It has become increasingly necessary to obtain formal academic training to be a paralegal. Around 600 programs are in action today, teaching paralegals, and each varies from the next. Degrees in paralegal studies are offered by a variety of both public and private educational institutions.

Associate Degree Programs: There are various lengths and formats of paralegal programs. Associate degrees are offered by community colleges as well as some four-year universities and business school, and require a student to successfully complete between 60 and 70 semester units. Usually, the curriculum is divided in half and split into areas of general education and paralegal courses.

Baccalaureate Degree Programs: There are numerous four-year colleges and universities that offer Baccalaureate Degree Programs with majors, minors, and concentrations within a major of Paralegal studies. The programs include 30 to 60 semester units in paralegal and related courses, out of a total of 120 to 130 semester units.

Certificate Programs: Paralegal training can take the form of a certificate program; these are offered by different types of educational institutions, and require from 18 to 60 credits. Longer programs can include general education and paralegal courses, which are a lot like associate degrees.

Paralegal Master’s Degree Programs: You might choose a college that provides students with undergraduate paralegal degree programs including advanced degrees in paralegal studies.

This entry was posted on Monday, April 28th, 2008 at 11:29 am and is filed under Internet Legal Resources, Schools + Schooling. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.