Master of Legal Studies at a Glance
The Master of Legal Studies from WashU Law is designed for non-lawyers who regularly encounter legal and regulatory considerations in their work and want to approach those challenges with greater precision.
WashU Law’s legal studies master’s program teaches professionals in highly regulated industries how to interpret legal frameworks, assess risk and apply legal reasoning. Students develop a working understanding of U.S. law while strengthening the analytical skills used to support decision-making across risk-heavy industries.
August 17, 2026
September 14, 2026
What You’ll Learn
The online Master of Legal Studies from WashU Law provides a foundation in U.S. law so you can effectively and responsibly engage with legal concepts in specialized professional settings.
You’ll have the opportunity to specialize your studies through electives and concentrations after exploring foundational topics in legal methods, contracts, negotiations and business law.
Graduates of the online Master of Legal Studies program are prepared to:
- Gain a foundational understanding of U.S. law
- Develop analytical and problem-solving skills
- Apply legal principles to real-world situations
- Collaborate effectively with legal professionals
Want more details on the Master of Legal Studies courses? Visit the MLS curriculum page
“There are so many professionals in regulatory fields who can benefit from a Master of Legal Studies. The legal knowledge they gain helps them be more effective in their roles.
— Michael Koby, Professor of Practice and Associate Dean for International and Graduate Programs
Program Details
The Master of Legal Studies degree is designed to balance flexibility with the consistency and rigor expected of a legal education.
The program can be completed either part time or full time, with flexible asynchronous coursework that accommodates working professionals. Students attend live sessions once per week with an intentionally small group, so every participant is part of the conversation.
Students also have the option to participate in on-campus immersion experiences, offering opportunities to engage with faculty, peers and the WashU Law community in person.
You’ll build both the knowledge and connections needed to support advancement across regulated and legally complex industries, with access to our extensive alumni network and the flexibility to balance your studies with your professional commitments.
To download a program brochure and learn more about the online Master of Legal Studies offered by WashU Law, please fill out the form. You can also get in touch with an enrollment specialist directly by calling us at 314-597-3365.
Who Is This Program For?
The Master of Legal Studies from WashU Law is beneficial for non-lawyer professionals whose work is influenced by legal or regulatory considerations and who want to engage more confidently with those issues. The MLS is highly versatile and can be applied to any industry, but most students tend to work in risk-heavy or highly regulated industries, such as business, health care, compliance, finance or human resources.
You do not need a law degree or legal background to pursue a Master of Legal Studies degree.
Still deciding if this program is a fit for you? Reach out to our enrollment specialists to better understand the program.
Concentrations
The Master of Legal Studies at WashU Law offers six concentration options. Our concentrations are expertly curated to support a range of professional interests and practice areas, whether that’s advancing to a new role or changing fields.
We also offer a general study path, which allows students to tailor their courses to their unique career trajectories. Concentrations provide structured pathways aligned with specific areas of interest, while the general track allows for greater flexibility in course selection.
WashU Law regularly reviews its curriculum and concentration offerings to ensure they reflect evolving legal frameworks and emerging areas of practice.
Concentration options include:
Learn more about our concentration options
Beyond the Classroom
WashU Law’s online programs offer many opportunities to stay active in the greater university community beyond coursework and immersions:
- Apply legal concepts in professional setting through an externship
- Explore legal questions in greater depth through supervised research
- Engage with practitioners across legal and regulated industries
- Join WashU’s global alumni network
That network is backed by real resources. WashU Law Career Center advisers build meaningful connections through one-on-one counseling sessions, stay invested in graduates’ long-term success and follow through when it matters most.
Frequently Asked Questions
A Master of Legal Studies (MLS) gives professionals across industries the legal fluency to work more confidently with legal teams, interpret regulations, and make better-informed decisions in their field. That’s why the program is designed for professionals from any background and no law degree or prior legal experience is required.
According to an analysis of job postings by Lightcast, the median advertised salary for Master of Legal Studies degree graduates is $99,600 annually.
Legal knowledge touches nearly every corner of the professional world, so the roles that benefit from an MLS are wide-ranging. Here are just a few examples:
- Compliance officers
- HR managers and directors
- Paralegals
- Contract managers
- Mediators*
- AI and data governance professionals
- Risk managers
- Operations managers and directors
Professionals in these and similar positions can earn well over $100,000 annually.
*Mediators require additional training in order to practice mediation professionally.
No. While we offer six concentrations, you can also complete your remaining coursework through a general study path that allows you to select courses across multiple areas of law based on your professional goals.
The Master of Legal Studies (MLS), Master of Laws (LLM) and Juris Doctor (JD) are all legal/law degrees, but they serve different types of professionals:
- A Master of Legal Studies provides professionals who don’t want to become lawyers with legal knowledge relevant to their professional roles.
- A Master of Laws is an advanced legal degree designed for lawyers and law graduates (U.S. and international) who want to deepen their expertise in a specialized area of law.
- A Juris Doctor is the professional law degree required to practice law in the United States.
It depends on your goals.
Concentration options provide students with a specialized legal foundation that is relevant to their careers, so if you want to take a set of courses that align with a certain industry or career, then choosing a concentration might be your best option.
If you would prefer to select your own electives to correspond with multiple paths, then you might consider the general study path.