Skagit Valley College
Approved by ABA (American Bar Association), the Paralegal program is part of AAfPE (American Association for Paralegal Education) and it's one of the nation's most sought occupations. This program will prepare those that graduate from it to profess as a paralegal, with new writing and thinking skills. A lot of people that go through this Paralegal program are law office workers that want to learn more or people that come from backgrounds that are not law related. You have a number of options, including individual courses, or working on getting certificates or degrees.
Entry into the program:ATA Degree (Associate in Technical Arts Degree)
When you reach 90 credits worth of coursework, either general, technical or related education, you will get the Associate in Technical Arts degree. You also need to have a grade point average of 2.0 overall, with a technical major and a grade point average of 2.0. That technical major must be finished with 25 credits.
These are the options from where you can choose from for your coursework:
The assessment of writing and critical thinking is done with the PARLG 105 test, and the results will determine if students should choose Track A or B of the schedule.
Track A is chosen for students that would advance more if they took courses of skill-building and of general education, before taking the core Paralegal courses.
Track B is chosen for students that proved a minimum level of writing ability and critical thinking in the PARLG 105, and allows them to take the core Paralegal courses immediately. After taking the PARLG 105 in the Summer or Fall, and the student is advised to take the Track B, he will begin studies in the Fall quarter. If he takes the Track B, Winter quarter, he needs to take the BA 213 and the PARLG 105 Fall quarter. If you want to get into the Paralegal program during Spring quarter you need to talk with one of the advisors.
Program Certificates
A Paralegal certificate is given after all the requirements are completed, with a grade point average of at least 2.0.
