Paralegal Certificate

Description of Program

Combining the only ABA-approved Legal Studies undergraduate program in Northern California with an embedded ABA-approved Paralegal Certificate Program, the School of Law’s Legal Studies Degree-Completion Program puts undergraduate students on a pathway to success in the legal profession, whether they decide to pursue a career as a paralegal or continue on to law school.

Learning Outcomes

The Legal Studies programs will provide students with the knowledge, skills, tools, and values necessary to be effective members of a legal team.

At the end of the Paralegal Certificate curriculum, students should be able to:

• Conduct legal research using appropriate sources and databases.
• Apply legal analysis to predict outcomes to specific factual situations.
• Articulate legal analysis through written and oral communications.
• Use software applications commonly utilized in a legal environment.  
• Draft legal documents.
• Describe the ethical obligations and limitations of legal professionals in specific factual situations.

Admission Requirements

Applicants must have minimum of 36 semester credits of college transferable credit which include at least 18 semester credits of general-education in three categories. At least 3 credits of freshman English or college composition must be completed with a C or better prior to admission.

For consideration into the program, applicants must submit an application, forward official transcripts from all colleges and universities previously attended, and complete the specific writing sample contained in the admissions packet for the program. If a prospective student does not meet the above academic requirements, the student should contact the College Admissions Advisor to explore possible other options.

Academic Calendar 2020/2021

Certificate Requirements

The Paralegal Certificate requires 25 semester credit hours.

• A Grade Point Average of 2.0 (letter grade of “C”), or higher is required to remain in academic good standing and to be eligible for graduation.
• Official transcripts are required to be on file for all transfer credit hours accepted by the University.
• All financial obligations must be met before the student will be issued their diploma and/or degree posted transcript. 
• Official documents must be on file demonstrating all requirements of basis for admissions have been met.

School of Law Undergraduate Program Enrollment Status

For the purpose of financial aid and enrollment verification enrollment status is determined by the number of units per semester:

Transfer Credit Policy

The University may accept a maximum of 9 semester credit hours in transfer toward the Paralegal Certificate for coursework completed at an accredited or approved college or university with a grade of “C” or better.

Students seeking to transfer in Legal Specialty Courses will have their coursework evaluated by the School of Law. Coursework must meet the following criteria:

• The legal specialty course must carry upper-division academic credit.
• The legal specialty course must be equivalent in content, length and nature to the University’s course.
• The legal specialty course must be from an ABA approved paralegal program and taken within the last 7 years.

Course Sequence

The Paralegal Certificate can be completed in 25 credits

Students enrolled in programs under the School of Law start their program as part of a cohort.

• PLS-3001 - Introduction to Law
• PLS-3004 - Legal Ethics
• PLS-3005 - Tort Law
• PLS-3002 - Legal Research
• PLS-3003 - Legal Writing
• Focus Course 1
• PLS-3008 - Litigation I
• PLS-3010 - Legal Technology Applications
• PLS-3009 - Litigation II
• Focus Course 2
• PLS-3011 - Paralegal Capstone