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Law & Government

Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers

Conduct hearings to recommend or make decisions on claims concerning government programs or other government-related matters. Determine liability, sanctions, or penalties, or recommend the acceptance or rejection of claims or settlements.

Median salary (BLS)

$117,860

10th–90th percentile (BLS)

$61k – $207k

Job outlook

No separate BLS projection for this specific role

AI exposure

Early-career check: graduates of the matching programs below typically earn $105,000 ten years after starting college — an early-career figure, vs. the all-experience BLS median above. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard.

Plan a path to Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers

Qualification costsStack incomeBest cities/statesSchool ROIJob-posting fitTailored resume

Education

Typical entry: Master's degree

Plan my path to this →

Typical progression

  1. Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers Intern

    Internship

    $36,000

    ~4 mos to advance

  2. Junior Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers

    Entry / Junior

    $61,110

    ~2 yrs to advance

  3. Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers

    Established

    $117,860

    ~3 yrs to advance

  4. Senior Administrative Law Judges, Adjudicators, and Hearing Officers

    Senior

    $162,670

Internships are a common on-ramp here — they speed up landing that first role and improve your odds, which is why the Safe and High-ceiling plans build one in.

Key skills

A typical day

  • •Determine existence and amount of liability according to current laws, administrative and judicial precedents, and available evidence.
  • •Monitor and direct the activities of trials and hearings to ensure that they are conducted fairly and that courts administer justice while safeguarding the legal rights of all involved parties.
  • •Prepare written opinions and decisions.
  • •Authorize payment of valid claims and determine method of payment.
  • •Conduct hearings to review and decide claims regarding issues, such as social program eligibility, environmental protection, or enforcement of health and safety regulations.

Fields of study

Any field

Top colleges for Law & Government

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Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.