# Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies

> An integrated or undifferentiated program in one or more of the legal research or advanced practice fields.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/programs/legal-research-and-advanced-professional-studies
- CIP code: 22.02 (Legal Professions and Studies)
- Colleges offering it: 138 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 | 11 | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Associate's | 4 | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Bachelor's | 14 | $55,926 | $61,496 | $25,000 |
| Master's | 138 | $87,177 | $107,540 | $56,645 |
| Post-baccalaureate certificate | 6 | $78,463 | $103,797 | not reported |
| Doctoral | 43 | $102,785 | $123,199 | not reported |
| First professional | 27 | $98,688 | $127,324 | $96,297 |
| Graduate/professional certificate | 59 | $88,379 | $98,030 | $69,839 |

## Colleges whose graduates earn the most (Bachelor's)

Only programs with at least 10 graduates are listed.

| College | Location | Median earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: |
| [Drexel University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/drexel-university-834) | Philadelphia, PA | $87,416 | $27,000 |
| [James Madison University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/james-madison-university-1324) | Harrisonburg, VA | $61,496 | $19,500 |
| [Winona State University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/winona-state-university-3292) | Winona, MN | $48,808 | $25,000 |

## Related careers (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk)

- [Lawyers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/lawyers): $159,670 median pay
- [Law Teachers, Postsecondary](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/law-teachers-postsecondary): $128,500 median pay

## More in Legal Professions and Studies

- [Legal Support Services](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/legal-support-services): 488 colleges
- [Law](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/law): 176 colleges
- [Non-Professional Legal Studies](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/non-professional-legal-studies): 169 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/