Paralegal Studies FAQs

  • What courses make up the Paralegal Studies Certificate Program?
  • The UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education Paralegal Studies Certificate Program includes four courses in the following areas: Essential Skills for Paralegals, Tort Law, Contract Law and California Procedures.
  • How long is the program?
  • The online Paralegal Studies Certificate Program is a self-paced program that students have six months to complete. 
  • How much does it cost?
  • Tuition for the entire Paralegal Studies Certificate Program is $6,995. Textbooks and other materials are not included in tuition and will cost approximately $800.
  • Is there a payment plan?
  • No. For options on how to finance your education, please visit https://cpe.ucdavis.edu/student-services/financing-your-education.
  • Is the certificate program fully online?
  • Yes, the entire Paralegal Studies Certificate Program is completely online. You may work at your own pace, log-in at your convenience and complete the program in six months. Some students have completed the entire program in as little as three months.
  • Can you take each course individually?
  • No, the classes must be taken as an entire program. Students may not enroll in individual courses.
  • Can I transfer these credits to another institution?
  • Yes, the Paralegal Studies Certificate Program is offered for academic credit, which means that the units may be transferred to another institution. However, it is up to the institution that you are enrolling in whether they will accept the academic credit and how much of it they will accept.
  • Is there any financial aid that I could receive?
  • Yes, we have two lenders at UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education who offer students loans. We do not accept Federal Student Aid since we are a non-profit organization. Please refer to our student services page for further details.
  • Is there job placement for graduates?
  • All of our graduates have lifetime access to the ParalegalSpace website, which offers a number of resources, including a site listing job opportunities solely for our graduates.
  • Is this program ABA approved?
  • For a fee, the ABA approves programs that meet certain standards that they establish. Approximately 75-80 percent of the paralegal education programs in the country have opted not to pay for ABA approval. UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education has determined that ABA approval will not enhance the quality of our curriculum. The UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education Paralegal Studies Certificate Program curriculum has been approved by the UC Davis School of Law and is in compliance with the California Business and Professions Code 6450 through 6456. This program meets or exceeds the regulatory standard of 360 classroom hours.
  • Why choose the UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education Paralegal Studies Certificate Program?
  • This program is unique in that it offers students the ability to complete the program in 3-6 months. This is an intensive, skills-based program that will give you the skills attorneys are looking for and which you will be expected to perform in the law firm.
  • Does the UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education Paralegal Studies Certificate Program meet California’s Paralegal Requirements?
  • Yes, the program meets California’s Paralegal Requirements as outlined in the Business & Professions Code Sections 6450 through 6456. The California regulations require that a paralegal program offer either 24 semester units or an equivalent amount of hours related to law. This course meets or exceeds the regulatory standard of 360 hours. In addition, students earn up to 21 quarter units of academic credit for the program. Students should expect to devote at least 360 hours of academic work.
  • Who teaches the Paralegal Studies Certificate Program?
  • All of our instructors are highly qualified attorneys or judges who are members of the Bar Association. The instructors have years of experience in the legal industry and provide valuable insight into the legal profession.
  • Will graduates be able to sit for the NFPA Pace exam and the NALA CLA exam?

  • The National Association of Legal Assistants (NALA) and the National Federation of Paralegal Associations (NFPA) offer voluntary examinations for a fee. No state requires that a paralegal take any exam, and the vast majority of paralegals have chosen not to take either exam. NALA offers the CLA Examination, and NFPA offers the PACE Examination. If a student has a Bachelor's degree in any field and graduates from the UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education Paralegal Studies Certificate Program, that student qualifies to sit for the CLA and/or PACE examinations.

    Please note: The above organizations often alter requirements to sit for their exams. Contact those associations for the most current requirements to sit for those examinations.