
Scroll across the table to compare the study plan and price.
OnlineApproximately 2 years part-timeHealth Law and Human Resources are hybrid concentrations. Government Law & Policy, Business Law, and Water & Environmental Law offer online routes.
26
$42,614Calculated base tuition2026-2027
Lewis & Clark CollegeLewis & Clark Law School’s Online Master of Studies in Environmental, Natural Resources, and Energy Law (MSL)Online alternative · OR
Online
26
$45,864Published degree tuition2026-2027
University of ArizonaCollege of Law’s Online Master of Legal Studies (MLS)Online alternative · AZ
Online
30
$22,500Calculated 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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A Montana applicant working through DNRC water-right records has a concrete reason to begin with McGeorge: Water & Environmental Law is an identified online MSL route. Its 26-unit requirement also leaves a different degree-planning question from Lewis & Clark's equally sized, wholly environmental degree: how much of the plan will focus on water, and how much on a general legal foundation? McGeorge's published $1,639 unit rate produces $42,614 in tuition before additional expenses.
Where it stands out. Bring an actual public water-right question to an adviser and request the eligible course sequence that would help you analyze it.
What to weigh. Arizona's $22,500 calculated tuition is substantially lower. McGeorge needs to justify that extra spending through the particular water-law courses you can take.
Plan for campus study: Health Law and Human Resources are hybrid concentrations. Government Law & Policy, Business Law, and Water & Environmental Law offer online routes.
Curriculum, Admission, Tuition, and Sources +
How the Program Works
The MSL requires 26 units.
Government law and policy offers asynchronous online study.
You can build a customized concentration with faculty guidance.
Documented Subjects and Concentrations
Government Law & Policy
Business Law
Water & Environmental Law
Tuition and Rate Conditions
2026-2027. 2026-2027 MSL tuition per unit; fees and other expenses are additional.
$1,639 per credit × 26 credits = $42,614 in base tuition.
Water disputes can involve wildlife, land use and administrative procedure as well as the allocation itself. Lewis & Clark is the stronger Montana candidate to investigate when you want that environmental range: its degree includes required environmental and administrative law, with water and wildlife among the elective subjects. McGeorge has the more explicitly named water concentration, while this 26-credit MSL keeps the entire program within environmental, natural resources and energy law.
Where it stands out. Consider it for a resource-administration role where several legal subjects meet in one public record, rather than for broad business or personnel responsibilities.
What to weigh. Published tuition is $45,864, above McGeorge's calculated $42,614. Ask which water-related electives run during your enrollment before paying for the broader environmental choice.
Curriculum, Admission, Tuition, and Sources +
How the Program Works
The degree requires 26 credits.
Required subjects include administrative and environmental law.
The online program does not require LSAT or GRE scores.
Documented Subjects and Concentrations
Environmental, Natural Resources, and Energy Law
Admission Details
A bachelor's degree is required.
Applicants submit a writing sample and two recommendation letters.
No GRE or LSAT required.
Tuition and Rate Conditions
2026-2027. Published tuition for the 26-credit online MSL; other expenses are additional.
$1,764 per credit × 26 credits = $45,864 in base tuition.
Arizona changes the Montana comparison when the legal question involves a community, jurisdiction or policy choice as much as a water permit. Its online MLS lists both Environmental Law and Policy and Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy, alongside legal research and writing foundations. Discuss which available route best addresses the relationship between a resource decision and the people affected by it, then request the actual online electives that support your proposed course of study.
Where it stands out. This is the cost-conscious option here: 30 credits at $750 calculate to $22,500 in tuition, with room to consider a different substantive focus.
What to weigh. McGeorge and Lewis & Clark present more explicit water or environmental degree identities. Confirm Arizona's course depth before choosing on price alone.
Curriculum, Admission, Tuition, and Sources +
How the Program Works
The online MLS requires 30 credits.
Foundational courses include legal analysis, writing and research.
You can choose general legal studies or a concentration.
Documented Subjects and Concentrations
Compliance and Legal Risk Management
Criminal Law and Policy
Environmental Law and Policy
Human Rights
Indigenous Peoples Law and Policy
Intellectual Property
International Trade and Business Law
Tuition and Rate Conditions
Published online MLS tuition per credit; fees and other expenses are additional.
$750 per credit × 30 credits = $22,500 in base tuition.
A Montana applicant can use Arizona’s MLS as a budget reference: its published online rate produces $22,500 in base tuition across 30 credits. That gives you a base-tuition benchmark to discuss with an employer before deciding that a specialized environmental degree warrants a larger investment.
Put fees, books, and the number of terms beside tuition in your legal studies budget. An employer’s annual reimbursement limit and its payment date are separate questions. Ask whether you must pay the bill first and wait for reimbursement after grades arrive.
Prepare an Application That Shows Your Writing
The Lewis & Clark MSL application calls for a writing sample and two recommendations, while requiring neither LSAT nor GRE scores. Choose a sample that shows how you organize evidence and explain a conclusion. A document from work needs permission and a careful check for confidential information.
Read the Montana comparison of Lewis & Clark before asking recommenders for letters. Explain why this particular environmental degree fits your next responsibility, so they can discuss your preparation for graduate analysis rather than simply describe your job title.
Finding Water-Law Depth for Montana Work
Read DNRC's water-right resources and identify the records you would like to understand better. Ask universities whether MLS students can take water law, property and administrative-law electives, and whether a capstone can focus on an agency process. Find out who supervises specialized work and when the courses run. An environmental curriculum may spend most of its time on pollution control, so compare the syllabus with your specific land-and-water interests before choosing.
Montana DNRC: Water Rights 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 Montana Career
Water administration combines historical records, technical information and legal rules. An MLS can be assessed as additional legal training for someone with land, resource or public-sector experience. It does not replace the specialized technical analysis behind an application. Identify the part of the work you want to perform, then build the degree plan around it.
Compliance Officer Pay in Montana
10th percentile pay
$50,350
Median annual pay
$66,660
90th percentile pay
$109,300
Montana has an estimated 1,480 compliance officer jobs. The occupation’s median annual wage is $66,660, with the 10th and 90th percentiles at $50,350 and $109,300.
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 Montana
How Can Montana Applicants Find an MLS With Useful Water-Law Content?+
Ask for the actual eligible electives, their offering schedule and a supervisor for a water-related project. Compare those details with DNRC's water-right records and application resources.
Are All Environmental Legal Studies Tracks Alike for Montana Students?+
No. Compare property and water-law study with pollution-control or energy-transaction courses. The concentration name alone doesn't establish which subjects receive sustained attention.
