A Master’s Degree in Paralegal Studies

If you are following the economy, you’d be aware that while JDs are facing declining recruitment prospects, at the same time the market for paralegals is seeing significant improvement. In their rush to cut business costs, both private and public institutions are assigning many functions, which could be handled by either paralegals or lawyers, exclusively to paralegals.

However, to make most of the trend, which is bound to continue in the foreseeable future, you need to put a greater number of differentiating factors on your resume than ever before. A Master’s degree in paralegal studies from an accredited university would definitely put you ahead of most paralegals who still do not feel the need for degrees.


If you are worried about time, there are a few Master’s degree programs in paralegal studies that are available in a combination of online and on-campus packages that can help you. Many of these programs are not only fully accredited, but also recognized and appreciated by both peers and the industry.

One of these courses, which is quite outstanding, is the Master’s Degree in Paralegal Studies offered by the George Washington University. A major portion of the course is conducted online and you can complete your studies and earn your credits from home at your own convenience. The Legal Specialties part of the GW Master’s Degree program in paralegal studies covers three areas: Government Law, Intellectual Property Law and International law.

The program has greater significance than many others, because litigation and work in intellectual property and international law is definitely on the rise and will continue as communications bring different parts of the world closer than ever before. On the other hand, according to trends of this decade and anticipating the future, traditional litigation and real estate sectors may lose growth for another few years. So, a Master’s degree that includes both Intellectual Property Law and International Law with 6 credits each is something that’ll make your resume shine and also increase your competence.

The 32-credit GW paralegal studies course at the George Washington University mostly uses ‘Blackboard’ the online teaching software for the web based program.

Candidates wishing to acquire degrees in paralegal studies at GW need a Bachelor’s degree from a regionally-accredited institution, with a 3.0 GPA minimum. Students for the Master’s degree program in Paralegal Studies may also request ‘advanced standing’ that satisfies the requirement of the 12-credit core courses. The total tuition fees including graduate and Master’s certificates is $21, 708 leaving out ancillary costs.

The Core Course Sequence with 12 credits consists of American Jurisprudence, Legal Research & Writing, Litigation and Corporate and Contracts law. Each of the modules carries 3 credits. The rest of the 32-credit program is divided into 18 credits for Legal Specialty courses, a 2-credit independent research project, and a non-credit internship.

While students may choose to apply for the graduate certificate in paralegal studies and then proceed to master’s, they can also directly apply for the master’s degree. In either case the Certificate courses need to be completed before the Master’s program.