Paralegal, associate degree
ABA Approved
Associate of Applied Science degree: 90 credit degree program, including 30 hours of required paralegal courses; 14 credit hours of elective paralegal courses; 27 credits of general education courses; and 19 credits of other electives. Admission into the AAS degree in Paralegal requires successful completion of a college-level writing class (WR 121 or equivalent), a general education Communications Studies class (COMM 100 or similar), and a general education Political Science class (PS 201 or similar).
Students must maintain a “C” average in all required Paralegal courses to complete their degree or certificate.
Award information
| Award | Length (attending full-time) | Financial aid eligible | Currently accepting students? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Associate Degree: Paralegal | 2 years | Limited entry, see how to get into this program |
Learn more about Paralegal and all 3 awards available »
Locations
CascadeCourses
Course listing for the 2024-2025 catalog year.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| BA 111 | Introduction to Accounting §,Z | 3 |
| or BA 211 | Principles of Financial Accounting (BA211=BA211Z) | |
| CIS 120 | Digital Literacy | 4 |
| or CIS 125D | Database Application Development I | |
| PL 101 | Introduction to the U.S. Legal System | 3 |
| PL 102 | Survey of Substantive Law | 3 |
| PL 103 | Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility | 3 |
| PL 105 | Litigation | 3 |
| PL 107 | Interviewing and Investigating | 3 |
| PL 108 | Legal Analysis & Writing | 3 |
| PL 130 | Legal Software | 3 |
| PL 203 | Basic Legal Research | 3 |
| PL 204 | Applied Legal Research and Drafting | 2 |
| PL 250 | Cultural Responsiveness in the Legal Field | 2 |
| PL 295 | Paralegal Capstone | 2 |
| WR 227 | Technical Writing (WR227=WR227Z) Z | 4 |
| or WR 122 | Composition II (WR122=WR122Z) | |
| or BA 205 | Business Communication Using Technology | |
| Any General Education Course in COMM | 4 | |
| Any General Education Course in PS | 4 | |
| Any General Education Course in BI, CH, ESR, G, GS, MTH or PHY | 4 | |
| ABA General Education Electives | 15 | |
| Paralegal Program Electives | 14 | |
| Paralegal Support Electives | 8 | |
| Total Credits | 90 | |
- §
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Course cannot be substituted for another course
- Z
This course is part of Oregon Common Course Numbering. The following courses are equivalent:
BA 211 and BA 211Z
WR 122 and WR 122Z
WR 227 and WR 227Z
Students seeking the Associate’s degree in Paralegal are required to complete 27 general education credits from the Associates of Applied Science General Education list. Some of the courses on the Associates of Applied Science General Education list are not approved for the Paralegal program. A list of unapproved classes can be found in the PCC Catalog.
Paralegals may not practice law and may not provide legal services directly to the public except as permitted by law.
Paralegal program students must complete 14 quarter credit hours of synchronous instruction. Synchronous instruction means students must attend a scheduled class meeting time each week. This restriction is not applicable to Legal Assistant students.
Next steps
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