MASTER'S DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES
Is a master's degree in Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies worth it?
Compare cost, debt and earnings across 43 college programs with reportable data.
Personal baseline needed
$107,540 in median year-4 earnings
A credible return for this credential must start with what the student would otherwise earn. The federal data does not provide that personal baseline.
$107,540Median year-4 earnings
$28,061Average institution net-price context
Not availableMedian federal debt
Start with your decision
What do you need to compare?
Outcomes at a glance
$107,540Typical earnings four years after completion
$103,973Average earnings five years after completion
Not availableTypical federal student debt
74thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
339Degrees awarded in 2024–25
43College programs reporting earnings
Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 9 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.
Four useful answers about Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies
How much do Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies master's degree graduates earn?
The national median is $107,540 four years after completion across reportable master's degree programs in this federal field.
How much federal debt do graduates have?
A national median federal-debt figure is not reportable for this degree in the current release.
Does the college matter for Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies?
Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $83,264 to $122,385 in observed year-4 earnings.
What careers are related to Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies?
DegreeVerdict links this field to 2 displayed occupations using the official federal CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupational wages are career context, not graduate salary promises.
More schooling changes both the cost and the outcome.
Compare the same field at each degree level with reportable data. These are separate groups of graduates, so the differences do not prove that an additional degree caused higher earnings.
OPEN PROFILE
Bachelor's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $61,496
- Federal debt
- $26,718
- Programs in the comparison
- 4
Post-baccalaureate Certificate
- Year-4 earnings
- $103,797
- Federal debt
- $19,500
- Programs in the comparison
- 3
Master's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $107,540
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 43
Doctoral Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $123,199
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 1
First Professional Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $94,594
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 4
Graduate/Professional Certificate
- Year-4 earnings
- $98,030
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 3
Where the middle half of programs lands
Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.
Median
25th percentile$83,264National median$107,54075th percentile$122,385
43 programs report year‑4 earnings.BEFORE YOU CHOOSE
Compare price, debt and earnings together
SHORTLIST BY QUESTION
Three useful places to start
Each choice answers a different question. These are observed signals, not an overall winner.
PRICE × EARNINGS MAP
Where colleges sit for this exact degree
Move left for a lower annual college-wide net price and up for higher observed year-4 earnings.
$148,235Observed year-4 earnings$91,014
Georgetown University$40,815 price · $171,631 earningsBoston University$24,402 price · $156,087 earningsUniversity of San Diego$30,365 price · $148,235 earningsUniversity of Florida$6,541 price · $142,291 earningsLoyola Marymount University$48,381 price · $140,519 earningsUniversity of San Francisco$41,431 price · $136,623 earningsSeton Hall University$31,446 price · $131,892 earningsTexas A&M University-College Station$21,315 price · $128,518 earningsLoyola University Chicago$36,079 price · $123,695 earningsSamford University$32,622 price · $122,699 earningsUniversity of Houston$14,276 price · $122,385 earningsUniversity of Washington-Seattle Campus$14,091 price · $120,793 earningsThe University of Alabama$22,420 price · $120,262 earningsGeorge Washington University$36,586 price · $117,955 earningsFordham University$44,338 price · $117,083 earningsUniversity of California, Los Angeles$12,548 price · $112,923 earningsUniversity of Illinois Chicago$10,974 price · $111,159 earningsEmory University$22,585 price · $108,211 earningsUniversity of Miami$37,244 price · $108,073 earningsUniversity of Denver$36,131 price · $107,540 earningsWidener University$25,759 price · $100,397 earningsFlorida State University$11,297 price · $100,339 earningsTemple University$28,198 price · $98,481 earningsAmerican University$41,943 price · $96,768 earningsUniversity of Tulsa$15,000 price · $95,372 earningsHofstra University$34,176 price · $93,902 earningsNova Southeastern University$30,371 price · $91,014 earningsUniversity of the Pacific$25,447 price · $87,881 earnings
$10,974Annual college-wide average net price$41,943
Choose colleges offering this exact degree
Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.
30 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 25 shown
Search every reporting program →
See the spread, not just the national number.
1Georgetown University$171,6312Boston University$156,0873University of San Diego$148,2354University of Florida$142,2915Loyola Marymount University$140,5196University of San Francisco$136,6237Seton Hall University$131,8928Golden Gate University$131,3669Texas A&M University-College Station$128,51810Loyola University Chicago$123,695Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking
Jobs this degree may lead to
Federal education-to-career links identify related occupations. They do not imply that every graduate enters the same job.
Pay and projected demand
Related careers do not share one outlook
Bubble size = annual openings2025–35 national projection
Higher median wage ↑
-7%Projected employment growth →12%
Occupation wages describe workers in these jobs, not graduates of this degree. BLS projections are national estimates and do not guarantee hiring.
Lawyers$159,670 median wage754,500 jobs nationwide+4.7% projected growth through 2035 · 28,700 openings a yearTypical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree$78,360–$351,600 typical wage rangeLaw Teachers, Postsecondary$128,500 median wage20,060 jobs nationwide+2.6% projected growth through 2035 · 1,800 openings a yearTypical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree$64,250–$287,900 typical wage range
BLS May 2025 wages and 2025–35 projections. Career figures describe occupations, not graduates of a specific college.
Where this degree has enough data to compare
State pages are published only when at least five operating colleges report year-4 earnings for this exact field and credential.
This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.