2024-2025 Undergraduate & Graduate Catalog
Paralegal Studies Undergraduate Certificate
Students seeking a certificate in paralegal studies must complete 30 credit hours. Students who have not yet earned a bachelor's degree must complete a bachelor's degree to earn the certificate; the certificate will be awarded when the degree is awarded. Students who have already completed a bachelor's degree must submit an application for admission to the legal studies program. An overall GPA of at least 2.7 is required for admission. No more than six credits can be transferred from another institution and at least nine credits of legal specialty courses must be taken through traditional classroom instruction. The paralegal studies certificate is approved by the American Bar Association. Students in this program can play an important role in the delivery of legal services but they are not permitted to practice law. To practice law, learners must obtain a law school degree and satisfy other state requirements for admission to the bar.
Graduates from Legal Studies programs can play an important role in the delivery of legal services, but they are not permitted to practice law. To practice law, graduates must obtain a law school degree and satisfy other state requirements for admission to the bar.
Requirements for a Certificate in Paralegal Studies
A minimum of 30 credit hours is required, including the following core courses:
- LS 101 - Law in our Lives (3 credits)
- LS 224 - Legal Research (3 credits)
- LS 324 - Legal Writing (3 credits)
- LS 226 - Civil Litigation I (3 credits)
- LS 320 - Property and Probate Law (3 credits)
- LS 322 - Commercial Law (3 credits)
- LS 428 - Civil Litigation II (3 credits)
- LS 490 - Legal Studies Internship (1 to 6 credits)
- CIS 150 - Introduction to Computing (3 credits)
In addition, students must complete two of the following courses:
- CJ 302 - Criminal Law (3 credits)
- CJ 305 - Constitutional Rights and Civil Liberties (3 credits)
- LS 350 - Family Law (3 credits)
- LS 370 - Women and the Law (3 credits)
- LS 380 - Special Topics in Legal Studies (1 to 4 credits)
- LS 399 - Independent Reading in Legal Studies (1 to 3 credits)
- LS 499 - Independent Study and Research (1 to 3 credits)
- MGT 334 - Employment and Labor Law (3 credits)
Suggested Order of Coursework
Please visit the website of the College of Education and Community Innovation Advising Center for a curriculum plan for the certificate in paralegal studies. Taking courses in the sequence recommended in the curriculum plan will help you avoid delays in completing the certificate.