Best Paralegal Certificate Programs In Pennsylvania (2027)

The Paralegal/Legal Studies Associate of Arts (64 to 65 credits) is a job-ready major that pairs general education and business courses with the paralegal core: Introduction to Paralegal Studies, Business Law, Civil Practice/Litigation Procedures, Legal Research I and II, Negligence and Personal Injury, a Paralegal Internship and nine credits of paralegal electives. The 30-credit Paralegal Certificate requires the same law courses. Bucks says both credentials can be completed virtually through a combination of synchronous online and asynchronous eLearning classes, with at least nine semester credits of legal specialty courses taken live through in-person or Zoom classes; select classes also meet in the evenings.

The certificate is open only to applicants who already hold an associate or bachelor's degree, and Bucks gives 12 to 18 months as its completion time. The degree is designed for high school graduates and others without a degree and can be finished in as little as two years at 15 to 19 credits per semester. Classes start on a rolling basis, both programs include an internship arranged with a faculty member, and Montgomery County, Pennsylvania residents in the paralegal programs pay the in-county tuition rate through the college's shared programs. Bucks adds that the program is also accredited by the Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs (ACBSP).

The 27-credit proficiency certificate pairs five core courses (Introduction to Paralegal Studies, Civil Litigation I, Legal Research and Writing I, Legal Technology and Legal Research and Writing II) with four electives chosen from Electronic Discovery, Civil Litigation II, Family Law, Tort Law, Real Estate Law for Paralegals, Business Organizations for Paralegals, Wills, Trusts and Estate Administration, Intellectual Property, Bankruptcy Law, Employment Law, Environmental Law, Immigration Law and a Legal Internship that requires a GPA of 2.5 or better. The 60-credit A.A.S. is laid out as a two-year, four-semester sequence that combines English composition and a research paper course, math, science, social science, communication and cultural analysis courses with the same core paralegal courses and five paralegal electives, and students who keep a 2.5 GPA can take an internship in their final semester. Students seeking either credential must complete 9 credit hours of legal specialty classes in a traditional face-to-face or remote synchronous classroom format, which includes classes that meet entirely in the classroom and the classroom hours of hybrid sections.

The college says students who already have a college degree can choose an accelerated option and finish in as few as eight months. New students take the College's placement tests at entry, and A.A.S. students may transfer in up to thirty credits, including up to fifteen credits of paralegal courses from an ABA-approved institution, although Legal Research and Writing I and II are not accepted in transfer. A.A.S. graduation requires a grade of C or better in all Paralegal Studies courses and a 2.0 GPA, Legal Technology must be taken within five years of graduation, and students sign an integrity statement in every Paralegal Studies course. Optional activities include internships, guest lectures, field trips, help with interview skills and résumés, and student clubs.

The B.A. in the 2025-2026 catalog is 120 credits, with required major courses in Introduction to Legal Studies, Methods of Legal Research, Legal Writing, Environmental Law, Principles and Practices of Litigation, the Legal Studies Experience, Legal and Ethical Environment of Business and Legal and Ethical Environment of Business II, Introduction to Psychology and Introduction to Sociology, and electives such as Family Law; Wills, Trusts, and Estates; Administrative Law; Real Estate Law; Immigration Law; Elder Law; Bankruptcy Law; and Law and Conflict Resolution. The certificate is 18 credits: two core courses, Constitutional Law and Court Systems, and four electives chosen from several disciplines, such as the legal and ethical environment of business, mock trial concepts, substantive criminal law, forensic law, school law and ethics, civil liberties, psychology and law, history of the American Constitution, legal aspects of sport, and American politics. Students can take it fully online or in a blended format that mixes online coursework with scheduled in-person sessions at the California, Pennsylvania; Clarion, Pennsylvania; or Edinboro, Pennsylvania campus, and PennWest lists it as a one-year certificate.

PennWest describes the certificate as an ABA-aligned, liberal arts option designed to complement a student's undergraduate degree by connecting legal concepts to majors such as business, criminal justice, education, psychology, history, politics or sport. The university notes that it is not a professional license or a stand-alone credential for a specific occupation, and frames it as preparation for law-related work and for graduate or professional study in law, public policy or public administration.

The certificate is all paralegal coursework: Introduction to Paralegal Studies, Torts and Personal Injury Law, Law Office Technology, Civil Litigation and Procedures, Law Office Management, Legal Research and Writing, Legal Writing, and Contract Law and Business Organizations, plus six credits of paralegal electives. LCCC's suggested sequence spreads it over four semesters, and an internship is available. The A.A.S. adds Law Firm Experience, Real Estate Law, a required internship, nine credits of paralegal electives and general education (Research and Composition, Introduction to Literature, Introduction to Psychology, mathematics or science electives and other electives), for 63 to 65 credits over a four-semester sequence. LCCC says its paralegal program options are offered primarily through synchronous instruction, and students must take at least nine semester credits of legal specialty courses that way.

Admission to the certificate is limited to students who already hold 30 semester hours of college credit with a C or better in each course, including 18 liberal arts credits spread across English, math or science, and humanities or social science, and admission is conditional on a review of those credits; the A.A.S. asks for a high school diploma or GED. Meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission. Transfer credit for paralegal courses is limited to nine credits, Civil Litigation and Procedures must be completed at LCCC, paralegal courses finished more than seven years before admission must be repeated, entering students should be able to type 40 words per minute, and students locate their own internship placement sites. A Paralegal Advisory Committee of lawyers and paralegals from Lehigh Valley law firms gives input on the program, and through a collaborative program of study with Kutztown University, LCCC paralegal graduates may transfer there to major in English, political science, public administration, criminal justice, history or psychology.

The Certificate of Proficiency covers Introduction to Legal and Paralegal Studies, Legal Research and Writing I and II, Technology in the Law, Criminal Law and Procedure, Contract Law, Real Estate Law, Civil Litigation and Tort Principles, Civil Litigation and Tort Applications, Applied Accounting and paralegal electives chosen from Family Law, Wills, Trusts, and Estates, Business Organizations, Bankruptcy Law, Labor and Employment Law and Elder Law, and the catalog gives both a full-time and a part-time plan of study. The Associate in Arts, effective Fall 2025, combines English composition, oral communication, a science course and other general education with the core legal courses (Introduction to Legal and Paralegal Studies, Legal Research and Writing I and II, Technology in the Law, Contract Law, and Civil Litigation and Tort Principles and Applications) and courses chosen by concentration: Paralegal Studies, Law, Business and Management, or Law and Criminal Justice. Both include Legal Experience and Ethics, an internship of at least 180 hours paired with weekly one-hour meetings on legal ethics, including Pennsylvania's Rules of Professional Conduct, or, with the Director of Paralegal Studies' approval, Legal Practicum and Ethics, a supervised classroom practicum for students who work full time outside the legal field.

The college says courses are taught through a combination of traditional in-person classes and online courses, and students must take at least nine semester credits of legal specialty courses through traditional classroom or synchronous online instruction at the college. The certificate is an advanced certificate that can only be completed by students who already hold an associate or bachelor's degree. Up to 12 legal specialty credits may transfer in from an ABA-approved program, and no more than nine specialty credits may come from Credit for Prior Learning by portfolio or exam. DCCC says it has prepared paralegals since 1985.