How to Get a Master\u2019s in Legal Studies, Step by Step
From deciding the degree fits to sitting in your first class: every step, in order, with no admissions-office spin.
Getting a Master of Legal Studies follows a clear sequence. First, confirm the degree matches your goal: it serves non-lawyers pursuing compliance, contract management, legal operations, HR, or policy careers, and it does not qualify you to practice law or lead to the bar exam. Second, check prerequisites: a bachelor’s degree from an accredited school is the standard bar, no legal background is required, and most programs waive the GRE, GMAT, and LSAT entirely. Third, choose your format (online vs. on-campus, full-time vs. part-time) and a concentration tied to your target career, such as healthcare compliance or data privacy. Fourth, shortlist programs using outcomes and practical experience, not prestige: 78% of 2026 survey graduates called practical experience critical or very important. Fifth, apply with transcripts, a resume, a personal statement, and usually one recommendation, ideally six to nine months before your target start. Finally, line up funding through employer tuition assistance, federal loans, or scholarships.
Step 1: Confirm the MLS fits your goal
Before you spend a dollar or an hour, answer one question: do you want to practice law? If the answer is yes, stop here and research JD programs instead. An MLS will not make you a lawyer, will not qualify you for the bar, and its credits rarely transfer into a law degree. Our MLS vs JD guide walks through this decision in full.
If the answer is no, the MLS starts to make sense. It is built for working professionals who need legal knowledge inside non-lawyer roles: compliance officers, contract managers, HR professionals, healthcare administrators, policy analysts, and legal operations specialists. In our 2026 survey of 1,142 graduates, 84% were employed within six months, concentrated in exactly those fields.
Write down your target job title before you go further. \u201cCompliance analyst at a hospital system\u201d beats \u201csomething with law.\u201d Every later step, from concentration to program choice, gets easier when the destination is specific.
Most applicants choose a program first and a career second. Flip it. The biggest predictor of MLS career success is not the school you attend; it is the practical experience you get and how directly it maps to a real job. Pick the job, then pick the program that feeds that job. Everything else is marketing.
Step 2: Check the prerequisites
The bar for MLS admission is straightforward, which is part of the degree\u2019s appeal for working adults.
- Bachelor\u2019s degree. Nearly every program requires one from an accredited institution, in any field. Your undergraduate major does not matter. Programs are designed for non-lawyers, so prior legal coursework is unnecessary.
- GPA. Many programs do not publish a hard minimum. Where one exists, 2.75 is a common threshold. A weaker GPA can often be offset with work experience and a strong statement.
- Work experience. Not universally required, but some programs ask for one to two years of professional experience, and all of them value it. If you are a recent graduate with no work history, emphasize internships and applied projects.
- Entrance exams. Here is the good news: the GRE, GMAT, and LSAT are waived across most of the field. You can assemble a strong list of programs without taking a single standardized test.
- English proficiency. Non-native English speakers typically need TOEFL or IELTS scores; thresholds vary by school.
Two edge cases worth knowing: some programs do not admit applicants who already hold a JD or equivalent law degree, because the curriculum assumes no prior legal training. And credits from an MLS generally do not transfer into a JD later, so treat this as a destination degree.
Step 3: Choose your format and concentration
Format first. Full-time study finishes a 30-credit MLS in about a year but usually means stepping back from work. Part-time study takes about two years and is how most working professionals do it. Online programs dominate the field for good reason: asynchronous coursework, evening-friendly pacing, and multiple start dates per year. Expect 15 to 20 hours of study weekly in a part-time online format.
Online is not the compromise choice. Employers care about the university\u2019s reputation and the program\u2019s rigor, not the delivery method. Our guide to online MLS degrees covers how hiring managers actually evaluate them and the red flags that mark weak programs.
Concentration second, and this matters more than most applicants realize. Common tracks include compliance and risk management, healthcare law, employment and HR law, cybersecurity and data privacy, business law, and government and public policy. Match the concentration to the job title you wrote down in Step 1. A healthcare compliance concentration feeds hospital compliance roles; a general track feeds nothing in particular. Given that 56% of our surveyed graduates wished they had more training in healthcare compliance and data privacy, those specializations deserve a serious look.
Step 4: Build your shortlist the right way
Ignore prestige rankings built on reputation surveys. Evaluate programs on the factors that actually predict your outcome:
- Practical experience. Does the program offer internships, practicums, externships, or an applied capstone? Seventy-eight percent of graduates called practical experience critical or very important to their careers. A program without it should need an exceptional excuse.
- Concentration fit. Does it offer the specialization your target job requires, with real courses behind the label?
- Outcomes transparency. Does the program publish employment rates, or at least describe where graduates work? Vagueness here is a signal.
- Schedule reality. Do class times, residency requirements, and pacing actually fit a working adult\u2019s life? Some \u201conline\u201d programs still require weekend residencies or live sessions.
- Total cost and funding. Compare full program cost, not per-credit teasers, and ask about scholarships and employer partnerships.
Real examples of established programs to start your research (verify current details on each program\u2019s site): Arizona State\u2019s online MLS with multiple emphases, the University of Arizona\u2019s MLS with compliance and health law areas, Florida State\u2019s online Juris Master with five concentrations, the University of Cincinnati\u2019s fully online MLS, Cornell\u2019s cohort-based online MSLS, and Emory\u2019s online MLS. Our rankings evaluate programs on these outcome-based criteria, and our state pages list programs by location with direct links.
| Application component | Typically required? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bachelor\u2019s degree | Yes | Any field; accredited institution |
| Transcripts | Yes | Official copies from all schools attended |
| Resume or CV | Yes | Highlight compliance, legal-adjacent, or regulatory work |
| Personal statement | Yes | Connect the degree to a specific career goal |
| Letters of recommendation | Often one | Supervisor or professor who knows your work |
| GRE / GMAT / LSAT | Usually waived | Confirm on each program\u2019s admissions page |
| Application fee | Varies | Many programs charge none; others are modest |
Step 5: Prepare your application
Applications are simpler than most people fear, but each piece deserves care.
Transcripts. Order official transcripts early; processing takes weeks at some schools. If your GPA is below a published threshold, do not self-reject. Address it briefly in your statement and let work experience carry weight.
Personal statement. This is where most applications are won. Connect the degree to the specific job you want, name the concentration that fits, and explain why now. Admissions readers see hundreds of generic \u201cI\u2019ve always been interested in law\u201d essays. A statement that says \u201cI process vendor contracts for a health system and want the compliance foundation to become a compliance analyst\u201d stands out immediately.
Recommendations. One strong letter from a supervisor who has seen your work beats three vague ones from impressive titles. Ask early, provide your resume and a draft of your goals, and give your recommender at least three weeks.
Resume. Frame your experience toward the target. Regulatory tasks, policy work, investigations, contract review, auditing, training: all of it counts, even if your title never mentioned law.
Step 6: Apply and mind the deadlines
Many MLS programs run rolling admissions with multiple starts per year (fall, spring, and summer are common), so there is often no single make-or-break deadline. Still, apply six to nine months before your ideal start. That window gives you time to compare aid offers, negotiate employer tuition support, and handle transcript or recommendation delays without panic.
Apply to three to five programs: two that fit you comfortably and one or two reach options. Track each program\u2019s requirements in a simple spreadsheet, because they differ in small but annoying ways (one wants a writing sample, another wants a specific recommendation form). Submit everything at once per school rather than dribbling materials in.
Ask each program two questions before you apply: \u201cWhat percentage of your recent graduates are employed in legal-adjacent roles within six months?\u201d and \u201cWhat practical experience do students complete before graduating?\u201d Programs with good answers will volunteer them. Programs with bad answers will change the subject. Believe the behavior, not the brochure.
Step 7: Fund it
Start with your employer. This is the most underused funding source in graduate education. Companies in healthcare, finance, and any heavily regulated industry routinely offer tuition assistance, and compliance-adjacent roles are exactly the kind of positions those benefits are designed for. Talk to HR before you assume nothing is available; many employees leave this money unclaimed.
Beyond that: federal student loans are available for accredited programs, many programs offer merit scholarships or cohort discounts (some consider every applicant automatically), and military and veteran benefits apply at participating schools. Compare total program cost, not sticker per-credit rates, and be skeptical of programs that are cagey about the full price.
Weigh cost against the earnings data honestly. Our ROI analysis shows who gets their money\u2019s worth and who does not. A moderately priced program feeding a compliance career at an $82,000 median starting salary is a very different proposition from an expensive generalist program with no career support.
Step 8: Prepare before day one
The months between acceptance and your first class are free preparation time. Use them.
- Sharpen your writing. Legal studies programs grade heavily on clear, structured writing. Practice summarizing complex material in plain language.
- Learn basic legal research. Familiarize yourself with how statutes, regulations, and case law are organized. Free court-opinion databases are a good playground.
- Read your industry\u2019s regulations. If you are targeting healthcare compliance, start reading HIPAA guidance. Finance? Start with your regulator\u2019s enforcement releases. Arriving with context puts you ahead of classmates.
- Line up your support system. Tell your employer and family what the next one to two years require. Part-time graduate school on top of full-time work is doable, and it is also real.
- Plan for practical experience now. Do not wait until your final semester to think about internships or capstones. Ask the program on day one how students secure placements, and start building the relationships early.
What this means for you
Getting an MLS is a project you can run like any other: define the goal, check the requirements, choose the format, shortlist on outcomes, apply carefully, fund smartly, and prepare early. The people who struggle are not the ones with imperfect GPAs or nontraditional backgrounds; they are the ones who enrolled without a target job in mind. You now have the full sequence. Next, read the 2026 salary guide to see what the finish line pays, and browse the best online MLS programs to start your shortlist.
Frequently asked questions
What are the prerequisites for an MLS program?
A bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution is the standard requirement. You do not need a legal background, a pre-law major, or prior law coursework; these programs are designed for non-lawyers. Some programs add a minimum GPA (2.75 is a common threshold where one exists), a year or two of work experience, or a statement of interest.
Do I need the GRE or LSAT for an MLS?
In most cases, no. The industry-wide trend is to waive the GRE, GMAT, and LSAT entirely for MLS admissions. A few programs still accept scores optionally, and a small number may request them in edge cases, but you can build a strong shortlist of programs that never ask for a test score.
How long does it take to get an MLS?
Most programs are 30 credits. Full-time students typically finish in about one year, while working professionals studying part time usually take about two years. Accelerated and cohort-based formats range from under a year to about 20 months.
Can I get an MLS online while working full time?
Yes. A large share of MLS programs are built exactly for that: fully online, asynchronous coursework, part-time pacing, and multiple start dates per year. Expect to budget roughly 15 to 20 hours of study per week in a part-time online program.
What should I look for when choosing an MLS program?
Prioritize three things: a concentration that matches your target career, real practical experience (internships, practicums, or applied capstone projects), and transparent outcomes information. In our 2026 survey, 78% of graduates said practical experience was critical or very important to their careers, so treat a program without it as a serious weakness.
When should I apply for an MLS program?
Many programs offer rolling admissions with three or more start dates per year, so there is often no single hard deadline. That said, applying six to nine months before your target start gives you time to compare financial aid, arrange employer tuition support, and complete any prerequisites without rushing.
How do I pay for an MLS?
Common funding sources include employer tuition assistance (especially in healthcare, finance, and large corporations with compliance functions), federal student loans, program scholarships, and military or veteran benefits where applicable. Start with your employer: many compliance-adjacent roles come with education benefits precisely because the credential helps the company.
Can I transfer credits into an MLS program?
Some programs accept a limited number of graduate transfer credits, often around 6 to 15 credits, subject to approval. Policies vary widely, so ask each program directly. Do not assume undergraduate law-related coursework will transfer.