Important Points to Consider When Looking at Your Options for Online Paralegal Degree and Certificate Programs

The first step towards becoming a paralegal is a big move no matter who you are or where you plan to study. Online paralegal certificate and degree programs eliminate many of the barriers, offering a level of convenience and ease-of-access that working students expect.

Settling a few questions about which option is right for you based on your background and career goals will get you closer to taking that step with total confidence.

What are the Paralegal Degree and Certificate Options for Getting Into the Field?

The answer to this question has everything to do with the education you already have.

With a high school diploma, you’ve got three options:

• A basic pre-degree, undergraduate certificate in paralegal studies that you can complete in less than a year
• An associate’s degree in paralegal studies that will take you about 2 years
• A bachelor’s in paralegal studies delivers the full undergrad experience, including general courses, and can be completed in 4 years

If you already have an associate degree in any major, you have two options:

• A post-associate undergraduate certificate program in paralegal studies, which will take about a year to complete
• Transfer your associate degree credits into a paralegal bachelor’s completion program where you will focus almost exclusively on legal topics and graduate with a BS or BA in two years

If you already have a bachelor’s degree in any major, you have two options:

• A post-bachelor’s (postbaccalaureate) certificate program in paralegal studies, which will take between 1 and 2 years to complete
• A legal studies master’s degree or similar graduate program that can be completed in as little as two years

Both undergraduate and graduate programs for paralegals can serve two purposes – 1) provide initial training and career preparation for those without a background in paralaw, and 2) allow existing paralegals and other professionals whose work intersects with the legal world to build expertise and specialize in a particular area of law.

If I’m Just Getting Started, Should I Earn a Paralegal Certificate or Go for a Full Associate’s or Bachelor’s in Paralegal Studies?

A basic, pre-degree certificate for high school graduates can be limiting. But a post-degree certificate is something completely different.

With few exceptions for certain advanced specialty roles, paralegals are not regulated by any government body, state or national. That means it’s a field in which industry professional associations and employers set the standards. And those standards are clear – in a role that requires a high level of professionalism and strong communication skills, paralegals are encouraged to hold an associate or higher degree. If the degree is in paralegal studies, that’s fantastic. But a degree in another major coupled with a post-degree paralegal certificate is also a very strong combination, both in the eyes of employers and the big-player industry organizations.

The National Federation of Paralegal Associations (NFPA), the American Association for Paralegal Education (AAfPE), and the American Bar Association (ABA) all have guidance recommending that paralegals hold associate or higher degrees in legal studies, or in other majors combined with a post-degree paralegal certificate.

What About ABA-Approved Paralegal Programs?

The American Bar Association is the final arbiter in the notoriously challenging process of vetting attorneys for licensure. It has a hand in nearly every aspect of standards-setting for advanced degrees in law. It’s only natural that an organization as critical to the education and proving process for lawyers would also extend its influence into the world of paralegalism.

ABA-approved paralegal programs are available through the same types of institutions as programs that aren’t on that elite list. This includes schools as varied as local community colleges offering associate degrees and big-name private universities offering full bachelor’s, certificate, and online legal studies master’s degree programs.

What’s the Difference Between a Paralegal Certificate and Professional Certification?

Academic certificates, of the sort offered by schools on this list, are very different from professional certification.

A paralegal certificate program is like any other college program. It’s simply a course of education consisting of paralegal classes – whether that’s a post-associate or postbaccalaureate undergraduate certificate for those getting initial training in the field, or a graduate certificate for practicing paralegals stacking-on additional specialty training.

Exam-based professional certification offered through industry professional associations is a way to show that you’ve gone through an examination process to prove what you know. This extra step comes with the right to tag-on industry-standard credentials behind your name as it appears on your resumé, business card, or in marketing material if you end up providing your services independently or on a freelance basis:

• The National Federation of Paralegal Associations (NFPA)
  • CORE Registered Paralegal (CRP) (entry-level)
  • Registered Paralegal (RP)

• The National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA)
  • Certified Paralegal (CP) (entry-level)
  • Advanced Certified Paralegal (ACP)

• The Association for Legal Professionals (NALS)
  • Professional Paralegal (PP) (entry-level)
  • Specialty Certification (SC)

It’s worth noting that some academic certificate programs do teach to national certification standards and would be useful in helping you prepare for professional certification exams through NALA, NALS or NFPA.

If I Already Have a Bachelor’s, What Will I Get Out of an Online Legal Studies Master’s Degree Program?

With a Master of Legal Studies (MLS), you’ll get a lot of respect, for one thing, and a whole lot of options in terms of where you can go with your career. The MLS is such a diverse degree for paralegals and others whose work intersects with legal matters, it’s become a go-to choice for a wide range of professionals, from business execs to software engineers.

For paralegals, it represents a unique level of expertise and specialization that is highly sought after by law firms and corporate legal teams. The MLS can be stacked on a bachelor’s in any field, and represents a powerful addition to undergraduate majors in business, psychology, IT, software development, human resources, healthcare administration, and many others.

Designed with generalist tracks or the option to tailor the curriculum to different industries, MLS programs routinely offer specialty certificates you can earn concurrently in areas that include technology, business, healthcare compliance, and cybersecurity.

The MLS is expressly intended for non-lawyer legal professionals, so it won’t provide a pre-law track if you have ambitions of eventually taking the BAR Exam.

Can I Select Classes to Tailor My Paralegal Training to Specific Areas of Law?

Like the practice of law itself, paralegal work can be a highly specialized world. A depth of knowledge in a specific area can make all the difference when it comes to the type of positions available to you after graduation, and more importantly, how well you perform in a specialized role or environment.

Fortunately, many of the programs offered here come with specialty tracks, concurrent certificates, and emphases in areas as common as real estate transactions & property tort law, and as niche as Indian gaming.

Do Online Paralegal Studies Degrees Offer the Same Training as Traditional Campus-Based Programs?

As with the legal system itself, universities offering paralegal studies programs have long since shifted into the online information world. Respected universities are only going to offer high-quality online paralegal degree and certificate programs worthy of their name and reputation. They are committed to ensuring the perfect fit for students at any stage of career preparation and advancement. Online paralegal programs are built around the same standards and curriculum as their legacy campus-based counterparts, leaving no room for gaps in the training they deliver.

Even the American Bar Association, the last hold-out for traditional campus-based paralegal education, now recognizes programs delivered in online formats.

You’ll be learning the same material, from the same professors, drawing on the same resources as campus-based students. From Westlaw to PACER, most of the elements that legal professionals rely on today have already shifted online—your paralegal education is no different.