Law & Paralegal Studies Major

Located next to Government Center in downtown Boston, Suffolk University offers you your choice of three undergraduate law programs including Paralegal studies. No matter which options you choose, your Suffolk degree will sustain your career goals.

Please note: You can't practice law or give legal advice with an undergraduate degree in law. Only licensed attorneys can perform these functions. If you're interested in law school, you should major in a subject that interests you. Many law school applicants major in the social sciences, sciences, humanities, or arts; or in business.

Undergraduate Legal Studies Programs

  • Bachelor's degree in Law
  • Associate's degree in Paralegal Studies
  • Certificate in Paralegal Studies

Our undergraduate law programs are intended as legal employment credentials and you'll have access to a world-class legal library at Suffolk University Law School. Our programs will prepare to work as a paralegal in a law office, corporate office, government agency, or other offices working with the law but will not qualify you to give legal advice directly to the public, except as permitted by law.

Suffolk graduates work in small, medium, and large law firms, corporations, insurance companies, state and federal agencies, and a variety of other law-related institutions. While these programs are not designed primarily to be pre-law, some alumni do go on to attend law school. Other graduates have pursued advanced degrees in communication, criminal justice, and other fields. 

Learn More

Learn more about the 2-year program for an Associate's Degree in Paralegal Studies.

Learn more about a Certificate in Paralegal Studies.

Learning Goals Learning Objectives
Understand legal concepts
  • Communicate effectively orally and in writing
  • Use critical thinking skills
  • Be effective legal researchers
Understand ethical behavior in the workplace
  • Make ethical decisions in the workplace
  • Appreciate importance of professional ethics and demonstrate understanding of code of ethics which apply to attorneys as well as paralegals
Understand legal analysis and research
  • Effectively use legal research tools, including technology
  • Master new resources, including secondary authority, legislative histories, and administrative materials
  • Understand legal analytic method
Understand legal procedure and the role of the paralegal in the American legal system
  • Analyze rules of precedent in substantive legal areas
  • Apply legal principles to real life cases

  1. Suffolk University accepts Legal Specialty course credits in transfer
  2. Suffolk University will generally only accept course credits in transfer as legal specialty courses from another ABA approved program
  3. Requests to accept transfer credits as legal specialty courses are reviewed on an individual basis by the Program Directors, the Office of Undergraduate Admissions, and the Registrar:
    1. Transfer credit for Legal Specialty courses is evaluated by the Admissions Office in consultation with the Undergraduate Law Program Directors, who review the course descriptions
    2. A student wishing to transfer credits as a legal specialty course bears the burden of proving the course is a legal specialty course
    3. Where necessary, the Program Directors will review the course description and syllabus from a transfer student’s originating University
  4. The Program does not accept Legal Research and Writing courses as the equivalent of those courses at Suffolk University unless the other institution is ABA approved. Those students may either choose to take the Legal Research & Writing II course at Suffolk and achieve a B or better in that class, or they may choose to take both classes at Suffolk and count their previous course as a LAWU elective
  5. Students seeking to transfer credits taken online from an ABA approved program must notify the Legal Studies Program Directors that the course was taken online. The decision whether to accept credits earned online rests with the Legal Studies Program Directors in consultation with the Registrar and Office of Undergraduate Admissions. Legal specialty credit will not be granted for online courses that were earned in a program that is not ABA approved
  6. Final determination of the acceptance of transfer credit for legal specialty courses taken at other institutions, including ABA approved programs, is made by the Program Directors. Credits for University-level courses taken at other accredited institutions that are not accepted as legal specialty credits may be accepted as general education credits
  7. The following limits are placed on the number of Legal Specialty courses accepted in transfer:
    1. Transfer students from ABA-approved paralegal programs working towards an Associate’s degree must take four Paralegal courses at Suffolk and two of the four courses must be required courses
    2. Transfer students from ABA-approved paralegal programs working toward a bachelor’s degree must take at least four Legal Specialty courses while in residence at Suffolk University
    3. For the Certificate option, students may transfer up to eight hours of Legal Specialty credit from an ABA approved school, which generally translates to two courses of the six courses required to complete the Certificate
  8. The Program does not award transfer credit by examination or portfolio

Courses & Requirements

Learn more about the classes, requirements, and different options available to complete the program.