Best Master’s in Legal Studies Programs in Tennessee
Tennessee applicants can compare the University of Tennessee’s asynchronous online MLS with Vanderbilt’s shorter-credit degree and live discussion format. Tennessee's Office of Criminal Justice Programs publishes a grants manual, reporting resources and training. If you support a public agency or nonprofit, those documents offer a concrete reason to compare master's in legal studies programs in Tennessee. Grant administration can involve agreements, reporting and internal procedures alongside program delivery. Decide whether you need deeper legal analysis or broader public-management skills, then compare the relevant curriculum and the tuition you would personally pay.
Tennessee's public MLS now supplies the starting comparison for residents who want asynchronous legal study, supervised research or a state-and-local-government track. Vanderbilt offers a different experience through its 24-credit, one-course sequence and regular live discussion. McGeorge adds a government-policy emphasis, while Regent provides a nonprofit-law direction within a Christian framework. Compare the authority, contracts or governance questions in your work before choosing between these academic approaches.
2reviewed universities are based in Tennessee. 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 Tennessee
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
Regent UniversityRegent Law School’s Online Master of Legal Studies (MLS)Online alternative · VA
OnlineAs little as one year full time
32
$22,880Calculated base 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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The University of Tennessee adds a public, asynchronous option beside Vanderbilt's private MLS. Its State & Local Government track is a direct subject match for readers studying agency procedures or grant requirements, while the written project allows a focused research question. The published resident online rate produces a $22,320 estimate across 30 credits, providing a substantially different starting budget from Vanderbilt's tuition.
Where it stands out. Consider UT when Tennessee public-sector work prompts your search and you want to examine a legal issue through directed writing. Ask how track electives and project supervision fit the professional question you have identified.
What to weigh. Vanderbilt's regular live discussions may be preferable if you learn best through scheduled conversation. UT's MLS also excludes clinics and field placements, so its connection to public work comes through coursework and research rather than a promised agency internship. Verify the online enrollment classification before using the resident cost estimate.
The online MLS requires 30 credits and has no live sessions.
A written project replaces a thesis.
Two foundational law subjects are required in addition to the introductory courses.
A separate campus program is available in Knoxville.
Documented Subjects and Concentrations
Contract Management & Business Law
Human Resources & Employment Law
State & Local Government
Law & Social Welfare
General Legal Studies
Admission Details
A bachelor's degree with a minimum 2.7 GPA, or 3.0 for prior graduate coursework, is specified.
No GRE or LSAT is required.
Applicants submit a personal statement, two recommendations, and a resume or CV.
Tuition and Rate Conditions
Calculated 30-credit online cost using the program's published $819 nonresident cost per credit. The resident rate is $744, or $22,320 for 30 credits. UT's online cost model includes maintenance, online support and library charges; applicable additional course fees and future rate changes can increase costs.
$819 per credit × 30 credits = $24,570 in base tuition.
Vanderbilt gives Tennessee applicants a broad legal foundation for understanding agreements, regulation and organizational decisions. The 24-credit MLS takes one course at a time, combining mostly asynchronous material with regular live discussion. For someone using the state's grant manual, that offers a way to examine the legal questions behind a process while continuing professional work. McGeorge's Government Law & Policy route is the more specifically public-policy comparison; Regent instead names a nonprofit-law concentration.
Where it stands out. Consider Vanderbilt when your learning goals cross contracts, employment, property and regulation, and regular conversation with faculty and classmates is part of the appeal.
What to weigh. Published program tuition is $59,640 before student fees. Compare the complete cost with the more specialized alternatives and verify live meeting times; the Nashville short course is optional.
Curriculum, Admission, Tuition, and Sources +
How the Program Works
24-credit degree
One course at a time
Optional Nashville short course
Documented Subjects and Concentrations
Business Law
Sport & Entertainment
Admission Details
No GRE or minimum GPA requirement
Tuition and Rate Conditions
Published program tuition before online student health and services fees. Tuition may change between terms.
Vanderbilt states that eligible veterans may use VA education benefits for MLS enrollment. The law school provides a Yellow Ribbon match for veterans at the full Post-9/11 eligibility level when applicable.
McGeorge's Government Law & Policy MSL deserves attention from a Tennessee applicant whose grant responsibilities involve interpreting agency requirements or understanding public decision-making. Its online route addresses legislation, regulation and policymaking, a more specific public-process emphasis than Vanderbilt's broad legal foundation. Use one public grants-manual question to ask how the curriculum would help you research authority, read an agreement and explain a conclusion supported by the relevant public records.
Where it stands out. The 26-unit route offers asynchronous study and faculty-guided course planning, useful if your interest extends from one grant process into recurring policy analysis.
What to weigh. Calculated tuition is $42,614 before additional costs. A public-administration program may deserve comparison when budgeting or program evaluation, rather than legal interpretation, is the main skill you need.
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.
Regent enters the Tennessee comparison through the organization receiving or administering a grant. Its Nonprofit and Church Law concentration may be more relevant to board responsibilities and organizational governance than McGeorge's government-policy route. The 32-credit MLS includes legal writing, legislation and constitutional law within an explicitly Christian legal framework. Review the actual concentration requirements against your nonprofit responsibilities before assuming the grant context makes either school the better match.
Where it stands out. At a calculated $22,880 tuition before semester fees, it is a different financial commitment from Vanderbilt's published $59,640 and merits a complete, personalized budget comparison.
What to weigh. The $750 online services fee recurs each semester. Consider whether the religious perspective and available electives serve your learning goals, and ask how much coursework addresses the agreements and governance questions you handle.
Curriculum, Admission, Tuition, and Sources +
How the Program Works
Online MLS with multiple concentrations
No LSAT requirement
Legal writing and constitutional law in the foundation
Documented Subjects and Concentrations
Advanced Paralegal Studies
Business Law
Constitutional Law
Criminal Law and the Justice System
Cybersecurity Law
Healthcare Law
Human Resources Law
Human Rights and Global Justice
Immigration Law
Legal Studies
National Security
Negotiation, Mediation, and Dispute Resolution
Nonprofit and Church Law
Regulatory Compliance
Admission Details
Transcripts and government-issued ID
No LSAT requirement
Tuition and Rate Conditions
2026–2027. Calculated tuition for 32 credits, before the $750 online university services fee charged each semester.
$715 per credit × 32 credits = $22,880 in base tuition.
Treat the Nashville Short Course as a Separate Decision
The Vanderbilt MLS includes an optional Nashville short course. A Tennessee resident may find that easier to attend than an out-of-state student, but proximity alone doesn’t establish its value. Ask about the subject, dates, expenses, and what interaction it adds to your online study.
Review the Vanderbilt comparison before including travel in your plan. The online degree ranking distinguishes optional campus experiences from attendance that is required for graduation, a useful distinction when your work calendar can change.
Verify the Format of the Exact McGeorge Concentration
McGeorge’s MSL routes differ in delivery: Government Law & Policy offers an online path, while Health Law and Human Resources are hybrid concentrations. A Tennessee applicant should ask about the selected route and electives instead of relying on the university’s general online branding.
For the government-policy option, request an enrollment plan that identifies any attendance requirements for your actual courses. If your interests later change toward healthcare or employment, revisit delivery with the adviser before switching, especially when a trip to California would affect your ability to continue.
An MLS for Tennessee Grant Administration
Review the Office's grants resources and identify a compliance question that fits your responsibilities. Ask programs about contracts, administrative law, civil rights and the preparation of a written analysis. A supervised project could examine a public grant process, subject to the university's project rules. Compare public administration if budgeting or program evaluation is a larger part of your goal. A master's should add sustained skills beyond learning a single reporting form or deadline.
Tennessee Office of Criminal Justice Programs 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 Tennessee Career
An experienced grant coordinator may use legal coursework to understand agreements and organize a response to a compliance review. For a career change, compare the administrative and financial experience requested by employers. Public funding programs show the kind of work involved, but they don't establish a guaranteed role for MLS graduates.
Compliance Officer Pay in Tennessee
10th percentile pay
$41,460
Median annual pay
$63,960
90th percentile pay
$117,250
Tennessee has an estimated 7,990 compliance officer jobs. The occupation’s median annual wage is $63,960, with the 10th and 90th percentiles at $41,460 and $117,250.
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 Tennessee
What MLS Subjects Fit Tennessee Grant-Compliance Work?+
Compare contracts, administrative law, civil rights and legal writing. Use the Office of Criminal Justice Programs' public grants materials to ask how students analyze obligations and document a response.
Is an MLS or MPA Better for a Tennessee Grant Administrator?+
Compare the legal work you want to handle with budgeting, program evaluation and management. An MLS and an MPA can emphasize different parts of grant administration, so inspect the required coursework.
