by our College Data Analytics TeamFor its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 3 schools in District of Columbia to determine which ones were the best for legal research students pursuing a doctor's degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 9 doctor's degrees in legal research during the 2021-2022 academic year.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
The legal research doctor's degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality legal research program can vary widely even among the top schools. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:
A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To account for this we include a college's overall Best Colleges for a Doctor's Degree ranking which itself looks at a combination of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their doctor's degree from the school. After all, your doctor's degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for legal research students working on their doctor's degree.
When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Legal Research Doctor's Degree Schools in District of Columbia list to help you make the college decision.
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing a doctor's degree in legal research.
Georgetown University is a good decision for students pursuing a doctor's degree in legal research. Georgetown is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Washington.More information about a doctorate in legal research from Georgetown University
George Washington University is one of the best schools in the United States for getting a doctor's degree in legal research. Located in the city of Washington, GWU is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in legal research from George Washington University
American University is a great option for individuals interested in a doctor's degree in legal research. Located in the city of Washington, The American University is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.More information about a doctorate in legal research from American University
Explore all the Best Legal Research Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Colleges | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania | 176 | 20 |
| New York | 174 | 13 |
One of 4 majors within the Legal Professions area of study, Legal Research has other similar majors worth exploring.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| American/U.S. Law/Legal Studies/Jurisprudence | 5 |
| General Advanced Legal Research/Studies | 4 |