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Law Professor Education Requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a law professor. Law professors usually study law, political science, or legal research and advanced professional studies. 43% of law professors hold a bachelor's degree, and 40% hold an doctoral degree. We analyzed 379 real law professor resumes to see exactly what law professor education sections show.
The most common colleges for law professors are the Central State University and the Central State University.
There are also many online law professor courses to help get the education required to be a law professor.
What education do you need to become a law professor?
What degree do you need to be a law professor?
- Bachelor's, 43%
- Doctorate, 40%
- Master's, 12%
- Associate, 2%
- Other Degrees, 3%
What should I major in to become a law professor?
Most common colleges for law professors
Law Professor Common College  | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Central State University | 8.20% |
| Yale University | 8.20% |
| New York Law School | 8.20% |
| Georgetown University | 6.56% |
| University of Delaware | 6.56% |
Best majors for law professors
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Law | 52.2% |
| 2 | Political Science | 9.1% |
| 3 | Legal Research And Advanced Professional Studies | 5.8% |
| 4 | History | 5.4% |
| 5 | Psychology | 2.9% |
Best colleges for law professors
The best colleges for law professors are Harvard University, Yale University, and Duke University.
A law professor with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for law professors. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become law professors.
1. Pennsylvania State University
University Park, PA • Private
In-State Tuition
$18,454
Enrollment
40,108
2. University of Georgia
Athens, GA • Private
In-State Tuition
$11,830
Enrollment
29,474
3. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-State Tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
4. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-State Tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
5. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-State Tuition
$6,556
Enrollment
41,777
20 best online courses for law professors
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1. An Introduction to American Law
This course will give you a glimpse into six different areas of American law: Tort Law, Contract Law, Property, Constitutional Law, Criminal Law, and Civil Procedure. You will gain insight into the complexities and dilemmas that arise from the application of law in different settings, and what is distinctive about American approaches...
2. Introduction to International Criminal Law
-- About the Course -- From the Nuremberg trial to the case against Saddam Hussein, from the prosecution of Al-Qaeda terrorists to the trial of Somali pirates – no area of law is as important to world peace and security as international criminal law. Taught by one of the world’s leading experts in the field, this course will educate students about the fundamentals of international criminal law and policy. We will explore the contours of international crimes such as genocide, war crimes,...
3. Criminal Law in 120 Minutes: A Fast Track Course
A 2 hour fast track summary of Criminal Law, targeting all common law LL.B examinations!...
4. Employment Law Compliance Made Easy
A comprehensive course for management to understand key employment law issues in the workplace...
5. European Business Law: Understanding the Fundamentals
The European Union is one of the world’s largest and most important economies. This six week course is the first in a series of three that will provide students with an insight into European Business Law. The series ranges from considering the basic structures and principles of the European Union to focusing on various specialized areas of law. Each course will give the students an understanding of the laws and policies that regulate the internal market of European Union, as well as relevant...
6. Privacy Law and HIPAA
What does it take to comply with privacy laws? In this course, we’ll look at the practical aspects of navigating the complex landscape of privacy requirements. Better understanding privacy laws and data protection will enable you to protect your organization and the constituents that depend on your organization to safeguard their personal information. First, we will examine the historical context that drove the creation of laws, best practices, and other standards for protecting personal...
7. English for Business and Law - Contract Law
An English language course for business and law...
8. Company Law: A Comprehensive Summary
An in-depth summary of Company Law, targeting all common law LL.B examinations...
9. American Contract Law II
Course description: Contracts I & II provides a comprehensive overview of contract law in the United States. The course covers most of the key concepts found in a first year law school class. Each lecture is based on one or more common-law cases, integrating legal doctrines with policy discussions. The course also covers key sections from the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC), which governs the sale of goods. By the end of the course, the learner should be able to understand: Formation defenses:...
10. A Law Student's Toolkit
Whether you are an advanced law student looking to review the basics, or an aspiring law student looking for head start, this course will help you build the foundation you will need to succeed in law school and beyond. This course will introduce you to terminology, concepts, and tools lawyers and legal academics use to make their arguments. It will help you follow these arguments—and make arguments of your own. This course consists of a series of short lectures and assignments. A reading list...
Top 10 most affordable universities for law professors
The most affordable schools for law professors are University of Florida, usf sarasota-manatee, and florida international university.
If the best universities for law professors are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for law professors.
1. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-State Tuition
$6,381
Cost of Attendance
21,034
U
2. USF Sarasota-Manatee
Sarasota, FL • Private
In-State Tuition
$5,587
Cost of Attendance
13,043
3. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-State Tuition
$6,556
Cost of Attendance
19,434
4. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-State Tuition
$5,620
Cost of Attendance
18,136
5. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-State Tuition
$5,656
Cost of Attendance
21,623
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for law professors
The hardest universities for law professors to get into are Harvard University, Yale University, and Duke University.
Some great schools for law professors are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for law professors based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions Rate
5%
SAT Average
1,520
2. Yale University
New Haven, CT • Private
Admissions Rate
6%
SAT Average
1,517
3. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions Rate
9%
SAT Average
1,516
4. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions Rate
19%
SAT Average
1,466
5. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions Rate
8%
SAT Average
1,492
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for law professors
The easiest schools for law professors to get into are Barry University, university of north texas at dallas, and california university of pennsylvania.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a law professor without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for law professors.
1. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions Rate
91%
SAT Average
1,006
2. University of North Texas at Dallas
Dallas, TX • Private
Admissions Rate
83%
SAT Average
992
3. California University of Pennsylvania
California, PA • Private
Admissions Rate
97%
SAT Average
1,007
4. The University of Texas Permian Basin
Odessa, TX • Private
Admissions Rate
91%
SAT Average
1,046
5. Notre Dame College
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions Rate
90%
SAT Average
994
Average law professor salary by education level
| Law Professor education level | Law Professor salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $143,447 |
| Doctorate Degree | $183,625 |
Law Professor Education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025