# Law

> A program that prepares individuals for the independent professional practice of law, for taking state and national bar examinations, and for advanced research in jurisprudence. Includes instruction in the theory and practice of the legal system, including the statutory, administrative, and judicial components of civil and criminal law.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/programs/law
- CIP code: 22.01 (Legal Professions and Studies)
- Colleges offering it: 176 at its most common degree level

## Outcomes by degree level (College Scorecard, 2025)

| Degree level | Colleges | Median earnings 1 yr | Median earnings 4 yrs | Median federal debt |
| --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| Certificate | 1 | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Bachelor's | 4 | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Master's | 14 | $75,406 | $89,257 | $66,515 |
| Post-baccalaureate certificate | 2 | $83,045 | not reported | not reported |
| Doctoral | 39 | $73,556 | $100,597 | $114,553 |
| First professional | 176 | $76,918 | $100,931 | $108,425 |
| Graduate/professional certificate | 5 | $91,533 | not reported | $80,555 |

## Related careers (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk)

- [Lawyers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/lawyers): $159,670 median pay
- [Judges, Magistrate Judges, and Magistrates](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/judges-magistrate-judges-and-magistrates): $153,990 median pay
- [Law Teachers, Postsecondary](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/law-teachers-postsecondary): $128,500 median pay
- [Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/administrative-law-judges-adjudicators-and-hearing-officers): $117,860 median pay
- [Arbitrators, Mediators, and Conciliators](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/arbitrators-mediators-and-conciliators): $75,530 median pay
- [Judicial Law Clerks](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/judicial-law-clerks): $64,920 median pay

## More in Legal Professions and Studies

- [Legal Support Services](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/legal-support-services): 488 colleges
- [Non-Professional Legal Studies](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/non-professional-legal-studies): 169 colleges
- [Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/legal-research-and-advanced-professional-studies): 138 colleges
- [Legal Professions and Studies, Other](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/legal-professions-and-studies-other): 41 colleges

## Sources

- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard field-of-study data, 2025: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/
- NCES Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) 2020: https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/