Prerequisites
For participation in this program, you must possess:
1. Minimum 12 semester hours of college credit, including freshman English, or a waiver approved by the program director.
A two-year associate's or four-year bachelor's degree is the preferred and recommended preparation although it is not required. We expect that students entering this program will possess the sufficient writing aptitude, as well as reading comprehension ability to handle junior/senior undergraduate level coursework.
Applicants who do not meet the minimum prerequisite of 12 semester college hours can petition the program director for a waiver of this requirement. Factors that will be considered include number of college hours, field of study, high GPA, quality and length of experience in the legal field, resume, letters of recommendation, and personal essay. All or some of these factors will be taken into account in arriving at the decision.Click here for the waiver form.
Those who prefer a classroom experience are welcome to explore our face-to-face program in San Antonio. Contact the program director for further information.
College transcripts are not required to register for this program, but they will be required to take the national Certified Legal Assistant (CLA) exam. Candidates must possess at least 45 semester hours of college credit, plus completion of this program or a similar program, to qualify for the CLA exam. Because various combinations of credentials may be accepted, those interested in taking the CLA exam should contact NALA directly to discuss their individual situations. UTSA reserves the right to request verification of college hours for any student registering for this program.
2. An email account.
3. General familiarity with using a computer, Microsoft Word, and the Internet.
4. Access to a printer.
5. The ability to complete 6 weekly field trips onsite to a local library containing the required law books, and 1 field trip onsite to your local courthouse.
6. Access to the required technology as outlined here.
Access to the required technology:
Software Requirements
- Microsoft Word: Assignments in this course must be submitted using Microsoft Word.
- Flash Plug-in: In order to view some interactive graphics and exercises in this course, you will need Adobe's Flash Player installed in your browser. While most browsers already have this installed, you may wish to test this by going to the Adobe website and viewing the animation on their front page.
- Adobe Acrobat Reader: Acrobat Reader allows users to read documents in PDF (portable document format), meaning that Acrobat preserves exact formatting in graphics and text, unlike Word or web browsers. In order to download, submit, and print certain forms from the course, you will need to download the free reader if you do not have it already. Then, test Acrobat Reader to ensure it works.
Technical Requirements
The following technical information helps you to participate in UTSA's Blackboard.
Program Coordinator and Participating Institution
Ms. Arianna Duggan
Paralegal Program Coordinator
Center for Professional Excellence
The University of Texas at San Antonio
One UTSA Circle
San Antonio, Texas 78249-0634
Phone: 210-458-7420
Fax: 210-458-6575
Email: arianna.duggan@utsa.edu
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