Post job

Legislative analyst education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a legislative analyst. Legislative analysts usually study political science, law, or business. 68% of legislative analysts hold a bachelor's degree, and 16% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 699 real legislative analyst resumes to see exactly what legislative analyst education sections show.

The most common colleges for legislative analysts are the Florida State University and the Florida State University.

There are also many online legislative analyst courses to help get the education required to be a legislative analyst.

What education do you need to become a legislative analyst?

What degree do you need to be a legislative analyst?

The most common degree for legislative analysts is bachelor's degree, with 68% of legislative analysts earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 16% and master's degree degree at 12%.
  • Bachelor's, 68%
  • Master's, 16%
  • Doctorate, 12%
  • Associate, 4%
  • Other Degrees, 0%

What should I major in to become a legislative analyst?

You should major in political science to become a legislative analyst. 37% of legislative analysts major in political science. Other common majors for a legislative analyst include law and business.

Most common colleges for legislative analysts

Legislative analysts often get their degrees at Florida State University, American University, and George Mason University. Here are the most common colleges for legislative analysts in the US based on their resumes.
Legislative analyst common collegePercentages
Florida State University13.99%
American University7.69%
George Mason University7.69%
University of Florida6.99%
Pennsylvania State University5.59%

Best majors for legislative analysts

RankMajorPercentages
1Political Science36.8%
2Law13.5%
3Business7.5%
4History5.9%
5Economics3.4%

Best colleges for legislative analysts

The best colleges for legislative analysts are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Harvard University.

A legislative analyst with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for legislative analysts. 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 legislative analysts.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

3. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

4. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

5. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

6. University of Georgia

Athens, GA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,830

Enrollment

29,474

7. University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$53,391

Enrollment

8,568

8. University of Miami

Coral Gables, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$50,226

Enrollment

10,873

9. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Enrollment

32,072

10. University of Connecticut

Storrs, CT • Private

In-state tuition

$15,730

Enrollment

18,830

20 best online courses for legislative analysts

Advertising disclosure

1. Data Analysis Immersive (Full-time)

general_assembly

Learn to problem solve, and effectively communicate, like an analyst. This course teaches you to use industry-standard tools to make ethical, data-driven decisions. Experience hands-on training to master SQL, Excel, Tableau, PowerBI, and Python – tools listed in virtually every data analytics job posting across industries...

2. Data Analytics (Part Time)

general_assembly

Harness Excel, SQL, and Tableau to drive powerful analysis and insights. Build confidence and credibility to apply this versatile skill set to countless jobs. This course is offered in person and live online, in a remote classroom setting...

3. Data Analyst

udacity

Use Python, SQL and Statistics to advance your programming skills and refine your ability to work with messy, complex datasets...

4. Data Structures and Algorithms

udacity

Get hands-on practice with over 80 data structures and algorithm exercises and guidance from a dedicated mentor to help prepare you for interviews and on-the-job scenarios...

5. Critical Issues in Urban Education

coursera

Urban school reform in the United States is characterized by contentious, politicized debate. This course explores a set of critical issues in the education and educational reform space, with a focus on aspects of the field that have sparked controversy and polarized views. We will dig into these debates, situating them within the larger history of public education and school reform, and considering the viewpoints, the evidence, and translation of issues into educational policy. We will...

6. Global Health Policy

coursera

In this course, learners will become familiar with principles and theories of global health problems, and major challenges and controversies in improving global population health as well as practical applications of quantitative methods to analyze and interpret issues and challenges for policy. Topics will include health and foreign policy, health governance, acute disease surveillance, non-communicable diseases, burden of disease, universal health coverage, health systems strengthening, health...

7. Master Public Policy Analysis: Advanced

udemy
4
(267)

Learn Advanced Policy Analysis Concepts and Practice For The Real World!...

8. Master Public Policy Analysis In Six Easy Steps: The Basics

udemy
4.3
(545)

An Introduction to Policy Analysis Concepts and Practice For The Real World!...

9. Intro to Data Analytics

general_assembly

Discover if data is a career fit for you Regardless of your industry or role, fluency in the language of data analytics will allow you to contribute to data driven decision making. In this free, two-hour livestream, you’ll learn to understand, analyze, and interpret data so you too can join the data conversation. We’ll cover how to ask the right questions of your data and basic analytic functionality. Then you’ll apply your new found data analytic skills to a real-world dataset, allowing you...

10. Data Visualization

udacity

You will start by building data visualizations and dashboards, considering your audiences to be as effective as possible. Then, you’ll move into drafting presentations using storytelling techniques, visualizations, and animations to provide data-driven recommendations...

11. Intro to Data Analysis

udacity

Start your data science journey right with this hands-on introduction to the discipline of data analysis. In this course you'll learn the 5 key stages of the data analysis process and apply them to real data sets using Python libraries NumPy, pandas, and Matplotlib...

12. Engineering Life: Synbio, Bioethics & Public Policy

coursera

Synbio is a diverse field with diverse applications, and the different contexts (e.g., gain-of-function research, biofuels) raise different ethical and governance challenges. The objective of this course is to increase learners’ awareness and understanding of ethical and policy/governance issues that arise in the design, conduct and application of synthetic biology. The course will begin with a short history of recombinant DNA technology and how governance of that science developed and evolved,...

13. Breastfeeding: Public Health Perspectives

coursera

Engaging in this course will provide you with the opportunity to think about breastfeeding and its public health implications. The Socio-Ecological Model will be the framework of the course as we think about how each level of the Model (individual, interpersonal, community, organizational, and public policy) impacts breastfeeding practices in the United States, and globally. Through short video lectures you will be introduced to relevant topics related to the public health perspectives of...

14. Press Coverage, Publicity & Public Relations For Branding

udemy
4.3
(496)

Public relations to reach 100,000+ people with influencer marketing, publicity, and press coverage for personal branding...

15. Project Management Master Class: Government Projects

udemy
4.4
(350)

Learn How To Win Big By Always Successfully Completing Government Projects Using Ninja Project Management Techniques...

16. Data Visualization

udacity

Discover how data visualization can communicate insights far more effectively than text or tables. In this course, you’ll learn how to build data visualizations programmatically using Python, and how you can use visualization to both discover and convey trends in your data...

17. Experimental Design & Recommendations

udacity

Learn two of the most in-demand skills in the entire field of data science! By the end of this course, you’ll know how to generate personalized recommendations based on user data, as well as run statistically valid tests that produce clean, interpretable results...

18. The People, Power, and Pride of Public Health

coursera

The People, Power, and Pride of Public Health provides an engaging overview of the incredible accomplishments and promise of the public health field. The first module includes interviews with legendary public health figures whose work led to millions of lives saved with vaccines, air bags and car seats, and the federal Women Infants and Children (WIC) nutrition program. The second module brings key public health tools to life -- including use of data, communications, and policy - through...

19. Social Policy for Social Services & Health Practitioners

coursera

In the U.S., social policy accounts for two-thirds of government spending. Knowing how policies are constructed, what values underlie them, and how they succeed or fail makes everyone more effective at work or in their civic role. This specialization includes an HONORS track in which learners will complete a professional social policy analysis.\n\nTeachers, health care workers, police, and social workers interact with policy daily, but all of us should care about the impact and effectiveness of...

20. Artificial Intelligence and legal issues

coursera

The purpose of the course is to help students understand the legal implications related to the design and use of artificial intelligence systems, providing an overview of the risks and legal protections that can be envisaged and giving an overview of the legislation and legal principles currently applicable on the subject. In particular, the profiles of civil and criminal liability, protection in terms of intellectual property and the impacts of AI on the fundamental rights of the individual -...

Top 10 most affordable universities for legislative analysts

The most affordable schools for legislative analysts are Baruch College of the City University of New York, university of florida, and florida state university.

If the best universities for legislative analysts 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 legislative analysts.

1. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

2. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

3. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

4. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

5. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

6. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

7. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

8. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

9. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

10. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for legislative analysts

The hardest universities for legislative analysts to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Harvard University.

Some great schools for legislative analysts 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 legislative analysts 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. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

3. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

4. University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, IN • Private

Admissions rate

18%

SAT average

1,502

5. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

6. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

7. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

8. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

9. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

10. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for legislative analysts

The easiest schools for legislative analysts to get into are Notre Dame de Namur University, wayland baptist university, and barry university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a legislative analyst 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 legislative analysts.

1. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

2. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

3. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

4. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

5. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

6. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

7. University of Baltimore

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,020

8. The University of Texas Permian Basin

Odessa, TX • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,046

9. Midwestern State University

Wichita Falls, TX • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,033

10. Felician University

Lodi, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

81%

SAT average

999

Average legislative analyst salary by education level

According to our data, legislative analysts with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $79,669 annually. Legislative analysts with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $76,105.
Legislative analyst education levelLegislative analyst salary
Master's Degree$76,105
Bachelor's Degree$70,092
Doctorate Degree$79,669

Legislative analyst education FAQs

Search for legislative analyst jobs

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Browse business and financial jobs