Known as both The Grand Canyon State and The Copper State, Arizona is a great place to live, work, and study. Popular with snowbirds, retired people and people of all ages, many older residents move to the state in their later years because of the dry climate and lack of humidity. As a paralegal, you’ll work with people of all ages and help both locals and professionals with their legal needs. Arizona has a number of schools that offer paralegal programs, and you might find that you appreciate the benefits of taking all your courses online from one of those great schools.
Phoenix College
Criminal Justice, Emergency Response, and Legal Studies Department
Phoenix College ranks as the oldest community college in the United States. Established in 1920, the college opened as the Phoenix Junior College. Over the years, many students took courses on campus while enrolled in high school, and the college saw a large number of vocational students enroll in its programs. With a population of more than 12,000 students, it now ranks as one of the largest community colleges in the world. The college opened the Criminal Justice, Emergency Response, and Legal Studies Department after noticing that a large number of students expressed interest in criminal justice-related fields of study.
Associate in Applied Science (AAS) Paralegal Studies
Designed for students interested in working as paralegals, the Associate in Applied Science (AAS) Paralegal Studies is a program that many students complete in two years or less. It ranks as one of the few programs of its type approved and accredited by the American Bar Association. Upon enrolling in the program, students must maintain a grade point average of a “C” or higher in all of their courses. Failure to comply with this rule can result in the school placing students on academic probation or removing them from the program. Students take a total of 27 credit hours in required courses, which include introduction to law, civil procedures, contract law, legal research, tort law, and litigation technologies. Students also take two courses from 15 different legal electives. Those electives include real estate transactions, family law, criminal trial procedure, and business organization. Students can also take one or more internships in lieu of the electives.
Accreditation
- Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
- American Bar Association
Contact
1202 W. Thomas Road
Phoenix, Arizona 85013
Pima Community College
Business Careers Department
Located in Tuscon, Pima Community College opened as a junior college in 1969 as Pima College. The first classes met in a series of locations around the city, but the college later established its own campus and renamed itself. Built on the idea that every student interested in higher education had the right to that education, the college kept its costs down and offered a variety of financial aid packages to help students enroll in courses. The college now has six different campuses and three education centers. More than 62,000 students enroll in classes every year, including its business careers courses.
Associate in Applied Science (AAS) Paralegal Studies
The Associate in Applied Science (AAS) Paralegal Studies program through Pima Community College is a terminal program designed for students interested in working immediately after graduation. Though many of the credits that students earn won’t transfer to other colleges, they can seek employment as paralegals, law clerks, legal investigators, and legal assistants. The school will work with students interested in transferring to another program or school, and your adviser can help you determine which courses will transfer. This 66 credit hour program requires that students take three courses in humanities and social sciences, two classes in analysis and critical thinking, and six courses on writing, public speaking, accounting, and computers. After completing those courses, you take eight required courses on paralegal ethics, legal research, civil litigation, and similar courses. The college also requires that you take five specialty electives, which let you narrow down your studies onto one specific area of the law.
Accreditation
- Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
- American Bar Association
Contact
4905 E. Broadway Blvd.
Tucson, AZ 85709-1010
Rio Salado College
Online Programs, Certificates, Academic Certificates & Degrees
The Maricopa County Community College District launched in the 1970s with the hopes of offering higher education to the masses. The District opened 10 separate college campuses, which included Rio Salado College, which opened in 1978. Located in Tempe, the college provided nearby students with access to dozens of different programs and courses. Students can now take courses through one of the 15 satellite campuses located in the area, at the original Tempe campus or online through its Online Programs, Certificates, Academic Certificates & Degrees. The college added online courses to help students who couldn’t attend classes on one of its campuses.
Paralegal (Associate of Science)
Paralegals handle a number of tasks every day, which is why the Paralegal (Associate of Science) program through Rio Salado College features a number of required courses. Students take a minimum of 36 credit hours in required paralegal courses, and some students take a larger number of courses to gain more experience. The college offers 12 different paralegal electives, and students must take six to nine credit hours worth of those electives. Paralegal electives include courses on the Arizona Constitution, administrative law for the paralegal, elder law for the paralegal, corporate law for the paralegal and paralegal internship skills. After taking those courses, you can apply for an internship in your chosen area of law. As with most programs, you must also take general elective courses that round out your education. Students take at least one course on research or writing, mathematics, critical reading, natural sciences, humanities, and social sciences.
Accreditation
Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and SchoolsÂ
2323 West 14th Street
Tempe, AZ 85281
Now that you know more about the programs available to residents of Arizona, why not sign up for a paralegal program? You can learn more about administrative work, including how to file documents and answer questions from clients, but your paralegal program will also teach you how to research legal cases and do much more too.
For more information on obtaining your online paralegal degree, please see The 19 Cheapest ABA Approved Online Paralegal Programs.
