BOWLING GREEN COMMUNITY COLLEGE OF WKU
BUSINESS AND COMPUTER STUDIES DIVISION

Jennifer J. Hall, J.D. , Program Director and Advisor
Office: South Campus Room 139K, (502) 780-2539

PROGRAM DESCRIPTIONGeneral Information About Degree, Transfers and Objectives:
 The Associate of Arts degree in Paralegal Studies requires a minimum of 64 credit hours and is designed to be completed in four or five semester terms.  Students must fulfill the stated requirements to declare a paralegal major and must follow the curriculum guidelines and course prerequisites to graduate.  Paralegal degrees will be awarded to those students who complete all requirements with an overall grade point average of 2.0 (out of 4.0) and receive a grade of "C" or better in all PLS general law and legal-specialty courses.
 Credits from other accredited institutions of higher education may be transferred and applied toward the degree.  An official transcript from each such college or university attended is required as a part of the admission process.  Post-secondary credit will be evaluated on a course-by-course basis for acceptance and applicability to the program.  General law and legal-specialty course credits will be accepted only from paralegal programs approved by the American Bar Association or programs in substantial compliance with the ABA guidelines.
 The objectives of the Paralegal Studies program are: (1) to create, implement, and maintain a strong, flexible program directed to the quality education of occupationally competent paralegals; (2) to provide a paralegal education program that leads to employment of its graduates by a wide range of employers; (3) to provide paralegals with a well-rounded, balanced education founded on a beneficial mix of general education, theory, and practical courses stressing understanding and reasoning rather than rote learning of facts; (4) to support both Kentucky rules and general principles of ethical legal practice, professional responsibility, the prohibitions against the unauthorized practice of law by non-lawyers and the use and supervision of paralegals by lawyers; (5) to provide an educational program which is responsive to the varied needs of the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the region and contributes to the overall advancement of the legal profession; (6) to provide a program which instills respect for the legal profession and its foundations, institutions, and quest for justice; (7) to maintain equality of opportunity in the educational program without discrimination or segregation on the grounds of race, color, religion, natural origin, gender, age, disability or economic need.

Career and Educational Opportunities for Paralegal Students and Graduates:
 Paralegals, also called Legal Assistants, work with lawyers in a wide range of professional tasks, including legal research, writing, interviewing, document preparation, and office management.  Paralegals work in law firms, business corporations, and government agencies.  Each paralegal studies student will be prepared for a professional career. Students will obtain practical experience working through the required paralegal internship before they graduate.
 The Bowling Green Community College of Western Kentucky University's Paralegal Studies program provides a high quality liberal arts education as a foundation for specialized legal skills.  The Associate of Arts (A.A.) Paralegal degree has more stringent admission and graduation requirements than most programs, which ensures the high quality of graduating paralegal professionals.  The general education credits may be applied toward a four-year degree in a number of disciplines.  Paralegal students are encouraged to earn a Bachelor's degree, and  students with most Bachelor's degrees can take just the paralegal classes and obtain the A.A. degree in Paralegal Studies.

ADMISSION AND MINIMUM GRADE REQUIREMENTS
1.  Student must be admitted to the Community College pursuant to the policies of the Community College and Western Kentucky University, and students who have not met the pre-college curriculum requirements must complete these.

2.  Student will enter the Community College as a Paralegal major seeking admission to the Paralegal Studies Program.

3.  Before being admitted to the Paralegal Studies Program, student must complete these courses with a grade point average of at least 2.0:
PLS 190C  Introduction to the Paralegal Profession
ENGL 100C  Freshman English
OST 220C  Word Processing
GOV 110C  American National Government

4.  Student will meet with the paralegal studies advisor to fill out a degree program.  Student will be admitted to the program when the degree program is filed.

5.  Student must take PLS 195C Legal Research and Writing prior to or concurrent with all other General Law and Legal Specialty Courses.

6.  Student must complete the Paralegal Studies Program course requirements.

7.  Student must maintain an overall grade point average of at least a 2.0 and receive no grade less than a C in General Law and Legal Specialty courses to complete the program.
 

PARALEGAL COURSES -  SEMESTER OFFERINGS
 
PLS 190C - Fall; Spring    PLS 195C - Fall; Spring
PLS 291C - Fall; Summer (on demand)  PLS 292C - Spring
PLS 293C - Fall and Spring    PLS 294C - Fall
PLS 295C - Fall     PLS 296C - Fall
PLS 298 - Fall; Spring    RE 273C - Spring
PLS 299C - Spring; Summer; Fall (on demand)

PARALEGAL STUDIES COURSE CURRICULUM

COURSE  COURSE TITLE      HOURS
COURSE PREREQUISITES FOR ADMISSION INTO PROGRAM:
ENGL 1OOC  FRESHMAN ENGLISH      3
GOV 110C  INTRO TO AMERICAN NATIONAL GOVERNMENT  3
OST 220C  WORD PROCESSING      3
PLS 190C  INTRO TO THE PARALEGAL PROFESSION              3               SUBTOTAL: 12

GENERAL EDUCATION AND OTHER COURSES:
OST 250C  BASIC BUSINESS COMMUNICATION    3
BUS 110C  BASIC ACCOUNTING I      3
SPCH 145C/161C  FUNDAMENTALS OF PUBLIC SPEAKING
     or BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL SPEAKING  3
HUMANITIES CATEGORY B ELECTIVE       3
MA 109C/116C GENERAL MATH or FUND. OF COLLEGE ALGEBRA   3
BIO 110C/115C ANATOMY & PHYSIOLOGY or GENERAL BIOLOGY             4/3
GEN. ED. ELECTIVE   (Not needed for students who take 4 credit-hour BIO 110)           1/3

STUDENTS MUST ALSO CHOOSE ONE COURSE FROM THE FOLLOWING:
ECO 150C  INTRODUCTION TO ECONOMICS    3
GOV 100C  INTRODUCTION TO POLITICAL SCIENCE   3
HIS 119C  WESTERN CIVILIZATION TO 1648    3
HIS 120C  WESTERN CIVILIZATION SINCE 1648    3
PHIL 115C  ELEMENTARY LOGIC      3
PSYC 100C  INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY    3
SOC 100C  INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY    3
SOC 220C  MARRIAGE AND FAMILY                 3                                                                                                              SUBTOTAL:22/23/24

GENERAL LAW  AND LEGAL SPECIALTY COURSES:
PLS 195C   LEGAL RESEARCH AND WRITING      3
PLS 291C  CRIMINAL LAW FOR PARALEGALS    3
PLS 292C  CORPORATE LAW       3
PLS 293C  CIVIL PROCEDURE       3
PLS 294C  ADMINISTRATIVE PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE  3
PLS 295C  ESTATE PLANNING AND ADMINISTRATION   3
PLS 296C  FAMILY LAW       3
PLS 298C  ADVANCED LEGAL RESEARCH AND WRITING  3
RE 273C   REAL ESTATE LAW      3
PLS 299C  INTERNSHIP IN PARALEGAL STUDIES               3
          SUBTOTAL: 30            TOTAL CREDIT HOURS:    64/65/66
 

SUGGESTED COURSE SEQUENCE FOR FULL-TIME STUDENTS:

FRESHMAN YEAR       HOURS

First Semester
ENG 100C [1]  3
GOV 110C   3
OST 220C   3
PLS 190C   3
Gen. Education or other [2] 2/3/4
  Total:         14/15/16

Second Semester
PLS 195C [3]   3
PLS General Law / Legal
     Specialty courses [4] 3
General Education or other 9/10
  Total:          15/16
 
 


SOPHOMORE YEAR     HOURS

First Semester
PLS 293C [5]   3
PLS General Law / Legal
     Specialty courses [6] 6
General Education or other 8/9/10
  Total:           17/18/19

Second Semester
PLS 298C [7]   3
PLS General Law / Legal
     Specialty courses [8] 9
General Education or other 3/4
  Total:           15/16

Third Semester
PLS 299C [9]   3
  Total:  3

 PROGRAM TOTAL: 64/65/66

NOTES TO ABOVE CURRICULUM SEQUENCING:

[1]   Students required to take ENG 055C must complete prior to taking ENG 100C.  Students required to take other developmental classes are encouraged to complete them prior to taking the first semester curriculum and cannot enter program until completing all developmental courses.
[2]   Traditional freshmen entering with less than 24 hours are required to take CC 100C (Freshman Seminar).  Other freshman are encouraged to take CC 100C.
[3]   Prerequisites include ENG 100C, GOV 110C, OST 220C, PLS 190C.
[4]   Students may choose RE 273C, PLS 291C, PLS 295C, PLS 296C.
[5]   Prerequisites include PLS 195C.
[6]   Students may choose RE 273C, PLS 291C, PLS 292C, PLS 294C, PLS 295C, PLS 296C.
[7]   Prerequisites include PLS 195C, PLS 293C.
[8]   Students may choose RE 273C, PLS 291C, PLS 292C, PLS 294C, PLS 295C, PLS 296C.
[9]   Prerequisites include PLS 195C, PLS 293C, PLS 298C.  Students are encouraged to complete all PLS General Law and Legal Specialty courses prior to PLS 299C internship.