Examples of Possible Careers*
Legal support workers, all other
- -1.2% decline
- 50,400 number of jobs
- $59,540 potential earnings
Paralegals and legal assistants
- 10.5% much faster than the average
- 337,800 number of jobs
- $52,920 potential earnings
Title examiners, abstractors, and searchers
- -2.6% decline
- 63,600 number of jobs
- $48,820 potential earnings
Contact Information
Fully Offered
Applications to the Legal Assisting Technology major are not being accepted at this time.
*Note
Source of occupation titles and labor data is from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Outlook Handbook. Data comprises projected percent change in employment over the next 10 years; nation-wide employment numbers; and the yearly median wage at which half of the workers in the occupation earned more than that amount and half earned less.
Description
Applications to the Legal Assisting Technology major are not being accepted at this time.
The Associate of Applied Science degree in Legal Assisting Technology provides training in legal office procedures, research, writing and criminal justice. The degree program is not approved by the American Bar Association and does not prepare students to work as paralegals.
Admission Requirements
The university affirmatively strives to provide educational opportunities and access to students with varied backgrounds, those with special talents and adult students who graduated from high school three or more years ago.
Kent State campuses at Ashtabula, East Liverpool, Geauga, Salem, Stark, Trumbull and Tuscarawas, and the Twinsburg Academic Center, have open enrollment admission for students who hold a high school diploma, GED or equivalent.
For more information on admissions, contact the Regional Campuses admissions offices.
Program Learning Outcomes
Graduates of this program will be able to:
- Demonstrate an understanding of the varieties of the practice of law, including private, governmental (all levels), the judiciary and corporate or other business settings.
- Demonstrate an understanding of the rules of professional and ethical conduct for lawyers, and their application to legal assistants.
- Demonstrate an ability to recognize, organize and prioritize their work to be as efficient as they can.
- Perform legal research using traditional and new technologies, and to apply the research to real cases.
- Demonstrate substantive knowledge in legal practice areas appropriate for paralegals, including family law, estate and probate administration and civil litigation.
- Draft various legal documents in various areas.
University Requirements
All students in an applied or technical associate degree program at Kent State University must complete the following university requirements for graduation.
NOTE: University requirements may be fulfilled in this program by specific course requirements, please see Program Requirements for details.
Course List Code | Title | Credit Hours |
| 1 |
| |
| 15 |
| 60 |
| |
Kent Core Requirements
Roadmap
This roadmap is a recommended semester-by-semester plan of study for this major. However, courses designated as critical (!) must be completed in the semester listed to ensure a timely graduation.
Plan of Study Grid | Semester One |
| COMM 15000 | INTRODUCTION TO HUMAN COMMUNICATION (KADL) | 3 |
| IT 11000 | INTRODUCTION TO OFFICE PRODUCTIVITY APPS | 3 |
! | PLST 18000 | INTRODUCTION TO PARALEGAL STUDIES AND PROFESSIONAL ETHICS | 3 |
| UC 10097 | DESTINATION KENT STATE: FIRST YEAR EXPERIENCE | 1 |
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 |
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 |
| | Credit Hours | 16 |
| Semester Two |
| ACTT 11000 | ACCOUNTING I: FINANCIAL | 4 |
| BMRT 11000 | INTRODUCTION TO BUSINESS | 3 |
! | PLST 28001 | LEGAL RESEARCH AND WRITING | 3 |
| Technical Elective | 3 |
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 |
| | Credit Hours | 16 |
| Semester Three |
! | PLST 28004 | PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF LITIGATION | 3 |
! | PLST 38006 | APPLIED LEGAL RESEARCH AND LITIGATION (WIC) | 3 |
| PSYC 11762
| GENERAL PSYCHOLOGY (DIVD) (KSS)
or INTRODUCTION TO SOCIOLOGY (DIVD) (KSS) | 3 |
| Technical Elective | 3 |
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 |
| Kent Core Requirement | 3 |
| | Credit Hours | 18 |
| Semester Four |
! | PLST 28003 | FAMILY LAW AND PROCEDURE | 3 |
! | PLST 28007 | ESTATE AND PROBATE ADMINISTRATION | 3 |
! | PLST 36792 | INTERNSHIP IN PARALEGAL (ELR) | 3 |
| Technical Electives | 6 |
| | Credit Hours | 15 |
| | Minimum Total Credit Hours: | 65 |