General Education Policy
The certificate in Paralegal Studies is designed for students who have an A.A., A.S., A.A.S.*, or baccalaureate degree and would like to start a career as a paralegal. Previous degree must have at least 18 semester credits of general education course work and must meet certain requirements for writing proficiency, oral communication skills, and breadth of study.
* A.A.S. students must consult the Department Chair.
Transfer Credit Policy
It is the policy of the Legal Studies program to accept legal specialty transfer credits from accredited institutions, subject to the following provisions.
Degree and certificate students must complete a minimum of 12 legal specialty credits at CCBC. CCBC will accept a maximum of 75% of the program credits for a degree or certificate through transfer or other types of prior learning assessments. Courses completed by portfolio or credit by examination will not be considered for transfer as legal specialty courses. Students must complete a minimum of 25% of their coursework at CCBC, of which a minimum of 12 credits must be CCBC legal specialty credits.
Consideration for transfer credit will only be given to courses in which the student earned a grade of “C” or better. For legal specialty courses completed in any format other than traditional face to face instruction, acceptance of transfer credits will also be subject to Department Chair verifying that the student has or will be completing a minimum of 9 credits of legal specialty coursework through synchronous instruction.
Students seeking to transfer legal specialty credits must meet with the Legal Studies Department Chair. The student must provide an official transcript listing the legal specialty course, the date the course was taken, the grade earned, and the number of credits received for the course. The student must also provide a catalog description and/or a course syllabus, which indicates the format in which the course was taken (accelerated, traditional, hybrid, online, independent study, etc.), and be able to discuss the goals and objectives completed during the course. The length of time between when a legal specialty course was completed and the date a student is requesting transfer of the credit to CCBC will be a factor used by the Department Chair in deciding whether or not to accept the legal specialty credits.
If it is determined that the course is sufficiently similar to a legal specialty course in the CCBC program and all of the foregoing requirements are met, the Department Chair will notify the CCBC Records and Registration Office to accept the transferred course as a substitute for the legal specialty course. Final decision on the acceptance of transfer credit for legal specialty courses is made by the Legal Studies Department Chair. Credits earned for prior learning or by examination will not be accepted for transfer of legal specialty credits.
The following courses are considered legal specialty courses: LGST 103, LGST 104, LGST 108, LGST 201, LGST 202, LGST 203, LGST 205, LGST 206, LGST 207, LGST 208, LGST 209, LGST 217, LGST 225, and LGST 230.
The Legal Studies transfer credit policy is subject to change without notice due to changes in requirements from the American Bar Association, Standing Committee on Paralegals. For the most recent transfer credit policy, please contact the Department Chair, Donna S. Mandl, dmandl@ccbcmd.edu.
