Best Master’s in Legal Studies Programs in New Jersey
New Jersey's labor department maintains separate resources for wage-and-hour compliance, leave benefits and administrative decisions. If you work in HR or payroll, that is a useful way to frame a master's in legal studies in New Jersey. Your educational goal may be to interpret a rule and communicate it clearly across several workplace processes. Compare employment-law coursework with the broader staffing and management content of an HR graduate degree.
Seton Hall anchors the New Jersey comparison as the verified in-state online program. Its regulated-industry concentrations are useful, but the state's wage-and-leave lens also warrants direct HR alternatives. Pitt provides a substantial HR certificate within the degree, and Wake Forest offers an HR track with weekly collaborative study. Geography starts the list; workplace responsibility should settle the choice.
1reviewed university is based in New Jersey. The other 2 choices are online alternatives based elsewhere. 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 New Jersey
Scroll across the table to compare the study plan and price.
University
Study Format
Credits
Displayed Degree Price
Seton Hall UniversitySeton Hall Law School’s Online Master of Legal Studies (MLS)Based in this state
Wake Forest UniversitySchool of Law’s Online Master of Legal Studies (MLS)Online alternative · NC
Online
30
$38,520Published degree 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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Seton Hall gives New Jersey residents an online legal master's based in Newark, with no campus residency requirement. Its Corporate Compliance concentration is a sensible starting point for someone coordinating workplace obligations across a regulated organization. However, its named choices lean toward corporate, healthcare, pharmaceutical, privacy and sports subjects. Compare that scope with Pitt's Human Resources Law certificate when the questions raised by New Jersey's wage-and-leave resources dominate your job.
Where it stands out. The 31-credit, part-time MLS works best on this page for applicants who want a legal foundation connected to an industry as well as a workplace process.
What to weigh. Studying one class at a time still requires a 3.0 cumulative GPA to graduate. Ask which employment-related courses actually fit before selecting the local university for convenience.
Curriculum, Admission, Tuition, and Sources +
How the Program Works
31-credit degree
No campus residency requirement
No GRE or LSAT
Documented Subjects and Concentrations
Corporate Compliance
Health and Hospital Law
Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Law and Compliance
Privacy Law and Cyber Security
Sports Law and Compliance
Admission Details
No GRE or LSAT
Tuition and Rate Conditions
2026–2027. Calculated tuition for the 31-credit MLS. Add the $425 university fee in a standard semester and $230 for the MLS summer semester, plus books and other expenses.
$1,580 per credit × 31 credits = $48,980 in base tuition.
Pitt earns a place beside Seton Hall because it makes the amount of specialized study easy for a New Jersey HR applicant to examine: half of the 30-credit MSL is a 15-credit certificate. Human Resources Law is one of the choices. If your responsibilities span wage policies, leave administration and employee communications, that structure offers a concrete comparison with Seton Hall's broader corporate-compliance direction. The earlier 15 credits establish the legal foundation for the specialized work.
Where it stands out. Use a public New Jersey labor resource to ask which certificate assignments develop policy analysis and clear explanations, rather than only introducing terminology.
What to weigh. Foundational courses follow a preset, one-at-a-time order. Wake Forest's HR track provides another arrangement to compare if the initial year needs more subject variety.
Curriculum, Admission, Tuition, and Sources +
How the Program Works
15 foundational credits followed by a 15-credit certificate
Asynchronous classes with optional live sessions
Fall and spring entry
Documented Subjects and Concentrations
Corporate Compliance
Health Care Compliance
Human Resources Law
Sports, Entertainment, and Arts Law
Admission Details
Online application and academic transcripts
Tuition and Rate Conditions
2026–2027. Published online MSL tuition for 15 core credits at $1,330 and 15 specialization credits at $883. Add the $112 technology fee each semester, textbooks and other expenses.
For New Jersey payroll or employee-relations staff who want to discuss legal problems with classmates, Wake Forest's asynchronous model deserves a careful look. Its weekly units include discussions and collaborative assignments, and Human Resources is a named MLS track. That differs from choosing Pitt primarily for its 15-credit certificate structure. Compare what you would actually write or analyze in each program using the same wage-and-leave question from your work.
Where it stands out. The 30-credit curriculum divides study among a shared legal foundation, the selected track and electives, useful when HR questions also involve business compliance.
What to weigh. Weekly collaboration needs dependable participation despite the absence of routine live lectures. Seton Hall may fit an industry-compliance goal better if personnel work is only one part of your role.
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.
Keep the Local University Without Adding a Commute
Living near Newark doesn’t mean graduate study must add campus trips to your working week. Seton Hall’s online MLS has no residency requirement. That gives New Jersey applicants a useful distinction to check when comparing a familiar local law school with out-of-state universities.
Review Seton Hall’s named concentrations before treating proximity as the deciding factor. If you can study entirely remotely, weigh the actual course requirements against the HR-focused legal master’s comparisons, especially when employee relations is your main educational goal.
Ask When the Specialized Part of the Degree Begins
Pitt’s online MSL divides its 30 credits into 15 foundational credits followed by a 15-credit certificate. If a New Jersey employer is supporting your study for an HR responsibility, explain that sequence before promising an immediate run of employment-specific classes.
The Pitt card on this page identifies Human Resources Law as a certificate choice. Request a term-by-term plan and ask what foundational assignments you could apply to your present work while preparing for the specialized half of the degree.
Studying New Jersey Workplace Policy Through an MLS
Review a labor-department employer resource and follow its links to the underlying rule or guidance. Ask schools how they teach that research process and whether assignments involve employee policies, benefits or investigations. The state posts changes to employment rules, so also ask how a course is kept current. Compare the number of relevant electives and their schedule, and find out whether your employer can support a project tied to a real administrative problem.
Wage and leave administration involves careful records and clear explanations to employees and managers. Existing payroll or HR experience can help you apply legal coursework immediately. A master's should be assessed against those tasks. Statewide occupational wages cover many kinds of compliance work and shouldn't be treated as the expected earnings of a new HR graduate.
Compliance Officer Pay in New Jersey
10th percentile pay
$58,860
Median annual pay
$100,000
90th percentile pay
$158,540
New Jersey has an estimated 13,310 compliance officer jobs. The occupation’s median annual wage is $100,000, with the 10th and 90th percentiles at $58,860 and $158,540.
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 New Jersey
What Should New Jersey HR Staff Ask About an MLS Syllabus?+
Ask how the course treats state and federal workplace rules, how materials are updated and what written work students complete. Compare employment-law depth with the management study you also need.
Can an MLS Project Focus on New Jersey Leave Administration?+
Ask the university about project scope, supervision and access to relevant electives. A public policy or process analysis can be useful, but confidential employee information should stay within your employer's approved procedures.
