Best Master’s in Legal Studies Programs for South Dakota
South Dakota's Division of Banking publishes resources for trust companies and updates on trust-related legislation. That gives a master's in legal studies applicant a precise subject to investigate: the legal side of trust administration. If you already work in financial operations, compare trust and estate courses with broader business-law or compliance tracks. The important issue is access to enough relevant coursework, not whether a school offers a general wealth-management label.
Trust administration is the South Dakota question behind this shortlist. Florida State and Wake Forest provide financial-law routes to inspect; UC Law San Francisco adds a research-paper requirement and individualized course planning. The order rewards a relevant starting curriculum while making access to actual fiduciary and trust subjects the decisive next comparison for someone already familiar with financial operations.
The 3 universities below offer online study from outside South 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 South Dakota
Scroll across the table to compare the study plan and price.
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 South Dakota
Florida State is a useful first South Dakota comparison for a financial professional who wants legal study to address governance and regulatory responsibilities. Financial Regulation and Compliance is a named concentration in the 30-credit JM, and electives may cross into other concentrations. That gives you a concrete plan to discuss alongside Wake Forest's Financial Services track when examining the Division of Banking's trust-company resources. Compare the actual eligible courses dealing with trusts, business organizations and fiduciary responsibilities.
Where it stands out. Ask which courses available to JM students address the decisions you actually support, then compare the amount of specialized study with the shared legal foundation.
What to weigh. Nonresident base tuition calculates to $45,806.70. Confirm both any scholarship and the relevant elective access before deciding how much of that investment serves your particular trust-administration responsibilities.
Curriculum, Admission, Tuition, and Sources +
How the Program Works
Fully online and asynchronous
Five concentrations with cross-concentration electives
Flexible semester course loads
Documented Subjects and Concentrations
Cybersecurity, Privacy, and Technology Risk Management
Employment Law and HR Risk Management
Financial Regulation and Compliance
Health Care Regulation
Legal Risk Management, Contracting, and Compliance
Tuition and Rate Conditions
2026–2027. Calculated nonresident base tuition for 30 credits. The 2026–2027 page lists $683.05 per credit for Florida residents and $1,260.10 after the conditional out-of-state scholarship. Published rates include the $30 distance learning fee.
$1,526.89 per credit × 30 credits = $45,806.70 in base tuition.
FSU explicitly permits VA education benefits and military tuition assistance for the online JM. Eligible out-of-state veterans and dependents may qualify for tuition waivers.
Wake Forest's Financial Services track gives South Dakota applicants a different framework for evaluating trust-related legal study. The online MLS divides its 30 credits between foundational courses, the track and electives, so the useful question is how much fiduciary or organizational analysis can fit after required work. Florida State offers cross-concentration electives; Wake Forest provides weekly asynchronous units with discussions and collaborative assignments, which may suit a professional who learns by comparing workplace questions with peers.
Where it stands out. Use a public trust-company resource to request a specific course and assignment map, including any prerequisites for the legal or financial subjects you want.
What to weigh. Verify which trusts courses are actually offered to MLS students. UC Law San Francisco's individualized planning is another avenue if a supervised research question matters more than a predetermined track.
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.
UC Law San Francisco is the South Dakota alternative for someone who can articulate a particular legal-research question about trust administration. Its 24-credit MLS requires a research paper tied to a seminar or independent study, and faculty can help design an individual course of study. That differs from starting with Florida State's financial-regulation concentration or Wake Forest's financial-services track. The research component is useful only if the necessary substantive courses and supervision are available in your online plan.
Where it stands out. Discuss a public Division of Banking resource with an adviser and ask which eligible courses would prepare you to analyze the underlying governance issue.
What to weigh. Estimated tuition is $45,000 before other expenses. Some JD courses need permission or prerequisites, and term-specific availability matters; establish access to trust-law electives before arranging the broader degree plan.
Curriculum, Admission, Tuition, and Sources +
How the Program Works
The MLS requires 24 credits.
Online courses include live and self-paced components.
You complete a research paper tied to a seminar or independent study.
Documented Subjects and Concentrations
Business
Compliance
Employment
Health Law
Intellectual Property
Social Justice
Start-Ups and Entrepreneurship
Admission Details
A bachelor's degree is required.
No GRE, GMAT or LSAT required.
Applicants who already hold a JD, LLB or equivalent law degree are not eligible.
Tuition and Rate Conditions
2026-2027. Estimated tuition for 24 credits; books, course-related fees and applicable insurance are additional.
$1,875 per credit × 24 credits = $45,000 in base tuition.
The MLS waives its enrollment deposit for veterans. The Registrar certifies eligible VA education benefits, including Post-9/11 GI Bill and Veteran Readiness and Employment benefits.
Read the Nonresident Tuition Conditions Before Budgeting
South Dakota residents comparing Florida State’s JM tuition should distinguish the standard nonresident rate from the Florida resident rate and the conditional out-of-state scholarship. Use the award you qualify for in your budget, and ask for its continuation conditions in writing.
The FSU comparison retains those price conditions. If military benefits apply, the military-friendly ranking adds degree-specific policies to review. A university’s lower advertised rate should enter your calculation only after the school explains its application to you.
Confirm Who Can Supervise Your Research Paper
UC Law San Francisco’s MLS includes a research paper through a seminar or independent study. For a South Dakota applicant with a precise financial-administration topic, ask about available supervisors before treating an individualized project as the deciding advantage.
Review UC Law SF’s online option with a proposed question, a possible public source set, and your planned enrollment dates. Ask how you would receive feedback remotely and what happens if a desired seminar is not offered during your expected final term.
Looking for Trust-Administration Depth From South Dakota
Use the Division of Banking's trust resources to identify the records and decisions you want to understand. Ask universities which courses cover trusts, fiduciary responsibilities, business organizations and legal research for nonlawyer students. Check whether tax or financial subjects assume prior training. If a program advertises law-school electives, ask which are open to MLS students and how often they are taught. A clear course plan matters more than a large catalog you can only partly use.
South Dakota Division of Banking 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 South Dakota Career
Trust administration can bring together legal, financial and accounting questions. Existing experience in one of those areas helps you decide what an MLS would add. For a new career, examine the qualifications of real positions and compare accounting or finance study too. The degree should address a defined skills gap.
Compliance Officer Pay in South Dakota
10th percentile pay
$57,140
Median annual pay
$72,630
90th percentile pay
$115,920
South Dakota has an estimated 1,130 compliance officer jobs. The occupation’s median annual wage is $72,630, with the 10th and 90th percentiles at $57,140 and $115,920.
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 South Dakota
Which MLS Electives Fit South Dakota Trust Administration?+
Compare trusts, fiduciary responsibilities, business law and legal research. Ask how the courses are taught to nonlawyers and whether the full sequence fits within the master's requirements.
Should South Dakota Applicants Compare Legal Studies With Finance?+
Yes, when the intended work includes financial or accounting analysis. Use job duties and your existing preparation to decide which subjects require further study, rather than choosing solely from a degree title.
