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Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studiesat Drexel University

Graduates earn $59,077/yr in their first year — about 22.0% above the national Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies average. Base-case 10-year earnings $583K; scenarios range from $535K to $593K depending on AI disruption.

Philadelphia, PA Private nonprofit Bachelor's Degree
DegreeOutlook Score
39 AT RISK
40
Optimistic
36
Pessimistic
Earnings
$59,077
1-year post-graduation
ROI
1.4x
Earnings : tuition
10-yr Base
$583K
Cumulative base-case earnings
AI Risk
High
53% task exposure
Program Analysis

What this degree looks like at Drexel University

This specialized program at Drexel offers a unique pathway, differentiating itself in a niche field with only a few national counterparts. Your strong earnings potential here likely stems from Philadelphia's robust legal market, which offers diverse opportunities in corporate, healthcare, and intellectual property law, alongside a strong public sector. Drexel's reputation as a practical, career-focused institution helps facilitate connections within this ecosystem. Graduates often find roles leveraging advanced research skills in law firms, legal tech, compliance, or even academic settings, where the demand for specialized knowledge remains high.

However, the high AI risk associated with these career paths is a critical factor. The legal industry is rapidly adopting AI for research and document review, which could reshape entry-level and repetitive tasks. Your actionable advice: actively seek out opportunities within the program to master AI-powered legal tools and leverage them for more complex, analytical work. This proficiency will be key to future-proofing your career in a transforming legal landscape.

AI Outlook Integration

Three scenarios, ten years out

Each scenario is a different assumption about how AI reshapes the career paths this major feeds into. Earnings projections stack the full 10-year cumulative trajectory; scores use the same 0–100 metric as the hero, recomputed under that scenario's assumptions.

Pessimistic
Mass Automation
$535K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score36/100
Earnings Multiple2.2x
Base Case
Moderate Integration
$583K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score39/100
Earnings Multiple2.4x
Optimistic
AI Augmentation
$593K
10-year cumulative earnings
Scenario Score40/100
Earnings Multiple2.4x
Earnings Trajectory

10 year projection

Year-by-year earnings under each scenario. Base case reflects BLS growth patterns applied to Drexel University's starting earnings; optimistic and pessimistic adjust for AI's effect on each career path this major feeds into.

Career Paths

Where Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies graduates typically work

Common career destinations for this program's graduates, weighted by the school's specific occupation mix. Salary is BLS national median; AI risk is per-role task-exposure research.

1
Lawyers
+4.1% 10-yr growth · 31,500 openings/yr
$151,160/yr
Moderate
2
Law teachers, postsecondary
+2.2% 10-yr growth · 2,200 openings/yr
$126,650/yr
Moderate
Source: BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics, May 2024. AI exposure from OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs and Felten AIOE research.
Compare & Explore

Peer schools offering Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies

How Drexel University stacks up against other schools offering this major.

Highest earnings
South Dakota State University
SD · Public
44
DW Score
$46K
1-yr earn
11.3x
ROI
Top score
James Madison University
VA · Public
45
DW Score
$41K
1-yr earn
10.2x
ROI
Also at Drexel University

Other top programs at Drexel University

Other highest-scoring programs offered at Drexel University, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.

FAQ

Frequently asked about Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies at Drexel University

How does Drexel University's Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies program score?

This program scores 39/100 — on the lower end for Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies. Prospective students should carefully weigh costs against likely earnings.

How vulnerable is Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies to AI automation?

AI won't 'replace' Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies careers outright, but it is likely to reduce the number of job openings. We model 44% task exposure, which compresses field employment probability in our scenarios.