.................................................................

 

 

 

 

Associate of Applied Science Degree

Paralegal Studies

 

Program Goals	Admissions Requirements
Program Objectives	Consumer Information

 

The Paralegal Studies Program is designed to provide students with the information they need to work in the legal environment under the supervision of an attorney.  Core courses provide basic skills, like composition and accounting that are foundational to legal education.  Students study the law and legal theory, and learn strategies of legal research.  Students learn to analyze the law as it applies to concrete situations and to express their findings in formal legal documents.  Students learn the flow of litigation and how to draft litigation, as well as non-litigation documents.  Law office management is an integral part of the curriculum, including effective use of technology.  At the end of their coursework, students are placed in an internship position in a legal environment, supervised by an attorney. 

The associate degree is approved by the American Bar Association and is a North Carolina Bar Qualified Paralegal Studies program.  After successful completion of a state examination, students become North Carolina Bar Certified Paralegals.  Paralegals may not provide legal services directly to the public except as permitted by law.

Program Goals
The goal of the Associate of Applied Science in Paralegal Studies Program is to prepare students for employment as a paralegal in law-related occupations, including public and private law practice and/or corporate or government law-related activities.

return to top of page

Program Objectives

1. Students will demonstrate critical thinking skills by recognizing relevant facts in a given scenario, identifying the area of law that applies, applying law from a recognized legal authority, and using legal analysis to resolve a legal issue.
2. Students will demonstrate effective legal research skills by creating a research plan, using both print and electronic resources to find primary sources of law, and applying them to issues requiring legal analysis. 
3. Students will apply subject-specific legal knowledge to concrete scenarios to produce litigation and non-litigation legal documents using correct grammar, correct citations, proper format, and content appropriate to the specific document. 
4. Students will identify responsibilities of a legal professional and the basic rules of legal ethics, and identify and resolve ethical dilemmas confronted in the workplace.
5. Students will demonstrate basic legal knowledge and draft basic documents or forms used in the areas of criminal law, tort law, domestic law, real property law, wills and estate law, and contract law. 
6. Students will demonstrate knowledge of basics of law office management and litigation management, including the effective use of technology and organizational skills critical to those environments. 
7. Students will demonstrate knowledge of the flow of civil litigation by creating a trial notebook that includes discovery documents, a complaint or answer, motions, and evidence to be used at trial.

return to top of page

Program Admission Requirements
Complete the general admission procedures outlined in the South College-Asheville catalog and call and set up an appointment with an admission representative at (828) 398-2500. General admission includes the completion of the application to the college and all required forms, payment of an application fee, and completion of a personal interview with an admission representative.

return to top of page

Consumer Information

Cost of Program
Tuition & Fees			$40,000
Books & Supplies			$4,000
On-Time Graduation Rate			20%
Reasons for students not completing on-time (i.e. 2 years for Associate degree programs, 4 years for Baccalaureate degree programs): Withdrawal for a period of time before returning to complete program, Academic performance resulting in repeat of one or more classes, Changing of majors (beginning in Associate program and changing to Baccalaureate program), and/or Part-time course load for one or more quarters.
An institution calculates an on‐time graduation rate for each program by: * Determining the number of students who completed the program during the most recently completed award year, * From the total students identified in step one, determining the number of students that completed the program within normal time, regardless of whether the student transferred into the program or changed programs at the institution, and * Dividing the number of students who completed the program within normal time, as determined in step two, by the total number of students who completed the program, as determined in step one, and multiplying the result by 100.
Placement Rate - July 1, 2009 - June 30, 2010
Number of Graduates	Number placed in Field or Related Field	Number Continuing Education	Placement Percentage
5	1	0	20%
Median Loan Debt - Year Ended June 30th, 2011
Federal Education Loans			$26,966
Institutional Loans			$0
Private Education Loans			$0
Employment
23-2011.00 - Paralegals and Legal Assistants
23-2093.00 - Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers
23-2090.00 - Legal Support Workers, All Other

return to top of page

 

 

Call Today: 1-828-398-2500