Paralegal Certificate

The Paralegal Certificate Program is designed for students seeking employment in law firms, government agencies, for-profit organizations, and non-profit organizations. It is an excellent option for students seeking to fast-track their training and for those wishing to supplement a traditional bachelor’s degree. Through instruction in foundations of law, criminal law, legal research and writing methods, and legal procedures, students enrolled in the Paralegal Certificate Program are equipped with the knowledge and training needed to enter into a meaningful legal career as administrative assistants, legal secretaries, legal assistants, and more.

Mission Statement
Supported by the Department of Legal Studies, and adhering to biblical morals and principles, the mission of the Paralegal Certificate Program is to prepare students for a variety of law-related careers as administrative assistants, legal secretaries, legal assistants, and more.

Program Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the Paralegal Certificate Program, students will be able to:

1. Identify the appropriate legal procedures applicable to a variety of civil and criminal controversies;
2. Research and analyze the relationships among case facts, statutory law, case law, and constitutional principles involved in specific legal controversies;
3. Advocate, in both written and oral communication, for a particular party in a legal controversy;
4. Evaluate, in reference to both the historically contingent legal culture and the more transcendent principles of natural law, the arguments offered by competing sides in legal controversies.

The Paralegal Certificate Program requires the following courses:

Required course:

• LEGL210 Introduction to Legal Studies

Two of:

• COMM230 Argument and Advocacy
• HIST207 History of USA I
• HIST208 History of USA II
• LEGL308 Business Law
• PHIL201 Logic and Critical Thinking
• PHIL202 Introduction to Philosophy
• PHIL204 Ethics
• PLSC105 American Government
• PLSC106 World Politics

One of:

• ECON203 Principles of Macroeconomics
• ECON204 Principles of Microeconomics
• SOCL240 Criminal Deviance and Justice

All of:

• HIST385 Western Legal Traditions or HIST470 The Supreme Court and the American People
• LEGL320 Legal Research and Writing
• LEGL499 Legal Studies Internship

One of:

• BUSN360 Business Ethics
• LEGL405 Criminal Law
• LEGL460 Legal Procedures
• LEGL470 Family Law

One of:

• BUSN310 Principles of Management
• BUSN330 Principles of Marketing
• COMM385 Law and Ethics in Media
• COMM389 Intercultural Communication
• ECON330 International Economics
• HIST350 French Revolution through Napoleon
• HIST385 Western Legal Traditions (if not counted above)
• HIST410 The Era of the American Revolution
• HIST420 Constitution and Early Republic
• HIST450 Civil Rights Movement
• HIST470 The Supreme Court and the American People (if not counted above)
• LEGL306 Evidence
• PSYC340 Social Psychology
• PSYC350 Abnormal Psychology