Paralegal, A.A.S.
A paralegal is 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. Paralegals are not authorized to practice law in any way, as the practice of law is restricted to persons who are licensed by this or any other state. Any act that requires a legal license to perform, unless otherwise authorized by applicable court rules, constitutes unauthorized practice of law.
This program combines an understanding of legal principles, legal analysis and ethical considerations with practical applications. Courses lead to an American Bar Association (ABA) approved Paralegal certificate. All Paralegal students must consult with an academic advisor. Students wishing to continue in a baccalaureate degree program after completing their associate degree should contact an academic advisor at their 4-year institution.
All paralegal students are required to take 10 credit hours of legal specialty courses through traditional classroom instruction. Each student must take 15 hours of paralegal instruction at CCA in order to receive a degree or certificate from this institution.
In order to meet ABA requirements, only certain online Paralegal courses are applicable to this degree. (Exceptions: PAR 209 at CCA only, and any listed in the CCA schedule offered at CCA only. Consult the Program Coordinator before taking any online class other than PAR 209.)
Degree Requirements: 60 credits
General Education Requirements: 30 credits
English and Communication
(9 credits)
| ENG 121 | English Composition I (GT-CO1) | 3 |
| ENG 122 | English Composition II (GT-CO2) | 3 |
| | |
| COM 115 | Public Speaking | 3 |
| OR | |
| COM 125 | Interpersonal Communication | 3 |
Mathematics or Science
(3 credits)
Choose one course from GT-MA1 or GT-SC1:
(GT-MA1)
| MAT 120 | Mathematics for Liberal Arts: GT-MA1 | 4 |
| MAT 121 | College Algebra: GT-MA1 | 4 |
| MAT 122 | College Trigonometry: GT-MA1 | 3 |
| MAT 123 | Finite Mathematics: GT-MA1 | 4 |
| MAT 125 | Survey of Calculus: GT-MA1 | 4 |
| MAT 135 | Introduction to Statistics: (GT-MA1) | 3 |
| MAT 166 | Pre-Calculus: (GT-MA1) | 5 |
| MAT 201 | Calculus I: GT-MA1 | 5 |
| MAT 202 | Calculus II: GT-MA1 | 5 |
| MAT 203 | Calculus III: GT-MA1 | 4 |
| MAT 204 | Calculus III with Engineering Applications: GT-MA1 | 5 |
| MAT 261 | Differential Equations with Engineering Applications: GT-MA1 | 4 |
| MAT 265 | Differential Equations: GT-MA1 | 3 |
(GT-SC1)
| ANT 111 | Biological Anthropology w/Lab (GT-SC1) | 4 |
| AST 101 | Astronomy I with Lab (GT-SC1) | 4 |
| AST 102 | Astronomy II with Lab (GT-SC1) | 4 |
| BIO 105 | Science of Biology with Lab (GT-SC1) | 4 |
| BIO 111 | General College Biology I with Lab (GT-SC1) | 5 |
| BIO 112 | General College Biology II with Lab (GT-SC1) | 5 |
| BIO 201 | Human Anatomy and Physiology I with Lab (GT-SC1) | 4 |
| BIO 202 | Human Anatomy and Physiology II with Lab(GT-SC1) | 4 |
| BIO 204 | Microbiology with Lab (GT-SC1) | 4 |
| CHE 101 | Introduction to Chemistry I with Lab (GT-SC1) | 5 |
| CHE 111 | General College Chemistry I with Lab (GT-SC1) | 5 |
| CHE 112 | General College Chemistry II with Lab (GT-SC1) | 5 |
| GEO 111 | Physical Geography-Landforms with Lab (GT-SC1) | 4 |
| GEO 112 | Physical Geography-Weather and Climate with Lab (GT-SC1) | 4 |
| GEY 111 | Physical Geology, with Lab (GT-SC1) | 4 |
| GEY 112 | Historical Geology, with Lab (GT-SC1) | 4 |
| GEY 135 | Environmental Geology,with Lab (GT-SC1) | 4 |
| PHY 111 | Physics: Algebra Based I with Lab (GT-SC1) | 5 |
| PHY 112 | Physics: Algebra Based II with Lab (GT-SC1) | 5 |
| PHY 211 | Physics: Calculus Based I with Lab (GT-SC1) | 5 |
| PHY 212 | Physics: Calculus Based II with Lab (GT-SC1) | 5 |
| SCI 155 | Integrated Science I - Physics and Chemistry (GT-SC1) | 4 |
| SCI 156 | Integrated Science II - Earth and Life Science (GT-SC1) | 4 |
Social and Behavioral Sciences
(9 credits)
Choose 3 courses from at least 2 different categories,
(GT-HI1, GT-SS1, GT-SS2, GT-SS3):
(GT-HI1)
| HIS 101 | Western Civilization: Antiquity - 1650 (GT-HI1) | 3 |
| HIS 111 | The World: Antiquity - 1500 (GT-HI1) | 3 |
| HIS 112 | The World: 1500 - Present (GT-HI1) | 3 |
| HIS 121 | US History to Reconstruction (GT-HI1) | 3 |
| HIS 122 | US History Since Civil War (GT-HI1) | 3 |
| HIS 205 | Women in World History (GT-HI1) | 3 |
| HIS 208 | American Indian History (GT-HI1) | 3 |
| HIS 215 | Women in U.S. History (GT-HI1) | 3 |
| HIS 225 | Colorado History (GT-HI1) | 3 |
| HIS 244 | History of Latin America (GT-HI1) | 3 |
| HIS 247 | 20th Century World History (GT-HI1) | 3 |
| HIS 250 | African American History (GT-HI1) | 3 |
(GT-SS1)
| ECO 201 | Principles of Macroeconomics (GT-SS1) | 3 |
| ECO 202 | Principles of Microeconomics (GT-SS1) | 3 |
| POS 105 | Introduction to Political Science (GT-SS1) | 3 |
| POS 111 | American Government (GT-SS1) | 3 |
| POS 125 | American State and Local Government (GT-SS1) | 3 |
| POS 205 | International Relations (GT-SS1) | 3 |
| POS 225 | Comparative Government (GT-SS1) | 3 |
(GT-SS2)
| GEO 105 | World Regional Geography (GT-SS2) | 3 |
| GEO 106 | Human Geography (GT-SS2) | 3 |
(GT-SS3)
| ANT 101 | Cultural Anthropology (GT-SS3) | 3 |
| ANT 107 | Introduction to Archaeology (GT-SS3) | 3 |
| ANT 201 | Introduction to Forensic Anthropology (GT-SS3) | 3 |
| ANT 215 | Native Peoples of North America (GT-SS3) | 3 |
| ANT 250 | Medical Anthropology (GT-SS3) | 3 |
| COM 220 | Intercultural Communication (GT-SS3) | 3 |
| ETH 200 | Introduction to Ethnic Studies (GT-SS3) | 3 |
| PSY 101 | General Psychology I (GT-SS3) | 3 |
| PSY 102 | General Psychology II (GT-SS3) | 3 |
| PSY 205 | Psychology of Gender (GT-SS3) | 3 |
| PSY 217 | Human Sexuality (GT-SS3) | 3 |
| PSY 226 | Social Psychology (GT-SS3) | 3 |
| PSY 235 | Human Growth and Development (GT-SS3) | 3 |
| PSY 238 | Child Development (GT-SS3) | 3 |
| PSY 249 | Abnormal Psychology (GT-SS3) | 3 |
| SOC 101 | Introduction to Sociology I (GT-SS3) | 3 |
| SOC 102 | Introduction to Sociology II (GT-SS3) | 3 |
| SOC 205 | Sociology of Family Dynamics (GT-SS3) | 3 |
| SOC 207 | Environmental Sociology (GT-SS3) | 3 |
| SOC 215 | Contemporary Social Problems (GT-SS3) | 3 |
| SOC 218 | Sociology of Diversity (GT-SS3) | 3 |
| SOC 220 | Sociology of Religion (GT-SS3) | 3 |
| SOC 231 | Sociology of Deviant Behavior (GT-SS3) | 3 |
| WST 200 | Introduction to Women's Studies (GT-SS3) | 3 |
Arts and Humanities
(9 credits)
Choose 3 different courses from at least 2 different categories:
Category I (GT-AH1)
| ART 110 | Art Appreciation (GT-AH1) | 3 |
| ART 111 | Art History - Ancient to Medieval (GT-AH1) | 3 |
| ART 112 | Art History – Renaissance to Modern (GT-AH1) | 3 |
| ART 207 | Art History - 1900 to Present (GT-AH1) | 3 |
| COM 130 | Communication and Popular Culture (GT-AH1) | 3 |
| ENG 221 | Creative Writing I (GT-AH1) | 3 |
| MUS 120 | Music Appreciation (GT-AH1) | 3 |
| MUS 121 | Music History: Medieval through Classical Period (GT-AH1) | 3 |
| MUS 122 | Music History Early Romantic Period to the Present (GT-AH1) | 3 |
| MUS 123 | Survey of World Music (GT-AH1) | 3 |
| MUS 125 | History of Jazz (GT-AH1) | 3 |
| THE 105 | Theatre Appreciation (GT-AH1) | 3 |
| THE 108 | Theater Script Analysis (GT-AH1) | 3 |
| THE 211 | Development of Theatre Greek-Reniassance (GT-AH1) | 3 |
| THE 212 | Development of Theatre Restoration to Modern (GT-AH1) | 3 |
| THE 215 | Playwriting (GT-AH1) | 3 |
(GT-AH2)
| HUM 115 | World Mythology (GT-AH2) | 3 |
| HUM 121 | Humanities: Early Civilizations (GT-AH2) | 3 |
| HUM 122 | Humanities: Medieval-Modern (GT-AH2) | 3 |
| HUM 123 | The Modern World (GT-AH2) | 3 |
| LIT 115 | Introduction to Literature (GT-AH2) | 3 |
| LIT 201 | World Literature to 1600 (GT-AH2) | 3 |
| LIT 202 | World Literature after 1600 (GT-AH2) | 3 |
| LIT 205 | Ethnic Literature (GT-AH2) | 3 |
| LIT 211 | American Literature to Civil War (GT-AH2) | 3 |
| LIT 212 | American Literature after Civil War (GT-AH2) | 3 |
| LIT 221 | British Literature to 1770 (GT-AH2) | 3 |
| LIT 222 | British Literature since 1770 (GT-AH2) | 3 |
| LIT 225 | Introduction to Shakespeare (GT-AH2) | 3 |
| LIT 246 | Literature of Women (GT-AH2) | 3 |
| LIT 259 | Survey of African American Literature (GT-AH2) | 3 |
Category III (GT-AH3)
| PHI 111 | Introduction to Philosophy (GT-AH3) | 3 |
| PHI 112 | Ethics (GT-AH3) | 3 |
| PHI 113 | Logic (GT-AH3) | 3 |
| PHI 114 | Comparative Religions (GT-AH3) | 3 |
| PHI 205 | Business Ethics (GT-AH3) | 3 |
| PHI 214 | Philosophy of Religion (GT-AH3) | 3 |
| PHI 218 | Environmental Ethics (GT-AH3) | 3 |
| PHI 220 | Philosophy of Death and Dying (GT-AH3) | 3 |
(GT-AH4)
| SPA 211 | Spanish Language III (GT-AH4) | 3 |
| SPA 212 | Spanish Language IV (GT-AH4) | 3 |
Paralegal Required Courses: 21 credits
PAR 116, PAR 205: Students may take either Torts or Criminal Law to meet the emphasis requirements or they may take both courses, one as an elective.
Electives: 9 credits
Select 3 courses:
PAR 116, PAR 205: Students may take either Torts or Criminal Law to meet the emphasis requirements or they may take both courses, one as an elective