Legal & Paralegal Degrees
Required Degrees and Suggested Courses
There are several ways to become a paralegal. The most common
is through a community college paralegal program that leads
to an associate’s degree. The other common method of entry,
mainly for those who have a college degree, is through a certification
program that leads to a certification in paralegal studies.
A small number of schools also offer bachelor’s and master’s
degrees in paralegal studies. Some employers train paralegals
on the job, hiring college graduates with no legal experience
or promoting experienced legal secretaries.
Other entrants have experience in a technical field that
is useful to law firms, such as a background in tax preparation
for tax and estate practice, criminal justice, or nursing
or health administration for personal injury practice.
Paralegal programs include 2-year associate’s degree programs,
4-year bachelor’s degree programs, and certificate programs
that can take only a few months to complete. Most certificate
programs provide intensive paralegal training for individuals
who already hold college degrees, while associate’s and bachelor’s
degree programs usually combine paralegal training with courses
in other academic subjects.
The quality of paralegal training programs varies; the better
programs usually include job placement. Programs increasingly
include courses introducing students to the legal applications
of computers, including how to perform legal research using
the Internet.
This site contains all original Content.
Some data sourced from: Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
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