Associate of Applied Science - Paralegal
Tacoma, USA
Associate of Applied Science
DURATION
2 years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
TUITION FEES
USD 10,573 / per year *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* $22,408 including fees and on-campus housing
Key Summary
The Associate of Applied Science degree, Paralegal is approved by the American Bar Association and designed to train students for careers working as paralegals or legal assistants in law firms, governmental agencies, corporate legal departments, public service organizations, and other institutions. Paralegals work under the supervision of an attorney and are not licensed to practice law.
Legal courses are taught by faculty who represent various aspects of the field of law and hold high regard for academic and professional integrity. In addition to taking legal courses, an AAS student will satisfy their General Education Requirements.
- Fall 2023 - Application Deadline (Aug 15) and Classes Start (Sep 25)
- Winter 2024 - Application Deadline (Nov 15) and Classes Start (Jan 3)
- Spring 2024 - Application Deadline (Feb 15) and Classes Start (April 1)
Upon successful completion of the AAS degree in Paralegal and the Paralegal Preferred Pro Certificate, students will:
- Recognize ethical issues that arise in a legal work environment and apply rules of professional conduct to resolve them.
- Demonstrate oral and written skills that paralegals use on the job.
- Apply basic principles of legal analysis.
- Use computers and other technology for document production, law office management, and trial preparation.
- Demonstrate sensitivity through adaptability and flexibility in working with a diverse group of people.
- Manage multi-tasks while prioritizing them to meet deadlines.
Core Required Courses
Students must complete all 57 credits.
- CU 105 Word 1, Excel 1 5
- PLST 106 Legal Document Production 3
- PLST 149 Writing Basics for Paralegals 3
- PLST 150 Paralegal Fundamentals and Ethics 5
- PLST 151 Legal Research and Writing I 5
- PLST 152 Intro to Civil Law 5
- PLST 153 Civil Procedure I 5
- PLST 154 Computer Applications in the Law 3
- PLST 155 Health/Dealing with Stress 1
- PLST 156 Criminal Procedure for Paralegals 5
- PLST 232 Interviewing and Investigations 5
- PLST 233 Internship 1 5
- PLST 239 Transition Planning 1
- PLST 251 Legal Research and Writing II 3
- PLST 253 Civil Procedure II 3
General Education Requirements
Students must complete all 35 credits
(In effect 6 22 09) Math 90 or Business Math 5
*Note – ANTH 205 Biological Anthropology, BIOL 170, and BIOL 175 are the only natural science courses that do not require MATH 90 as a prerequisite or that will accept BUS 110 as the math prerequisite.
- ENGL 101 College Freshman Comp 5
- Sociology or Psychology on AA Distribution List 5
- Political Science or History on AA Distribution List 5
- Natural Science on AA Distribution List 5
- CMST & 220 Public Speaking 5
- MATH Business Math 110 (or higher) 5
- Multicultural on AA Distribution List 5
Legal Specialty Elective Courses
Students must complete nine credits
*PLST courses must be completed with a grade of “C” or better
- PLST 221 Family Law 3
- PLST 222 Probate/Estate Planning 3
- PLST 223 Alternative Dispute Resolution 3
- PLST 224 Real Estate Law 3
- PLST 225 Bankruptcy Law 3
- PLST 226 Administrative Law 3
- PLST 228 Employment Law 3
- PLST 230 Business Organizations/Corporations 3
- PLST 231 Contracts/Commercial Transactions 3
- PLST 234 Internship II 5
- PLST 235 eDiscovery 3
Graduates may be eligible for positions in a law office, legal department of a corporation, public agency, court system, private investigation firm, and paralegal services.
What do paralegals do? Paralegals are trained to:
- Prepare legal documents
- Prepare clients for court hearings and mediation
- Conduct research and investigations
- Interview clients and witnesses
- Prepare probate inventories
- Help attorneys in litigation
- Organize and index documents
Paralegals cannot provide legal services directly to the public, except as permitted by law.