Paralegal [BS]

Location(s): In-person/hybrid

The American Bar Association defines a paralegal as: “a person, qualified by education, training or work experience who is employed or retained by a lawyer, law office, corporation, governmental agency or other entity and who performs specifically delegated substantive legal work for which a lawyer is responsible.”

The American Bar Association’s mission “is to improve the American system of justice by establishing ABA standards for the education of paralegals and promoting attorneys’ professional, effective, and ethical utilization of paralegal service.”

The American Bar Association approves Paralegal Programs that are deemed “superior paralegal education programs designed to raise the competence of those individuals who assist lawyers in the delivery of legal services.”

The Eastern Michigan University Paralegal Program has long been a program approved by the American Bar Association. After conducting a periodic rigorous review which included sending individuals to visit the campus and meet with students, staff, professors, and members of the legal community, in February 2023, the House of Delegates of the American Bar Association, acting on the recommendation of the Standing Committee on Paralegals, once again approved the Paralegal Program.

Learn

A Paralegal major provides professional training that lays the foundation for a career in the legal field immediately following graduation.

The Paralegal Program faculty – all of whom are attorneys – are committed to providing students with “real world” skills needed to succeed in today’s legal profession and to work under the supervision of an attorney.

Knowledge and skills students learn include:

Legal research, writing, and analysis;
Using computer-based research and office management software;
Learning court rules and procedures;
Learning doctrinal law;
Drafting legal documents;
Understanding corporate transactions;
Interviewing clients and case investigation skills;
Preparing for a civil trial; and
Applying all skills to and within the ethical standards of the legal profession and avoiding the unauthorized practice of law.

In one of their final semesters, Paralegal Program students take an internship course during which they spend time at the Washtenaw County / Eastern Michigan University Legal Resource Center located in the Washtenaw County Courthouse. The internship allows students to use their knowledge and skills to engage with individuals seeking help as they navigate legal matters and the legal system. Students typically highlight this work on behalf of the community as experience on their resumes and rely on connections made with legal professionals as they explore employment opportunities.

Opportunities

Employment opportunities are excellent in law firms, corporations, banks, human resource offices, hospitals, state and federal governments, and court systems. A number of graduates go to law school when they receive their Paralegal degree or after working in the legal field for a few years.

For General Education requirements and other Eastern Michigan University requirements, contact the GameAbove College of Engineering & Technology Advising at 734.487.9751 or cot_advising@emich.edu | Make an appointment

For information on Articulation Agreements, see Transfer Agreements . If you have a question about an Articulation Agreement, contact Transfer Partnerships.

School Information

Technology and Professional Services Management 206 Roosevelt Hall, 734.487.1161

Paul Majeske, Interim Director

Advisor Information

General Education (and other university requirements) Advising

GameAbove College of Engineering and Technology Student Services | Make an appointment, 203 Sill Hall, 734.487.9751

Faculty Advisor

To find your faculty advisor, please see School of Technology and Professional Services Management Advisors.

Program Admission

Program admission criteria are:

Admission to the University as an undergraduate or second bachelor’s degree candidate.

General Education Requirements:

For specific requirements, see General Education or view the General Education Worksheet [PDF] .

Major Requirements: 54 hours

Required Courses: 36 hours

Restricted Elective Courses: 18 hours

Group I - Paralegal Electives: 9 hours

Choose nine hours from the following:
LEGL 300 Marijuana Law 3 hrs
LEGL 315 Land Transaction and Real Estate 3 hrs
LEGL 318 Women and the Law 3 hrs
LEGL 320 Cyber Law and Compliance 3 hrs
LEGL 379 Special Topics 3 hrs
LEGL 415 Bankruptcy Law 3 hrs
LEGL 479 Special Topics 3 hrs
Group II - Interdisciplinary Electives: 9 hours

Choose nine hours from the following:
COMM 357 Interviewing as Communication 3 hrs
CRM 301 Criminology 3 hrs
CRM 338 Women, Crime and Justice 3 hrs
CRM 370 Corporate Crime 3 hrs
CRM 460 Criminal Law 3 hrs
LAW 293 Legal Environment of Business 3 hrs
LAW 393 Law of Business Enterprises 3 hrs
LAW 403 Employment Law 3 hrs
LEGA 202 Disabled in the U.S.A. - Rights, Prejudice, Claims and Responsibilities 3 hrs
LEGA 221 American Immigration Process [GEUS] 3 hrs
LEGA 379 Special Topics 3 hrs
LEGA 479 Special Topics 3 hrs
PDET 311 Engineering Intellectual Property 3 hrs
PHIL 355W Philosophy of Law [GEWI] 3 hrs
PLSC 302 Criminal Law and Politics 3 hrs
PLSC 305 Law and Policy in a Constitutional Democracy 3 hrs
PLSC 312 Constitutional Law: Institutions and Process 3 hrs
PLSC 313 Constitutional Law: Civil Rights and Liberties 3 hrs
PLSC 316 Mock Trial and Legal Process 3 hrs
PLSC 317 Constitutional Law: Criminal Due Process, Privacy and Economic Rights 3 hrs
PLSC 364 Legislative Process 3 hrs
PLSC 385 Judicial Process and Behavior 3 hrs
PLSC 386W U.S. Supreme Court Simulation [GEWI] 3 hrs
Additional Law-Related Course 3 hrs Permission from program is required

Minor Requirement:

This major does not require a minor.

Program Total:

Students must earn a minimum total of 120 credits at the 100-level or above.

Critical Graduation Information

Each undergraduate student will be responsible for fulfilling the requirements (or their equivalents) of the Eastern Michigan University catalog in force at the time of their initial registration at a college or university or a subsequent catalog, including the one in effect at the time of their graduation.

In the event an undergraduate student does not complete the degree requirements within seven years of the date of their original registration at a college or university, the student may be required to have their credits re-evaluated by the academic department(s) of their major/minor in keeping with catalog requirements in force during the year of their graduation.

Minimum requirements for all bachelor’s degrees awarded by Eastern Michigan University

Some majors and minors require more than the minimum in one or more of the areas below; students are urged to consult this catalog for the requirements of their particular programs.

Earn a minimum total of 120 credit hours at the 100-level and above.
- Courses numbered below 100 are not counted toward this degree requirement.
- At most, eight credit hours of physical education (PEGN) activity courses are counted toward this requirement.
Meet the requirements of the General Education program (see information below), including completing a Writing Intensive (GEWI) course in the student’s major.
Earn a minimum of 60 credits from a four-year college or university; courses taken at community colleges cannot be used to meet this requirement (Some formal program-to-program articulation agreements modify this requirement. See specific agreements for details).
Earn a minimum of 30 credits from courses taken at EMU.
Complete 10 of the last 30 hours for the degree from courses taken at EMU.
Have a minimum of 30 unique credit hours in their major and 20 unique credit hours in their minor for a total of at least 50 unique credit hours between them. Some majors that require 50 or more hours themselves do not require a minor. A double major automatically satisfies the need for a minor unless one of the two majors requires a specific minor. Students should check the requirements of the selected major in the undergraduate catalog to see if a minor is required.
Earn no more than 60 credit hours in one subject area (prefix). Credits over the 60 maximum will not be counted toward the minimum of 120 credits required for a bachelor’s degree.
Earn the minimum number of credits in 300-level and above courses in each major and minor as specified below - these credits must be earned in distinct courses; that is, no course can be used to fulfill this requirement in more than one major or minor.
- Earn a minimum of 6 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each minor
- Earn a minimum of 9 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each major that requires a minor.
- Earn a minimum of 15 credits in 300-level or higher courses at EMU in each major that does not require a minor
Transfer credit will be awarded for courses taken at colleges and universities that are accredited by one of the recognized regional accrediting bodies only if the courses are college-level (equated to 100-level or above at EMU) and the student earned a “C” (or 2.0 on a 4 point scale) or better. Transfer credit may be awarded on a case-by-case basis for college-level courses in which a “C” (2.0) or better was earned at institutions outside the U.S. or at non-accredited U.S. institutions; individual departments/schools conduct the internal review of such courses within EMU, and additional documentation may be required. Please note: EMU awards only credit for transferred courses; grades are not used to calculate an EMU GPA.
Earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 in courses taken at EMU to graduate. In addition, a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 must be reached in each major and minor. Only courses a student takes at EMU and those applied to their major or minor are used to calculate their major and minor cumulative GPAs. (Note: some programs may require a higher GPA - check with your program advisor.)

General Education Requirements - EMU’s General Education Program requires students to choose from a menu of approved courses in several different areas; do not assume that other courses in the same department or similar names will fulfill these requirements. A detailed description of General Education requirements is available in the General Education section of the catalog.

Students who transferred to EMU may have modified general education requirements based on Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA) or articulation agreements; consult your academic advisor for additional information.