Best Online Paralegal Certificate Programs (2027)

The Paralegal Certificate requires 32 semester credit hours, with Introduction to Paralegal Studies and Introduction to Law as prerequisites. Core courses include Civil Litigation, Legal Research, Introduction to Legal Technology, Advanced Legal Technology, Legal Analysis and Writing, and Legal Ethics, Interviewing and Investigation; they run in an online hybrid format with required live meetings, typically on Zoom, while most electives are online with no scheduled meetings. Some on-campus sections may also be offered in fall and spring, and students build an online portfolio of their work during the program.

Students who already hold an associate of arts, associate of science, bachelor's or graduate degree complete the 32-credit certificate, typically in one year full time. Students without a qualifying degree enroll in the Liberal Arts AA at the same time and complete 60 semester credit hours of general education and paralegal courses, typically in two years full time, after completing English Composition I, Introduction to Paralegal Studies and Introduction to Law with a C or higher. Admission is selective, and at least 18 hours of legal specialty courses must be taken at JCCC.

The certificate and the A.S. share one legal curriculum that covers the law and the paralegal profession, contracts, family law, litigation and trial practice, probate law, legal research, and legal writing and analysis, and it ends with a paralegal internship. The A.S. adds liberal arts courses to the legal curriculum. Certificate students must take at least nine semester credits of legal specialty courses through synchronous instruction.

The certificate is written for students who already hold a bachelor's degree or a qualifying associate degree, and the college says graduates can meet its requirements in 18 months once an official transcript of that degree is submitted. The college lists Online as the location of both the certificate and the A.S.

All four credentials are completed online with no campus visits, and students must take at least nine semester credits of legal specialty courses synchronously, logging in at a set time. The 60-credit Associate of Applied Business, mapped over two years, covers Introduction to Legal Studies, Legal Research and Writing, Law Office Technology, Family Law, Civil Litigation I and II, Real Estate Law, Corporate Law and Business Organizations, Estate Planning and Probate, and Administrative Litigation, plus Computer Applications, general education and three paralegal electives chosen from options that include criminal law, bankruptcy, employment law, a paralegal practicum, a legal clinic with real clients and a study abroad course. The 120-credit Bachelor of Science, mapped over four years, adds upper-level work such as Investigative Techniques and Evidence, Children and the Law, Criminal Procedure, Advanced Legal Research and an Advanced Paralegal Seminar, upper-level legal specialty electives (environmental law, federal income tax law, health care law, sports and entertainment law and intellectual property) and courses for a focus area, minor or certificate.

The associate degree is open to students with a high school diploma or GED, and graduates can continue into the online bachelor's program. Admission to the bachelor's degree is selective, considers applicants with a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher, and the school suggests that applicants with fewer than 60 college credit hours start in the associate degree. The post-associate certificate requires an associate degree in any field and a 2.5 GPA, and consists of core courses (Introduction to Legal Studies, Legal Research and Writing, Law Office Technology, Civil Litigation I and II, and Administrative Litigation) plus two paralegal electives. The 24-credit post-baccalaureate certificate requires a bachelor's degree in any field and a 2.5 GPA, and consists of required courses in Exploring the Legal Profession, Legal Research and Writing, Law Office Technology, Civil Litigation I and II, Investigative Techniques and Evidence, Advanced Legal Research and the Advanced Paralegal Seminar. UC says students can finish either certificate in as little as one year.

EKU offers a 64-credit-hour AAS in Paralegal Studies, a 120-credit-hour BA in Paralegal Science, a post-baccalaureate certificate of 30 to 31 credit hours and an 18-hour minor. The degrees and the certificate can be taken on campus or 100% online, with at least nine semester credit hours of legal specialty coursework completed through synchronous instruction, and online courses run in accelerated 7-week terms. Shared core courses include Introduction to Law, Legal Research and Writing I and II, Litigation: Complaint to Discovery, Litigation: Pre-Trial to Appeal and a Paralegal Seminar, and AAS and BA students complete a 280-hour internship in a law office or legal setting.

The certificate is designed for students who already hold a bachelor's degree in another field; students with 75 or more credit hours can start certificate courses, but at least 18 hours must be taken after the bachelor's degree is awarded. EKU says the certificate takes nine months on campus or eighteen months online, and the AAS can be finished in as few as 21 months of full-time study. All faculty hold J.D. degrees, and transfer students must take at least 15 semester hours of paralegal (LAS) courses at EKU.

The certificate, the A.S. and the B.S. share a core of Introduction to Law & Ethics, Civil Litigation, and Legal Research & Writing, plus 2000-level paralegal courses such as Business Organizations, Computers in the Law, Real Estate Law, Wills, Trusts and Probate Law, Family Law, and Law Office Skills. The 18-credit certificate is made up entirely of legal specialty courses, the 60-credit A.S. adds the Core IMPACTS general education curriculum, and the 120-credit B.S. adds upper-division courses including Judicial Process, Advanced Legal Research & Writing, a Legal Studies Capstone and a Social Sciences Internship. Every PARA- and LGST-coded course is offered online, either synchronously with a weekly class meeting on Microsoft Teams or asynchronously, and students must take at least nine semester credits of legal specialty courses through face-to-face or online synchronous instruction.

The certificate is open to students who already hold a bachelor's degree, a qualifying A.A., A.S. or A.A.S. degree, or at least 60 college credits that include at least 18 semester hours of general education; certificate students can start only in fall or spring and apply as transfer students rather than post-baccalaureate students. The A.S. is designed mainly for students with little or no previous college credit, and A.S. and B.S. students are encouraged to add the certificate as a secondary curriculum because all of its courses are part of both degrees. No more than nine legal specialty credits can transfer into the certificate or the A.S., and students must earn a C or higher in Introduction to Law & Ethics before taking other paralegal courses. Clayton State's Pre-Law Minor is not part of the Legal Studies Program and is not ABA-approved.