Overview
The Paralegal degree program prepares students to become Paralegals, also known as Legal Assistants. While earning an Associate of Applied Business degree, students gain knowledge and skills required to assist attorneys, judges, and other legal professionals in many legal practice settings.
Students learn to investigate facts, conduct research on legal issues, interview clients, organize and evaluate case materials, draft legal documents, and communicate effectively with legal professionals. Students also gain knowledge of substantive and procedural law, concentrating on the most prevalent areas of legal practice.
In addition, students gain understanding of legal office procedures, time management, and organizational skills.
Cooperative education experience provides practical hands-on training to help students begin a career as a Paralegal.
Related Programs
Administrative Assistant - Legal Administrative Assistant track (AA)Contacts
Program Chair
Co-op Coordinator
Career Outlook
Graduates Are Prepared To
- Assist attorneys, judges, and other legal professionals in many legal practice settings
Representative Job Titles For Graduates
- Paralegal
- Legal Assistant
Graduate Employment Outlook
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates a 17 percent increase in jobs for paralegals through 2022, which is faster than the average for all professions. Opportunities are expected to grow as law firms attempt to lower expenses by using the cost-effective services provided by paralegals. Employment opportunities for paralegals in Cincinnati are very good.
$26,000 - $46,000 annual salary
Graduate Starting Salary Projections
Curriculum
Effective 2020-2021 academic year
Paralegal (PAR)
| First Year | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Semester 1 | Lec | Lab | Credits | |
| ENG 101 | English Composition 1 ( G) | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| IM 165 | Legal Office Environment ( B) | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| LAW 101 | Business Law ( B) | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| FYE 1XX First Year Experience Elective (B) | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| IM 1XX Computer Elective (B) | 2 | 2 | 3 | |
| MAT 1XX Mathematics Elective (G) | 2 | 2 | 3 | |
| Semester 2 | ||||
| BUS 190 | Professional Practices ( B) | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| ENG 105 | English Composition 2: Business Communication ( G) | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| IM 130 | Electronic Word Processing: Microsoft Word ( T) | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| LAW 130 | Estate Planning, Family and Probate Law ( T) | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| XXX XXX Legal Specialty Elective 1 (T) | 3 | 0 | 3 | |
| Semester 3 | ||||
| LAW 291 | Full-Time Cooperative Education 1: Legal Assistant ( T) | 1 | 40 | 2 |
| XXX XXX Management/Marketing Elective (B) | 3 | 0 | 3 | |
| Semester 4 | ||||
| ACC 101 | Financial Accounting ( B) | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| IM 225 | Legal Document Formatting ( T) | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| LAW 120 | Legal Research and Writing ( T) | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| XXX XXX Social Science Elective (G) | 3 | 0 | 3 | |
| XXX XXX Legal Specialty Elective 2 (T) | 3 | 0 | 3 | |
| Semester 5 | ||||
| LAW 292 | Full-Time Cooperative Education 2: Legal Assistant ( T) | 1 | 40 | 2 |
| Semester 6 | ||||
| LAW 210 | Litigation ( T) | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| LAW 290 | Paralegal Capstone ( T) | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| XXX XXX Legal Specialty Elective 3 (T) | 3 | 0 | 3 | |
| XXX XXX Arts/Humanities Elective (G) | 3 | 0 | 3 | |
| Total Credits: | 55 | 95 | 63 | |
Electives
| First Year Experience Elective | ||
| FYE 100 | College Success Strategies: Overview | 1 |
| FYE 105 | College Success Strategies: Overview and Application | 2 |
| FYE 110 | College Success Strategies: Practice and Application | 3 |
| Computer Elective (3 credit hours required) | ||
| IM 111 | Computer Applications | 3 |
|
Or take the following sequence
|
||
| IM 107 & IM 108 & IM 109 |
Introductory Electronic Presentations: Microsoft PowerPoint and Introductory Electronic Spreadsheets: Microsoft Excel and Introductory Database Management: Microsoft Access |
3 |
| Mathematics Elective | ||
| MAT 105 | Quantitative Reasoning | 3 |
| MAT 111 | Business Mathematics | 3 |
| MAT 115 | Pre-Statistics | 3 |
| MAT 131 | Statistics 1 | 3 |
| MAT 151 | College Algebra | 4 |
| Management/Marketing Elective | ||
| MGT 101 | Principles of Management | 3 |
| MGT 105 | Human Resource Management | 3 |
| MGT 120 | Entrepreneurship | 3 |
| MGT 130 | Project Management | 3 |
| MKT 101 | Principles of Marketing * | 3 |
| MKT 110 | Sales and Customer Relations | 3 |
| Legal Specialty Electives (9 credit hours required) | ||
| ACC 115 | Accounting Software Applications: Sage (Peachtree) | 2 |
| ACC 121 | Computerized Bookkeeping: QuickBooks 1 | 1 |
| ACC 122 | Computerized Bookkeeping: QuickBooks 2 | 1 |
| CRJ 105 | Introduction to Criminal Justice | 3 |
| CRJ 135 | Criminal Law | 3 |
| HIM 105 | Legal Aspects of Health Information Management | 2 |
| IM 120 | Electronic Spreadsheets: Microsoft Excel | 3 |
| IM 135 | Business Document Formatting | 3 |
| IM 150 | Electronic Presentations: Microsoft PowerPoint | 3 |
| IM 155 | Emerging Technologies and Social Media | 3 |
| ITP 130 | Legal Issues of Deafness | 1 |
| LAW 110 | Employment and Administrative Law | 3 |
| LAW 140 | Copyright and Trademark Law in Entertainment Industries | 3 |
| LAW 150 | Bankruptcy, Debt Collection and Secured Transactions | 3 |
| LAW 160 | Immigration and Administrative Law Practices and Procedures | 2 |
| LBR 105 | Introduction to Labor and Employee Relations | 3 |
| NDR 100 | Introduction to Negotiation and Dispute Resolution | 3 |
| RE 105 | Real Estate Law | 3 |
| Arts/Humanities Elective | ||
| Any Transfer Module course from ART, LIT, MUS, PHI, REL, THE, or COMM 130 | 3 | |
| Social Science Elective | ||
| Any Transfer Module course from GEO, HST, LBR, POL, PSY, SOC | 3 | |
| * | Has a corequisite of ECO 105 |
G = General Education course in this curriculum
B = Basic Skills course in this curriculum
T = Technical course in this curriculum
• This curriculum displays only course numbers without the added letter.
• The alternative version, when available, meets the requirements of the course version without the added letter.