A career in law requires years of dedicated study. Don't wait – get started today with our ranking of the best online legal studies degrees.
A legal studies degree can lead directly to a job as a paralegal, criminal investigator, or law enforcement officer. It can also be the first step to a career as a lawyer.
No matter where you plan to go in the legal profession, you need an outstanding bachelor's program to help you get there. The schools on our list combine the flexibility and convenience of online learning with uncompromising academic excellence.
What kind of legal studies degree should you get?
When many people think of college, they still think of living in dorms and sitting in lecture halls. For generations, that's been the model of higher education.
A traditional on-campus program is a terrific way to earn a bachelor's degree – if you've recently graduated from high school. If you're a returning student with some previous college credit, a mid-career professional looking to transition into a new field, or an adult with a family of your own, an online program may be a better fit.
Visit our ranking of the Best Online Colleges and Universities for more top-tier options in distance education.
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How much money do people make with a legal studies degree?
After graduation, you may choose to get a job right away. As a paralegal, you can expect a median pay of $50,410 per year, or approximately $24.24 per hour. (The Bureau of Labor Statistics provides more details on working as a paralegal.)
On the other hand, you may use a bachelor's degree in legal studies as a springboard into law school. If you choose to continue onto a professional law degree and become a licensed attorney, your earning potential is much higher. The median pay for lawyers is $119,250 per year.
What can you do with a bachelor's degree in legal studies?
A baccalaureate degree in legal studies will open up a number of possible career paths.
While you'll need years of additional schooling to become a practicing lawyer, you'll be qualified for many roles in law-related fields as soon as you graduate with your bachelor's degree. Here are some of the most common job titles for alumni of legal studies programs:
Paralegal in a law firm, corporation, or governmental agency
Court clerk
Law enforcement officer
Youth correctional officer
Criminal investigator
What are the requirements for a degree in legal studies?
To be successful in a law-related career, you'll need strong skills in communication, logic and reasoning, and analytical thinking. Students who show an aptitude in these areas will likely be the most successful in a legal studies program.
Be sure to look closely at the admissions requirements for the schools where you plan to apply. Many programs have a minimum GPA requirement, which could range from 2.0 all the way up to 3.25 and above for the most competitive programs. Some universities also require a minimum score on the ACT or the SAT.
What are the best online legal studies degrees?
To create our rankings, our data analysts look at factors such as student return on investment (as determined by tuition costs and early career salaries), institutional reputation, and student satisfaction.
Data is pulled from top-quality sources such as U.S. News & World Report, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and individual college websites. We also perform a metadata analysis using student review sites like Cappex and RateMyProfessor.
For this particular ranking, we examined Legal Studies programs as well as programs in closely related fields, such as criminal justice and paralegal studies.
Here are the results of our investigation. We hope this list of the best online legal studies degrees helps you take the next step in your academic career.
Best Online Legal Studies Degrees
See our rankings methodology page.
