Students who are interested in law, but do not want to become lawyers can earn a Texas Master in Legal Studies.
Earning the degree allows program graduates to work in various careers where the law intersects with other industries.
Some examples include business, compliance, arbitration and mediation, human resources, and healthcare administration.
Many careers require that employees have legal knowledge and skills, but not a law degree.
Students who become graduates of a Texas Master of Legal Studies program are often working professionals who want to enhance their career opportunities as non-lawyers.
They often work with regulations and laws, and professionals in the legal community.
Some students are just starting their careers, while others want to enhance their careers or change their careers to work in areas where they will benefit from learning the specialized knowledge and skills that come with earning a Texas Master of Legal Studies.
Completing a Master in Legal Studies program in Texas allows program graduates to earn a greater salary, compared with their peers who do not have the degree.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) expects faster than average or much faster than average job growth in many careers where students choose to work after completing their Texas Master of Legal Studies program.
Some examples of careers with excellent job growth expectations over the next several years include financial managers, health service administrators, human resource administrators, arbitrators, mediators, and conciliators.
1 Texas State University
Texas State University was founded in 1899 and celebrated 125 years of educating students in 2024.
The school opened its doors as the Southwest Texas State Normal School, which became the Southwest Texas State Normal College in 1918.
The college focused on educating teachers and became the Southwest Texas State Teachers College in 1923.
A couple of other name changes occurred before the school received the name Texas State University.
It is the only school in the state to have graduated a U.S. President, which is Lyndon Baines Johnson.
The school started as a small college that educated teachers, and it is today recognized as a major, multipurpose university.
Texas State University serves more than 38,000 students today.
The university offers more than 100 graduate programs.
One program offered at the school is the Master of Arts in Legal Studies program.
The program was the first of its kind in the state and one of the first master of legal studies programs to be offered in the U.S.
Courses Offered
The Master of Arts in Legal Studies program at Texas State University is a non-thesis program that consists of 36 credit hours of study.
The program is offered concurrently with the Paralegal Studies Certificate. Students may also earn the Mediation Certificate from the department through their choice of elective courses.
Students complete 27 credit hours of required core courses and nine credit hours of electives.
The Master of Arts in Legal Studies is a program that provides graduate-level knowledge and skills of the American Legal System, theories, research, analysis, and legal writing.
The core courses of the program also focus on rules of procedure, case management, legal ethics, and law office technology.
The elective courses focus on substantive areas of law.
The curriculum of the Master of Arts in Legal Studies program is designed to help meet the evolving needs of legal, business, federal government, and state government entities.
Some courses in the Texas State University Master of Arts in Legal Studies program include:
- Introduction to the Paralegal Profession and Legal Technology
- Legal Theories and Analysis
- Business Organizations
- Alternative Dispute Resolution
- Advanced Litigation
- Advanced Legal Research and Writing
- Some other program courses include:
- Social Legislation
- Criminal Law and Procedure
- Legal Drafting
- Estates and Trusts
- Texas Water Law
- Environmental Law
Students also complete a cumulative research project and internship.
Contact Information
- Address: The Graduate College, JC Kellam 280, San Marcos, Texas, 78666-4684
- Phone: 512-245-2581
- Website: Visit School Website
2 Texas A&M University
Texas A&M University was the first public institution of higher education in Texas.
The Morrill Act, approved by the U.S. Congress in 1862, paved the way for the school to open its doors to students in 1876.
The Texas Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas opened with 40 students and six faculty members.
The school initially allowed only white males to attend classes.
All students were required to participate in the Corp of Cadets military training. Expanded course offerings and programs led to the creation of graduate programs being offered for the first time in 1924.
The school was renamed Texas A&M University in 1963.
Texas A&M University now includes two branch campuses.
One of the graduate programs offered at the school is the Master of Legal Studies.
The College of Law offers the program.
Courses Offered
The Master of Legal Studies program at Texas A&M University is designed for professionals who want to have a legal education, but who do not want to become lawyers.
Students who have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree and who meet other program requirements may apply for acceptance into the program.
The Texas A&M School of Law offers several tracks for students who enroll in the Master of Legal Studies program.
Choosing one of the tracks allows students to tailor their 30-credit program to their professional goals or their interests.
Students can complete the program in as little as one year if they complete courses on a full-time basis.
Students also have the option to complete program requirements on a part-time schedule.
Some available tracks include:
- Cybersecurity Law and Policy
- Energy, Oil, and Gas Law and Policy
- Environmental and Energy Law and Policy
- Health Law, Policy, and Management
- General Legal Studies
- Human Resources and Employment Law, Policy, and Management
All these programs are offered in a 100 percent online format.
The school also offers additional tracks in the Master of Legal Studies program, which include:
- Business Law and Compliance
- Intellectual Property
- International Tax Law and Policy
- Real Estate and Construction Law, Policy, and Management
- Risk Management and Compliance
- Wealth Management
These tracks are also offered in a completely online format, except for the Business Law and Compliance track.
Students have the option of completing the requirements for this track online or in a hybrid format.
Courses that are offered in the Master of Legal Studies program depend largely on the track that students choose to follow after enrolling in the program.
Course offerings include:
- Contract Law and Strategy
- Legal Analysis and Writing for Clients
- Principles of Regulatory Law
- Cybersecurity Law
- Oil and Gas Regulatory Practices
- Dispute Resolution
Students also complete courses, depending on their chosen track, which may include:
- Healthcare Organizations and Professional Relationships
- Healthcare Transactions and Antitrust
- Employment Law
- Workplace Conflict Management
- Introduction to Risk Management
- White Collar Crime
The Texas A&M Master of Legal Studies is a non-thesis program.
The school indicates that the program and tracks were designed with working professionals in mind.
Contact Information
- Address: Texas A&M University, 400 Bizzell St., College Station, Texas, 77843
- Phone: 979-845-3211
- Website: Visit School Website
Schools Summary Table
| Rank | School | |
|---|---|---|
|
#1 | Texas State University |
|
#2 | Texas A&M University |
Legal Studies Salary Information
Graduates of a Texas Master in Legal Studies program gain several benefits, including the ability to earn a salary that is more than that of their peers who do not have the degree.
Earning the degree provides program graduates with the legal expertise that is highly sought after by employers in many career fields.
Students who earn a Master of Legal Studies in Texas often benefit from working in a state that ranks near the top in the U.S. for salaries in certain careers where people who earn the degree often work.
Some areas of the state have high employment levels in some careers that people work in after earning their Texas Master of Legal Studies.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that the North Texas region of the Texas non-metropolitan area ranks in the top five non-metropolitan areas with the highest employment of medical and health services managers.
The Killeen-Temple Texas metropolitan area ranks in the top 10 metropolitan areas with the highest number of jobs for medical and health services managers.
The state of Texas ranks in the top five states in the U.S. for the employment of compliance officers.
Texas ranks near the top for employment of human resources managers, another career that is often chosen by graduates of a Texas Master of Legal Studies program.
The salary for people who earn a Texas Master in Legal Studies program varies, based on specific careers, and based on the city where program graduates work after earning their degree.
Human resource administrators who work in Texas earn an average of $63,426, as of August 27, 2024.
Salary.com indicates that human resources administrators who work in Abilene, Texas earn an average salary of $57,919, compared to $63,944 for human resources administrators who work in Dallas, Texas.
Choose a career as an environmental health officer in Texas and earn an average salary of $95,263.
Environmental health officers who work in Arlington, Texas earn an average annual salary of $94,679, compared to environmental health officers who work in Brownsville, Texas, who earn an average of $83,878 per year.
Compliance officers who work in Texas earn an average salary of $91,500.
Work as a compliance officer in Dallas, Texas, where the average salary is $92,300, compared to the salary for compliance officers who work in Lubbock, Texas, which is $83,500.
Compliance officers who work in Texarkana, Texas earn an average salary of $85,000.
| Item | Percent |
|---|---|
$81K |
|
$90K |
|
$99K |
Average Salary in Texas
| City Name | Salary |
|---|---|
| Abilene | $82,624 |
| Carrollton | $91,219 |
| Frisco | $91,126 |
| Irving | $91,219 |
| Mckinney | $90,941 |
| Wichita Falls | $83,455 |
| San Antonio | $87,429 |
| Dallas | $91,219 |
| Port Arthur | $87,522 |
| Richardson | $91,219 |
Regional Salary
| Region | Employed | Avg. Annual Salary | Avg. Hourly Pay | Top 10% Annual Salary | Bottom 10% Annual Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abilene, TX | 70 | $58,980 | $28.35 | $88,840 | $36,630 |
| Amarillo, TX | 200 | $59,990 | $28.84 | $84,760 | $37,760 |
| Austin-Round Rock, TX | 3,470 | $72,620 | $34.91 | $122,500 | $42,000 |
| Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX | 260 | $60,160 | $28.92 | $81,650 | $37,230 |
| Brownsville-Harlingen, TX | 300 | $45,710 | $21.97 | $70,410 | $28,420 |
| College Station-Bryan, TX | 220 | $59,720 | $28.71 | $89,810 | $37,520 |
| Corpus Christi, TX | 550 | $56,360 | $27.1 | $82,620 | $39,100 |
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 8,160 | $66,580 | $32.01 | $98,710 | $46,590 |
| El Paso, TX | 640 | $50,400 | $24.23 | $71,410 | $37,690 |
| Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX | 7,770 | $63,640 | $30.6 | $98,320 | $38,810 |
| Killeen-Temple, TX | 190 | $55,650 | $26.75 | $80,000 | $36,950 |
| Laredo, TX | 110 | $63,600 | $30.58 | $102,920 | $35,630 |
| Longview, TX | 100 | $59,270 | $28.49 | $80,560 | $36,300 |
| Lubbock, TX | 300 | $51,820 | $24.91 | $76,560 | $28,080 |
| McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX | 760 | $40,300 | $19.37 | $60,030 | $21,230 |
| Midland, TX | 100 | $68,720 | $33.04 | $102,260 | $37,890 |
| Odessa, TX | 90 | $62,940 | $30.26 | $87,700 | $39,940 |
| San Angelo, TX | 60 | $56,090 | $26.97 | $76,940 | $36,730 |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX | 2,070 | $61,290 | $29.47 | $86,320 | $39,710 |
| Sherman-Denison, TX | 90 | $53,330 | $25.64 | $78,190 | $29,810 |
| Texarkana, TX-AR | 70 | $54,060 | $25.99 | $71,710 | $35,730 |
| Tyler, TX | 270 | $49,770 | $23.93 | $71,830 | $30,820 |
| Waco, TX | 160 | $58,620 | $28.18 | $81,260 | $38,000 |
| Wichita Falls, TX | 60 | $55,980 | $26.92 | $80,190 | $37,040 |
* Employment conditions in your area may vary.
Legal Studies Programs by State
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
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