About the Paralegal Studies Program

The Paralegal Studies Program

The College of Extended Learning offers a 30-academic-unit certificate program in paralegal studies, providing instruction in practical legal skills and substantive law. Courses are conducted at the upper-division level and are taught by attorneys and paralegals, all of who have practical experience in the field. This program is a member of the American Association for Paralegal Education (AAfPE), which requires that all of its member programs be in substantial compliance with nationally recognized guidelines. It is also accredited through San Francisco State University by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, the official regional accrediting body for academic institutions in the western part of the country. The program is also approved by the American Bar Association.

Paralegal Studies Program Objectives

The primary goal of the Paralegal Studies certificate program is to educate students for positions as paralegals as a means of improving the quality, accessibility, and affordability of legal services.

The program's key objectives are:

• to provide students with an overview of the legal system and law practice
• to provide students with in-depth knowledge and skills to work in civil litigation
• to prepare students to perform legal research and to draft a variety of legal documents
• to teach students the rules and laws governing the conduct of paralegals and to help them internalize high ethical values and behavior
• to help students develop strong oral and written communication skills
• to provide students with the opportunity to learn the skills needed to function in one or more areas of practice other than litigation

Length of Program

The 30 units required to earn the certificate may be completed in as short a time as 18-24 months—4 or 5 semesters—or students may choose to take as long as four years.

International students and other students who are required to complete this program in one year; or students who wish to complete this program in 12 months (3 semesters); are encouraged to see Pat Medina for academic counseling.

Cost of Program

The total cost of the program is approximately $6,000 plus a $50 non-refundable application fee. Most courses are $200 per unit. Lab fees are added for courses that require computer lab sessions. Students pay for courses on a semester-by-semester basis only. Additional costs for texts and materials vary by course from approximately $15 to $90.

Admission Requirements

Download the Certificate Application.
(You will need Acrobat Reader to view this PDF file.)

Students are required to have a minimum of 56 semester or 84 quarter units of prior academic course credit to be admitted to the program. Students who hold a baccalaureate degree or an academic associate degree are automatically eligible for admission to the program. Students who do not have such a degree but have the required units of college work are eligible if their college work includes at least 18 semester or 27 quarter units of academic general education with courses from at least three major disciplines. Students with at least three years of legal experience who have at least 45 semester or 68 quarter units of college work may petition for conditional admission.

Admission Procedures

Students must apply for admission by the end of the first semester in which they enroll. A non-refundable application fee of $50 must be paid when submitting the application. All students must supply official transcripts of their college work. Students with baccalaureate or academic associate degrees need to provide official transcripts from the college from which they graduated. Students without such a degree must provide college transcripts from all the colleges they attended. Students are responsible for contacting the colleges they attended and arranging for official transcripts to be sent directly to the program, or they must hand carry these records to the program offices in a sealed envelope.

Re-Admission: Certificate program students who do not register for courses for one calendar year are considered inactive and must reapply to the program by paying an additional $50 application fee and submitting a new application.

Non-Certificate Students

Those who already have experience in the legal field and who wish to take selected courses without applying to the program may register for courses with the permission of the individual instructor.

Transfer of Credits

A maximum of nine upper-division, academic semester units may be transferred from another ABA-approved paralegal program; if the student received a grade of 'B' or better. Courses must have been completed within 5 years of application to SF State Paralegal program.

English Proficiency (JEPET)

Paralegal courses require strong writing skills. Certificate students who do not have a bachelor's degree must pass the Junior English Proficiency Essay Test (JEPET) before completion of nine units in the program in order to satisfy the general university literacy requirement. Students who do not pass the JEPET must pass ENG 414, Elements of Writing, which is a course regularly offered through fall, spring, and summer Open University. At the discretion of the Program Director, students who are non-native English speakers may be required to achieve an adequate score on the Test of English as a Foreign Language or to take designated courses to develop their written and oral communication skills in English. Contact the Testing Center at http://www.sfsu.edu/~testing/jepet.html or call 415.338.2271

Computer Proficiency

Basic computer proficiency is essential in the legal workplace and all new students are subject to the following requirements:

• New students must verify that they have basic computer literacy, including the ability to use a common word processing program, e-mail, and the Internet, or develop these skills before they graduate. A form will be provided for applicants to verify their skills or to state how they will fulfill this requirement. Students without basic computer literacy must attain these skills through self-study or by taking PLS 9182: Introduction to Computer Applications.
  
  
• Students who have not worked in a legal setting are required to take Computer Applications in Law Practice, PLS 430. All other students may take this course as an elective. Students must have basic computer literacy skills, including word-processing, e-mail, and the Internet, before they enroll in this course.

Students who have not worked in a legal setting but have extensive computer experience through non-legal employment, may not be required to take PLS 430. Those students should contact Baseemah Rahman at brahman@sfsu.edu.

Credit Toward a BA Degree

Units earned in this program carry full upper-division academic credit. All units may be applied as general elective units toward a Bachelor of Arts degree at SF State and other CSU institutions.

Textbooks

Paralegal textbooks will be available for purchase ONLY from the SF State Bookstore (main campus) in the General Book section or from their Web site: www.sfsubookstore.com, go to "Textbooks", click "Downtown Campus Summer Textbooks", click "PLS". For more information, please call 415.338.2650.

Note: Textbooks for PLS 300 are available at Borders on the 4th floor of the Westfield Centre. Use your SF State CEL student ID for a discount.

Paralegal Library - Room 615

The paralegal library is open to all prospective and current students and contains books on areas of instruction, the paralegal profession, student internship journals, legal newspapers, career resources, and professional association newsletters and magazines.

LexisNexis Subscription Option - Not Available in Summer

Students officially enrolled in the 30-unit Paralegal Studies Certificate Program have the option to purchase a LexisNexis (LN) subscription for $60. This non-refundable subscription rate entitles the student to LN access for at school or at home use for one full year (commercial or business use is strictly prohibited). LN access terminates at the end of the one-year subscription period, or upon graduation or withdrawal from the program, whichever comes sooner.

Sign-up begins during the first three weeks of fall and spring semester. Checks or money orders only (no cash or credit cards), payable to "SF State – College of Extended Learning" will be collected by Baseemah Rahman or Pat Medina. No additional subscriptions will be accepted after the sign-up period ends until the following semester.

Direct ALL inquiries re: the LexisNexis subscription program to Vince Avellino at vinceavellino@hotmail.com or Baseemah Rahman at brahman@sfsu.edu.

iLearn

iLearn is an online tool, where instructors post the course syllabi and handouts. Several PLS classes require students to download class materials posted on iLearn. To access iLearn, you will need your SFSU ID number and PAC.