UNM-LA News:
Area residents interested in pursuing a paralegal career will have the opportunity to earn a Paralegal Certificate through an online course being offered beginning March 5, by UNM-Los Alamos in partnership with the Center for Legal Studies, a Colorado company that provides students with affordable and effective legal education through colleges across the nation.
The 14-week Paralegal Certificate Course© prepares students for careers in the growing field of paralegalism. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics’ projections, the number of paralegal positions will be 28 percent higher by 2018 than it was a decade earlier, a growth rate that is much faster than the national average for all occupations.
The national median earnings for paralegals is currently $44,480, and freelance paralegal professionals can earn significantly more.
Students who complete the Paralegal Certificate Course will receive their certificate from UNM-LA. This provides instant credibility when presenting the certificate to would-be employers.
“This course provides an excellent opportunity for students to prepare for a new career while maintaining their current employment. The entire program is online, so students can do their coursework whenever they wish,” said Eileen Gallegos, who administers the program at UNM-LA.
“One dramatic difference between our certificate program and pursuing an Associate or Bachelor degree program is that those programs take between two and five years to complete and cost anywhere from $3,000 to $50,000,” said Gary Knippa, president of The Center for Legal Studies. “Our mission is to provide quick, intensive, low cost programs has never been more relevant than it is today. With the high unemployment numbers across the nation it is critical that workers in transition gain the skills they need to secure employment in fields with documented patterns of strong growth.”
The cost of the online Paralegal Certificate Course at UNM-LA will be $1,189. UNM-LA offers a number of programs geared to moving students into a career quickly.
Contact Eileen Gallegos at (505)662-0346 or egalleg1@unm.edu to learn more about this and other career training program.
