Certificate in Paralegal Studies

While lawyers assume ultimate responsibility for legal cases, they often delegate many of their tasks to paralegals. In fact, paralegals — also called legal assistants — are assuming a growing range of tasks in legal offices.

The Certificate in Applied Studies (CAS) in Paralegal Studies provides a credential for professionals changing careers into paralegal studies or for those preparing to apply to law schools. The CAS in Paralegal Studies requires 18 semester hours split into 15 hours of required courses and 3 hours of elective coursework.

The CAS is a post-bachelor’s credential that demonstrates your commitment to continuing education and learning, especially for existing paralegals seeking to advance in the field. Earning the CAS credential also helps prepare you for entering into the legal sector, either as a result of changing jobs or of entering law school.

Students in our CAS program get a feel for law as a general subject and gain valuable research and writing skills along with a foundation in the judicial system, litigation and Constitutional law.

Program Details

  • Required

    CAS-PS Program of Study

    An earned bachelor’s degree is prerequisite to enrollment in this certificate program.

    Total: 18 semester hours 

    Core Courses

    12 semester hours

    • LA 301U Paralegal I
    • LA 303U Legal Research and Writing I
    • LA 304U Legal Research and Writing II
    • LA 306U Litigation

    Elective

    6 semester hours from LA and LAW courses.

    • LA 310U Real Estate
    • LA 312U Family Law
    • LA 313U Evidence
    • LA 315U Torts
    • LA 316U Contract Law
    • LA 320U Environmental Law
    • LA 321U Criminal Law
    • LA 322U Legal Technology and Electronic Discovery
    • LA 323U Elder Law
    • LA 325U Wills, Trusts and Estates
    • LA 398U Selected Topics
    • LAW 300U Business Law
    • LAW 303U Constitutional Law
    • LAW 304U First Amendment Law
    • LAW 315U Social Media Law and Ethics
    • LAW 322U Employment Law and Policy
    • LAW 325U CyberLaw
    • LAW 398U Selected Topics
  • Admissions

    Admission to Undergraduate Certificate Programs

    Students seeking admission to the Certificate of Applied Studies (CAS) must have earned a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited four-year college or university with a cumulative GPA of 2.0 or higher. The CAS is available in the following areas:

    • Data Analytics
    • Information Security
    • Information Systems
    • Paralegal Studies

    Admission requirements:

    • Completed undergraduate certificate application including the $35 application fee
    • Official transcripts from each university and college attended
    • TOEFL scores if the applicant’s native language is not English