Admission and Certification
Admission Requirements
An applicant may be admitted to the Department of Legal Assistant Education at any time. To be admitted, applicant must have:
- a high school diploma, or equivalent, and an American College Test (ACT) composite score of at least 17; or
- at least twelve credit hours from an accredited institution of higher education; or
- a baccalaureate or academic associate degree from an accredited institution of higher education.
Requirements for Completion of Certificate
Legal Specialty Course Requirement: 42 units
A unit equals one day of classroom time (9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.). Most classes meet for two or three Saturdays; seminars meet for one Saturday. In order to meet the legal specialty course requirement, the student will attend class for forty-two Saturdays. (A unit is equivalent to one-half credit hour. The forty-two units of legal specialty courses are equivalent to twenty-one credit hours of academic study.) Department of Legal Assistant Education courses may be accepted for credit in some degree programs at The University of Oklahoma and other institutions. Please contact those programs and institutions regarding the transfer of courses.
A twelve-point grading scale is used in which A+=12 and F=0. The certificate candidate must maintain a minimum 4.00, or C-, in required legal specialty courses and a passing grade in elective legal specialty courses. A candidate who receives a grade of D+ or below in a required legal specialty course must retake the course.
General Education Course Requirement: 40 hours
General education courses must be from an accredited institution of higher education with grades of C- or better. General education means those courses designed to give a student a broadly based liberal arts education. The courses shall be at the college level and provide students with critical reasoning and writing skills. Courses must be in at least three different disciplines, such as social and behavioral science, English composition and literature, foreign language, mathematics, humanities, natural science, and the fine arts. Courses specifically designed to develop professional, vocational, and technical skills are not considered general education. Examples of courses that are not considered general education include, but are not limited to, physical education, performing arts, accounting, computers, technical writing, business mathematics, keyboarding, and business law.
Candidate must demonstrate writing proficiency at the college level by satisfactory completion of a college-level English composition course or acceptable scores on recognized tests that measure writing proficiency.
General education courses must be completed in logical sequence. For example, candidate should complete English composition courses early in the course of study because writing is essential in paralegal studies.
The general education, writing proficiency, and total credit-hour requirements are assumed to have been met if the candidate has completed a baccalaureate or academic associate degree from an accredited institution of higher education.