Paralegal Studies major

Paralegal Studies: courses, careers, and where to study

Paralegal Studies trains graduates to support attorneys with legal research, drafting, and case management, suiting detail-oriented students drawn to law without attending law school.

A Paralegal Studies major covers legal research and writing, civil litigation and procedure, contract law, torts, legal ethics, and the use of case-management and e-discovery software. Programs are offered as both bachelor's degrees and shorter associate's or certificate tracks, and most include hands-on training in drafting pleadings, summarizing depositions, organizing case files, and interviewing clients under attorney supervision. Many bachelor's programs add concentrations such as litigation, corporate, real estate, or family law, and often require an internship at a law firm, court, corporate legal department, or government agency.

Paralegals (also called legal assistants) perform substantive legal work under the direction of a licensed attorney but cannot give legal advice or represent clients in court. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics lists an associate's degree as the typical entry-level education for the occupation, so a four-year Paralegal Studies degree is more than the minimum credential and can support advancement into senior or specialized paralegal roles; those who later decide to practice law independently must complete a separate law degree (JD) and pass a state bar exam.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of paralegals and legal assistants is projected to grow 0.2% from 2024 to 2034, and the occupation had a 2024 median annual wage of $61,010.

Academic classification (CIP)

In the federal Classification of Instructional Programs, Paralegal Studies maps to CIP 22.0302, Legal Assistant/Paralegal, within the LEGAL PROFESSIONS AND STUDIES family. The official definition:

A program that prepares individuals to perform research, drafting, investigatory, record-keeping and related administrative functions under the supervision of an attorney or court. Includes instruction in legal research, drafting legal documents, appraising, pleading, courthouse procedures, and legal specializations.

Source: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) 2020. View on nces.ed.gov

What credential Paralegal Studies is awarded as

Of the 9,086 Paralegal Studies credentials U.S. colleges reported conferring in 2023-24:

  • Certificate40%3,613
  • Associate46%4,221
  • Bachelor's9%812
  • Graduate5%440

This mix is fairly consistent nationally: across the 33 states reporting it, the certificate share moves by about 46 percentage points between the 10th and 90th percentile state, so the credential is more a property of the field than of where you study it. See the full study.

Credentials conferred in 2023-24, U.S. Department of Education IPEDS completions. A certificate is a different credential from a degree, not a lesser one, and this counts what was awarded rather than what a college currently offers.

What you'll study

  • Legal research using Westlaw, LexisNexis, and primary sources
  • Legal writing: memos, briefs, pleadings, and correspondence
  • Civil litigation procedure and the stages of a lawsuit
  • Substantive law: contracts, torts, property, and criminal law
  • Legal ethics and the unauthorized-practice-of-law boundary
  • Case management, document review, and e-discovery software
  • Client interviewing, fact investigation, and evidence gathering
  • Specialized practice areas such as litigation, corporate, real estate, or family law

Typical careers

Typical salary range: BLS, 2024 paralegals and legal assistants median $61,010Ranges are early-career estimates. Any BLS figure shown is the occupation-wide median across all experience levels, not a starting wage, and is informational only.

Related occupations

Occupations the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk associates with Paralegal Studies, with what each one pays and how many openings it is projected to average each year. Ordered by projected annual openings, largest first. Linked titles open the full CampusPin career page.

Occupations associated with Paralegal Studiesby the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk, with median annual wage, projected annual openings, projected employment change, and the education most entrants typically hold.
OccupationMedian payOpenings / yrProjected changeMost entrants hold
Paralegals and Legal Assistants$61,01039,300+0.2%Associate's degree
Title Examiners, Abstractors, and Searchers$54,9805,400+2%High school diploma or equivalent
Legal Support Workers, All Other$68,7604,700-1.2%Associate's degree

Crosswalk: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), CIP 2020 to SOC 2018. Pay, openings and projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024 wages, Employment Projections). 3 of these 3 occupations report a median wage.

“Most entrants hold” is what BLS observes about people already working in the occupation. It is not a legal requirement, not an admission rule, and not a guarantee of entry. Studying Paralegal Studies does not guarantee any specific occupation, and many of these roles are entered from several different fields. Projected openings are a projection, not jobs promised.

Before you commit to a Paralegal Studies major

CampusPin does not rank programs. Use these prompts to pressure-test whether a specific Paralegal Studies program fits your goals, they are decision questions, not claims about any school.

Ask the Paralegal Studies department

  • Which concentrations or specializations are offered, and which faculty lead them?
  • What does the typical course sequence look like, and how much is required vs. elective?
  • What labs, studios, clinical placements, or research opportunities are available to undergraduates?
  • Is there a capstone, thesis, internship, or co-op requirement?

Ask current students & check the curriculum

  • How heavy is the workload, and how accessible is the faculty?
  • What internships or co-ops did you do, and where do recent graduates end up?
  • Does the required curriculum actually match the careers listed above?
  • How easy is it to add a minor, double major, or switch tracks later?
Accreditation & licensure: Many paralegal programs are approved by the American Bar Association (ABA), which some employers prefer. Paralegals are not licensed, but voluntary certification is available from organizations such as NALA and NFPA. Confirm a program's ABA approval and the credentials valued by your target employers.
Degree level & graduate study: Many Paralegal Studiescareers are open with a bachelor's degree, but some, such as research, advanced-practice, or licensure-track roles, require a master's or doctorate. Check the typical entry-level education on each linked career page above before assuming a bachelor's is enough.

Find a Paralegal Studies program

CampusPin lists U.S. universities and community colleges by state, tuition, school size, acceptance rate, and campus setting, no account required.

Colleges that awarded the most Paralegal Studies credentials

Largest by credentials conferred in 2023-24. This measures the size of the graduating class, not quality, and it is not a ranking.

Based on credentials this institution reported conferring in the federal IPEDS completions collection for 2023-24. It confirms the field was awarded that year, not that the program currently accepts students, and it covers only the fields CampusPin tracks. Confirm current offerings with the institution.

Search Paralegal Studies schools

Where Paralegal Studies credentials were awarded

31 states have a distinct enough set of Paralegal Studies colleges to be worth its own page.

Search Paralegal Studies schools by state

Related majors

Put this major in context

The salary above is an occupation-wide median from federal data, not a starting wage or a guarantee. These CampusPin guides and reports help you read it well, see where a Paralegal Studies degree can lead, and weigh it against cost and program quality.

Explore Legal careers

Median pay, job outlook, and the occupations this field covers.

How one major leads to many careers

Why a single Paralegal Studies degree can open more than one path, and how to read the occupations above.

Why a median wage is not a starting salary

How to read a BLS median, and why early-career pay usually sits below it.

When accreditation and licensure matter

How program accreditation and state licensure can shape a Paralegal Studies path before you enroll.

Does a pricier college pay off?

How college cost lines up with graduation and earnings, an association, not a ranking.

Does picking a major narrow your college list?

Across the federal completions data, most fields barely change which colleges are on the table. Which ones genuinely do.

Certificate or degree?

What credential a field is usually awarded as is mostly set by the field itself, not by the state, with a short list of exceptions.

How this guide is sourced

This is an editorial guide from the CampusPin Editorial Team. Career and wage figures are from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, occupation-wide medians across all experience levels, not starting wages, and link to each career page. Program availability comes from CampusPin's free institution search; CampusPin does not assert that any specific school offers this exact major until that program data is verified. Last reviewed 2026-06-15. How CampusPin sources data · Report a correction.