Certificate in Paralegal Studies

Program Scope and Objectives

Paralegal Studies is a 24 unit certificate program, providing instruction in practical legal skills and substantive law. All coursework is taught at the upper-division level by attorneys and working paralegals.

The primary goal of the program is to educate students for positions as paralegals as a means of improving the quality, accessibility, and affordability of legal services. The program started in 1975 and has graduated well over a thousand paralegals. Further information on the program’s key objectives and the mission statement submitted to the American Bar Association (ABA) can be found on the paralegal program’s website.

ABA-Approved

For over 40 years, the Paralegal Studies Certificate Program, an American Bar Association-approved paralegal studies program, has been providing educational excellence to its students.

California legislation defines who may call themselves a paralegal and sets forth education criteria for paralegals. One of the criteria is graduation from a program approved by the American Bar Association. Please refer to the section on California Legislation on Paralegals cited below.

California Legislation on Paralegals

California Business and Professions Code section 6450 defines the titles “paralegal” and “legal assistant” and sets educational criteria and continuing education requirements for paralegals. The San Francisco State University Paralegal Studies certificate program meets the educational requirements of the law by virtue of being offered by an accredited institution with an ABA-approved program, and consisting of more than 24 units of paralegal coursework..

Faculty

All courses in this program are taught by attorneys and/or paralegals with practical experience in their respective fields. 

Career Outlook

Paralegals are employed in private and public interest law firms, corporations, banks, securities firms, government agencies, and regulatory bodies. California state legislation requires that persons working as paralegals meet specified educational and continuing education requirements.

Intended Audience

College graduates who are interested in a career in the legal field, international students who worked in the legal field as lawyers or paralegals in their home countries, career changers, students who are thinking about law school, and early retirees from other professions who have a general interest in the law.

Non-Certificate Students

Many elective classes in the program do not have prerequisites. If students wish to explore the legal field and want to take individual elective courses in the program, they may register for those courses.

Those who already have experience in the legal field and who wish to take selected advanced courses without applying to the program may register for those courses with the permission of the individual instructor and the program director. Non-certificate students must provide appropriate documentation, such as transcripts or an attorney letter, to demonstrate that they meet any course prerequisites.

Admission to Program

Applicants who hold a baccalaureate degree, either from the US or another country, are automatically eligible for admission to the program. Applicants who do not have a baccalaureate degree are required to have a minimum of 60 semester or 90 quarter units of prior academic college credit with at least 30 semester (45 quarter) units of academic general education courses in four basic skills courses:

• oral communication
• English composition
• critical thinking
• mathematical concepts and quantitative reasoning

Additionally, applicants must have an overall GPA of 2.5 or better and all coursework must have been completed within 10 years of applying to the program.

Applicants with at least three years of legal employment and 45 semester (68 quarter) units may petition for conditional admission. Transcripts verifying these units must be accompanied by an attorney's declaration attesting to their legal work experience, which must have been within five years of their application to the program.

Writing Skills

Paralegal courses require strong writing skills. Certificate students who do not have a bachelor’s degree must pass a University-approved Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement course (GWAR). PLS 414GW is an approved GWAR course and also counts as elective units that can be applied toward the certificate.

Program Learning Outcomes