Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies at American University

Washington, DC · Master's Degree · about 124 graduates a year

$65,919
Median pay 1 year after graduating
$96,768
Median pay 4 years after graduating
$101,000
National median for this major (4 yrs)
#26 of 43
Rank by pay
#32 of 43
Rank, wage-adjusted
$65,926
Median federal debt

American University graduates in legal research and advanced professional studies earn 4% less than the national median for the same major four years after graduating. Their median federal debt equals about 68% of one year’s pay at that point.

How American University Compares for Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies

All 43 colleges reporting legal research and advanced professional studies earnings at this degree level, ranked by median pay four years after graduation. “Wage-adjusted” divides pay by the square root of the state’s wage index so colleges in low-wage states aren’t penalized for local pay.

#College4 yrs afterWage-adjustedAdj. rank1 yr after
1Georgetown University Washington, DC$171,631$150,393#2$130,394
2Boston University Boston, MA$156,087$137,451#4$113,679
3University of San Diego San Diego, CA$148,235$134,884#6$108,016
4University of Florida Gainesville, FL$142,291$151,451#1$106,227
5Loyola Marymount University Los Angeles, CA$140,519$127,863#8$107,961
6University of San Francisco San Francisco, CA$136,623$124,318#10$122,124
7Seton Hall University South Orange, NJ$131,892$115,760#13$105,031
8Golden Gate University San Francisco, CA$131,366$119,534#12$106,626
9Texas A & M University-College Station College Station, TX$128,518$130,665#7$102,721
10Loyola University Chicago Chicago, IL$123,695$121,530#11$98,283
…
23Widener University Chester, PA$100,397$102,105#23—
24Florida State University Tallahassee, FL$100,339$106,798#20$80,899
25Temple University Philadelphia, PA$98,481$100,156#25$102,915
26American University Washington, DC$96,768$84,794#32$65,919
27University of Tulsa Tulsa, OK$95,372$107,080#19$95,429
28Hofstra University Hempstead, NY$93,902$89,375#29$74,178
29Nova Southeastern University Fort Lauderdale, FL$91,014$96,873#27$78,762

Other Majors at American University by Graduate Pay

Major4 yrs after1 yr afterRank in major
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods$127,356$94,453#41 of 92
Business Administration, Management and Operations$127,269$99,051#128 of 861
Accounting and Related Services$112,384$78,613#31 of 349
Public Administration$107,866$78,068#11 of 243
Natural Resources Conservation and Research$104,878$73,531#1 of 58
Economics$103,169$86,903#12 of 22
Public Policy Analysis$98,588$67,929#12 of 50
Political Science and Government$98,567$60,976#3 of 16
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication$97,932$63,727#4 of 29
International Relations and National Security Studies$97,808$69,872#11 of 40
Homeland Security$96,954$70,939#11 of 28
Communication and Media Studies$94,424$68,299#6 of 61
Educational Administration and Supervision$93,310$71,635#35 of 453
Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution$89,800$63,685#3 of 14
Criminal Justice and Corrections$89,015$62,067#14 of 115
Public Health$83,880$63,620#79 of 201
Philosophy$82,273$58,030—
International and Comparative Education$79,464$65,008#1 of 5
Film/Video and Photographic Arts$76,808$51,449#2 of 22
Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services$74,598$48,321#5 of 26
Audiovisual Communications Technologies/Technicians$74,573——
Psychology$73,628—#30 of 92
History$68,296$47,616#4 of 36
Journalism$67,819$49,973#16 of 22
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods$67,617$63,886#73 of 380
Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management$65,062$51,426#9 of 21
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness—$58,019—
Fine and Studio Arts$55,550$35,278#13 of 60

Frequently Asked Questions

How much do American University legal research and advanced professional studies graduates make?

Graduates earn a median $65,919 one year after graduating and $96,768 four years after graduating. Figures are from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.

How does American University rank for legal research and advanced professional studies?

Among 43 colleges reporting earnings for legal research and advanced professional studies graduates, American University ranks #26 by median pay four years after graduation, and #32 after adjusting for state wage levels.

Is legal research and advanced professional studies at American University worth it?

Its graduates earn 4% less than the national median for legal research and advanced professional studies ($101,000), and the median federal debt at graduation is $65,926.

← All data for American University · Methodology

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study data. Earnings are medians for graduates who received federal aid and were working and not enrolled; programs with few graduates are not reported. Wage adjustment uses Census ACS state median household income.