B.A. in Criminal Justice, Paralegal Studies Option 2011-2012

The paralegal studies option is designed to prepare and qualify students for employment as paralegals in the private and public sectors. As such it provides opportunities for a variety of individuals to become acquainted with the field of law. A paralegal is essentially a legal assistant who works under the supervision of a lawyer and functions as a vital member of a law office team. Such paraprofessional positions have been created by many public and private agencies, and government law offices to help meet the increasing demands for their services.

Paralegal work involves doing legal research, interviewing clients, representing clients before some administrative agencies, assisting in the drafting and interpreting of legal documents and participating in various other paraprofessional activities. Those with an interest in legal studies will find the program rewarding as an introduction to the area of legal studies or as an in-depth study of some one aspect of law.

Admissions Process

Financial Aid

Paralegal Studies Course Descriptions

Course Requirements

Requirements (68 units)

Total units required for graduation: 180

Lower-division requirements-prerequisites for upper-division courses (12 units)

  1. CJUS 101. Introduction to the Criminal Justice System (4 units)
  2. CJUS 102. Criminal Law (4 units)
  3. PLST 100. Introduction to Law (4 units)

Upper-division requirements (24 units)

  1. CJUS 311. Research Methods in Criminal Justice (4 units)
  2. CJUS 312. Statistics in Criminal Justice (4 units)
  3. PLST 371. Contract Law (4 units)
  4. PLST 372. Tort Law (4 units)
  5. PLST 385. Legal Research (4 units)
  6. PLST 386. Legal Writing (4 units)

Electives (32 units)

Note: Students transferring from community colleges may substitute a maximum of eight lower-division units selected from paralegal courses toward the electives category.

  1. Thirty-two units chosen from:
    1. CJUS 370. Law and the Courts (4 units)
    2. CJUS 504. Criminal Procedure (4 units)
    3. PLST 370. Wills, Estates and Trusts (4 units)
    4. PLST 373. Property Law (4 units)
    5. PLST 376. Family Law (4 units)
    6. PLST 377. Fundamentals of Litigation (4 units)
    7. PLST 378. Corporate Law (4 units)
    8. PLST 575. Internship in Paralegal Studies (4 units)
    9. PLST 590. Topics in Paralegal Studies (4 units)
    10. PLST 595. Independent Study (1-4) for a total of (4 units)
  2. A maximum of eight units may be chosen from the following:
    1. ACCT 211. Introductory Accounting I (4 units)
    2. BIOL 223. Human Physiology and Anatomy I (4 units)
    3. COMM 311. Business and Professional Communication (4 units)
    4. COMM 441. Interviewing (4 units)
    5. COMM 522. Mediation Theory and Practice (4 units)
    6. PSCI 410. American Constitutional Law (4 units)
    7. PSCI 500. International Law (4 units)