Paralegal Studies

Paralegal Studies Degree Requirements (Approved by the American Bar Association)
A.A.S.

HEGIS Code 5099

According to the American Bar Association, "a legal assistant or paralegal is a person qualified by education, training or work experience, who is employed or retained by a lawyer, law office, corporation, governmental agency or other entity and who performs specifically delegated substantive legal work, for which the lawyer is responsible." Paralegals are not licensed and always work under the supervision of an attorney. The goal of both the degree and certificate programs is to prepare students to become entry-level paralegals.

I. English (6 Credits Required)

ENG 101 English Composition I (3 cr)
ENG 102 English Composition II p (3 cr)

II. Pluralism and Diversity (3 Credits Required)

PDA/PLG 140 Civil Liberties and Multiculturalism (3 cr)
(or equivalent by advisement)

III. Social Science (3 Credits Required)

POL 101 Principals of American Government: National (3 cr) (recommended)

Select course from the following codes by advisement: ANR, ECO, GEO, HIS, POL, PSY, SOC

IV. Mathematics (3 Credits Required)

Select MAT 101 or higher at the highest appropriate level by placement *

*NOTE: Students should be aware that many four-year colleges do not accept Math 101 for transfer credit. Policies toward granting credit for Math 102 will vary among four-year colleges.

V. Science (3 Credits Required)

Select one course a the appropriate level from the following codes: BIO, CHM, ENR, PHY, SCI*

*NOTE: Students are required to fulfill EITHER a mathematics OR science requirement. Although Paralegal students may choose to take science instead of mathematics, they must take the mathematics assessment. In order to graduate, they must be assessed at MAT 101 (or higher) OR receive a passing grade in the required pre-MAT 101 course(s)

VI. Humanities (3 Credits Required)

SPE 101 Fundamentals of Speech (3 cr) (or equivalent SPE by advisement)

VII. Art and Sciences (3 Credits Required)

Select courses from the following codes: ANR, ARA, ART, ASL, BIO, CHI, CHM, COM, ECO, ENG, ENR, FRE, GEO, GER, HEB, HIS, ITA, LSK, MAT, MUS, PDA, PER, PHL, PHY, POL, PSY, RLS, RUS, SCI, SOC, SPA, SPE

VIII. Unrestricted Electives (Not Required For This Degree)

IX. Paralegal Concentration (39 Credits Required)

Core Requirements (30 Credits Required)

(21 of the 30 credits must be taken at RCC)

PLG 101 Introduction to Paralegalism* (3 cr)
PLG 102 Legal Research and Writing p** (3 cr)
PLG 103 Civil Litigation p (3 cr)
PLG 105 Domestic Relations p (3 cr)
PLG 106 Computerized Legal Applications p (3 cr)
PLG 107 Contracts p (3 cr)
PLG 108 Real Estate Practice p (3 cr)
PLG 109 Elder Law, Estate Planning and Probate p (3 cr)
PLG 110 Tort Law p (3 cr)
PLG 111 Advanced Legal Research and Writing p (3 cr)

Elective Requirements (9 Credits Required)

Select 9 credits from the following courses:

ACC 101 Principles of Accounting I (3 cr)
BUS 101 Introduction to Business (3 cr)
BUS 204 Business Law II*
BUS/PHL 260 Ethics in Business (3 cr)
CRJ 101 Introduction to Criminal Justice
CRJ 103 Juvenile Justice System
CRJ 201 Criminal Law
CRJ 203 Criminal Investigation
CRJ 205 The Law of Criminal Evidence
INT Choose Any
OFT 108 Business Correspondence
OFT 111 Spreadsheet/Database
OFT 112 MS Word for Windows
PLG 273 Paralegal Internship

*NOTE: Paralegal students who have completed PLG 101 and PLG 107 are exempt from Business 203 Business Law I.

X. Physical Education (3 Credits Required)

Select three courses from:
Any PED course(s)
REC 205 Community CPR & First Aid
REC 207 CPR for the Professional Rescuer
Note: PED courses earn Pass/Fail grades; REC courses earn letter grades.

Total: 63 credits

*PLG 101 is a prerequisite or corequisite for all other PLG courses: Exceptions can be made by permission of the department coordinator.

**PLG 102 is a prerequisite for PLG 111

NOTE: Students must consult with a faculty advisor in the Paralegal Studies Department each semester to plan their course of study.

p = Course prerequisite required.

Planning to transfer:
If you intend to transfer to a four-year college, you should seek advisement as soon as possible. Faculty advisers in the academic disciplines or counselors in the Student Development Center can help you choose the appropriate courses. You should also consult the catalog and the admissions office of the four-year college to which you intend to transfer.