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What You Can Do with a Bachelor’s Degree in Legal Studies
A legal studies degree focuses on law and the American legal system, preparing individuals to support the legal profession in roles such as a paralegal or legal assistant or in regulatory fields such as a compliance officer. This is different from a law degree that helps serve as preparation to become an attorney.
Graduates of legal studies programs may find career opportunities in a wide variety of settings.
- Many for-profit organizations and government agencies need legal studies professionals who understand the rights of individuals.
- Nonprofit organizations seek legal research and legal writing professionals to advocate for individuals and to advance causes.
- Contracting offices seek legal studies professionals who understand how contracts work. (Having pre-existing security clearance is a big plus for job candidates, making government contracting a popular role for former military personnel.)
- Corporations seek candidates with a combination of business and legal studies knowledge for roles in human resources and regulatory compliance.
- The corporate sector, public sector, and higher education seek candidates with constitutional law and employment law knowledge to support their diversity and inclusion initiatives.
- Law firms need paralegals, who serve as the right-hand person for drafting and filing legal documents, helping prepare for litigation, and communicating with clients.
Fair Access to Justice
One of the goals of our legal studies program is to help improve access to justice for everyone. Access to justice is a civil right. Millions of low-income Americans are faced with legal problems that impact their ability to achieve safe housing, obtain healthcare, and gain protection from abuse. Yet the 2022 Justice Gap report from the nonprofit organization Legal Services Corporation found that 92% of these individuals don’t have the money to seek legal help for problems that significantly impact their lives.
Earning a legal studies degree provides opportunities to make a difference for those affected by inequities in access to justice. You may serve as an advocate for those facing domestic violence, tenant/housing rights challenges, or immigration issues, for example.
Faculty Bring Real-World Expertise
Our legal studies faculty members have worked in the legal profession and bring a wealth of experience that students can relate to. Faculty members take a creative approach to sharing practical, real-world skills. For example, one international law course featured a mock United Nations to help students understand the implications of various laws on international peace and security. Our team is passionate about helping students achieve their goals and enjoy both teaching and mentoring our students.
Faculty members have included:
- Human rights and international law professionals
- A JAG attorney
- A district attorney
Learn about our Department Chair
Tracy Cook, JD, PhD, MCPC, leads our legal studies program. She has 10 years of law practice experience in civil and criminal matters. She has a doctorate in adult workforce and continuing education, and her research work has focused on postsecondary adult learners. Dr. Cook has spent the past 15 years immersed in the field, helping to prepare students to reach their academic and personal ambitions
She focuses on each learner’s uniqueness: their motivations, goals, and barriers, and provides the tools and support to help them see their full potential.
As the wife of a combat veteran and parent to an active-duty military servicemember and National Guardsman, she is also attuned to the needs of military students.
Personalizing your Educational Journey
American Military University serves the unique needs of each student. Each student’s aspirations and interests are different, and our faculty members, chair, and academic advisors actively work to personalize the experience of everyone who attends our University.
We are here for you every step of the way, from providing advice on choosing a major and selecting program courses to introducing you to resources offered online, to supporting you through graduation and beyond.
Transitioning from the Military
Many active-duty and retired military personnel find learning about legal studies a rewarding experience. Many of our faculty and staff members have deep military, government, and defense sector experience, and they can appreciate the circumstances of students balancing multiple life and work responsibilities.
We recognize that military students may join us with distinct challenges. Active-duty personnel may be deployed at a moment’s notice, and our faculty is mindful of that. Flexibility is key to finding ways to help all students.
Through partnerships with TalkCampus and Uwill, we are able to offer students 24/7 mental health support, available in 25 languages. Our University chaplain also brings extensive experience working with servicemembers impacted by post-traumatic stress disorder.
Why Attend American Military University?
High-quality education. American Military University is part of American Public University System, which is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (hlcommission.org), an institutional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
Affordability. Our University System ranks in the top 11% for return on investment compared to colleges and universities nationwide, according to the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce report, Ranking 4,500 Colleges by ROI (2022), based on a 20-year return on investment or net present value.
Flexibility. Students take legal studies program courses entirely online and can participate in any number of extracurricular activities virtually. We have rolling admissions throughout the academic year, making it easy to get started whenever your schedule allows. Courses are designed so that you can log in at any time to complete your weekly assignments.
Military friendly. We offer a Preferred Military Rate for U.S. active-duty servicemembers, National Guard members, Reservists, and military families. To further support our military students, we have military education managers located at military installations around the country, ready to help you meet your academic and career goals.
Program Structure
In addition to general studies courses, legal studies majors immerse themselves in specific disciplines by selecting a concentration of their choice. Concentration courses provide exposure to distinct areas of the law.
Concentrations in this program have included criminal law support, legal communications, legal ethics, legal data security, and related topics. Each concentration requires a specified number of credit hours.
Ways to Pay for your Bachelor’s in Legal Studies
There are many ways to help defray the cost of your undergraduate degree. For example:
We offer a generous Veteran Grant to all veterans and their families. You can also access information about many U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs educational benefits, including GI Bill®, Top-Up, Veteran Readiness and Employment Service, and Survivor and Dependent Benefits through our website.
GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by the VA is available at the official website: http://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill.
Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to see if you qualify for financial aid, such as grants or loans, through the federal government. Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to see if you qualify for financial aid, such as grants or loans, through the federal government.
Ask your employer's human resources department if they offer tuition reimbursement or other educational benefits.
Search for scholarships and private (non-federal) loans. It is strongly recommended that you only consider private loans after all other available scholarships, state, and/or federal funding has been exhausted.
Transfer credits enable you to defray costs to save you time and money. You may be able to earn transfer credits based on your military experience, college education, government or public safety training, or by demonstrating knowledge that you've gained outside of college. To learn more, you can request a no-cost transfer credit evaluation.
Frequently Asked Questions
A legal studies bachelor’s degree provides a comprehensive overview of the American legal system. Courses are often structured to foster critical thinking through open discussions of matters regarding legal ethics and the gray areas that fill the void between case law and statutory law. Legal studies students may expect to learn legal research techniques and acquire new legal writing skills.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, those employed in these non-lawyer legal occupations are often responsible for organizing files, performing legal research, and drafting legal documents. Additionally, legal assistants and paralegals may work in law firms and assist lawyers in preparing for hearings, trials, and corporate meetings.
In 2020, the American Bar Association updated the definition of paralegal to reflect that these professionals perform substantive legal work under the direction of an attorney.
Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, [career information accessed May 2024] https://www.bls.gov/ooh/legal/paralegals-and-legal-assistants.htm#tab-3 . Employment conditions in your area may vary.
The undergraduate degrees of choice vary a lot. Some common majors include history, English, business, or political science. The American Bar Association doesn’t recommend a particular major for legal education.
Although there isn’t a specific undergraduate degree that helps with earning a law degree, earning an undergraduate degree in legal studies may help with law school by teaching skills in critical thinking and legal reasoning.
A doctorate in legal studies is the highest degree program in the field. This covers legal theory, justice policy, and research methods related to the legal profession.