Best Master’s in Legal Studies Programs for North Dakota
North Dakota's Department of Mineral Resources publishes oil-and-gas resources alongside information on underground storage, public rules and related agencies. For a master's in legal studies in North Dakota, energy law deserves a closer look when it matches your current work. But energy transactions, land records, environmental rules and administrative procedure are different subjects. Compare their place in the curriculum before selecting a program on the strength of a concentration name.
For North Dakota, the comparison distinguishes commercial energy work from agency procedure and environmental obligations. Texas A&M leads with an energy-focused MLS track and asynchronous delivery. McGeorge adds water and government-policy directions, while Lewis & Clark supplies the dedicated environmental degree. Each should be tested against the applicant's actual records and work rotation, rather than a general energy-industry label.
The 3 universities below offer online study from outside North Dakota. 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 North Dakota
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
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
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 North Dakota
Texas A&M is the first North Dakota option to inspect when legal questions sit close to energy operations. Its Energy & Environmental Law track is available within an asynchronous, 30-credit online MLS with full-time and part-time choices. Compared with Lewis & Clark's dedicated environmental MSL, it also offers a broader set of professional directions if contracts, compliance or business responsibilities are becoming more important in your role. A Mineral Resources public record can make that distinction concrete.
Where it stands out. At a published $36,000 for tuition and fees, it provides a useful starting budget for an applicant who needs to keep working while studying.
What to weigh. Confirm which energy courses address transactions, resource rights or agency procedure. The track name alone does not establish equal depth across those subjects or eliminate assignment deadlines.
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.
McGeorge is worth a closer North Dakota comparison when the question behind an energy project involves water or public decision-making. Its Water & Environmental Law and Government Law & Policy routes offer two ways to frame that interest within a 26-unit MSL. Texas A&M has the more immediately recognizable energy track, but McGeorge's alternatives may better match someone whose work centers on interpreting agency action rather than arranging a commercial transaction.
Where it stands out. Bring a public rules or underground-storage question to the adviser and request the specific online courses that would help you research the agency's reasoning.
What to weigh. Calculated tuition is $42,614 before additional costs, above Texas A&M's tuition-and-fee total. Verify the chosen concentration's delivery and electives instead of assuming every McGeorge route is fully online.
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.
North Dakota applicants who want environmental obligations to remain central throughout graduate study should compare Lewis & Clark with the energy track at Texas A&M. The MSL requires administrative and environmental law and offers electives across water, wildlife, waste and related subjects. Its 26 credits form an environmental, natural resources and energy degree, making it a more focused commitment than using part of a broader MLS for an industry concentration.
Where it stands out. Consider the program when interpreting agency records is a recurring professional responsibility and the legal treatment of environmental consequences matters more than general business breadth.
What to weigh. Tuition is $45,864 before other expenses. Ask about attendance and exam windows around your work rotation, and establish whether the relevant electives address the particular energy process you intend to study.
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.
Keep a Study Reserve for the Difficult Work Rotation
North Dakota applicants working variable rotations should ask about the hardest week of a course, not only its average pace. Texas A&M offers asynchronous MLS study with multiple entry terms. Before choosing a start, map reading, assessments, and any group work onto your upcoming rotation.
Use the Texas A&M energy comparison to discuss a specific course plan. The MLS value guide also helps weigh the time you would give up alongside tuition and the responsibility you expect the degree to support.
Use Equal Credit Counts to Make the Price Difference Clear
McGeorge and Lewis & Clark both require 26 units or credits for the degrees listed here. Their published rates differ: McGeorge lists $1,639 per unit, while Lewis & Clark lists $1,764 per credit. Compare full tuition and additional charges before using the matching degree size as shorthand for matching cost.
For a North Dakota applicant, the McGeorge routes also create a choice between public-policy and environmental study. Ask which available course sequence earns the larger share of your attention before deciding whether a tuition difference is worthwhile.
Choosing the Right Energy-Law Courses From North Dakota
Read the Department's resource links and identify whether your interest concerns contracts, resource rights, reporting or agency decisions. Ask universities which of those subjects MLS students may study and how a project could address your field. Find out whether relevant electives require prior legal or technical preparation. For online study, confirm attendance and exam windows around your work rotation. A flexible course label should translate into a calendar you can actually follow.
North Dakota Department of Mineral Resources 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 North Dakota Career
Energy-related administrative work draws on industry knowledge as well as legal analysis. An MLS applicant with operational experience should identify the questions currently referred to a supervisor or counsel. Use those questions to assess the degree. Technical resource estimates and compliance occupation wages measure different things from the outcomes of a master's program.
Compliance Officer Pay in North Dakota
10th percentile pay
$56,260
Median annual pay
$79,440
90th percentile pay
$116,370
North Dakota has an estimated 990 compliance officer jobs. The occupation’s median annual wage is $79,440, with the 10th and 90th percentiles at $56,260 and $116,370.
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 North Dakota
How Should North Dakota Workers Compare Energy MLS Tracks?+
Separate transaction courses from land, environmental and administrative-law study. Ask which subjects are available within the master's and how they appear in graded assignments.
Can a North Dakota Online MLS Fit a Rotating Work Schedule?+
Compare the actual class, exam and group-work calendar with your rotation. Request the attendance policy and a sample term schedule before assuming a distance program is flexible enough.
