Students who are interested in becoming paralegals have a new training option at McLennan Community College. The school now offers a one-year Certificate of Completion in the Paralegal Program, in addition to the Associate of Applied Science degree option already available to students.

The certificate focuses exclusively on the research skills needed for an entry-level position in a law office. The program includes two semesters of courses totaling 33-34 credit hours and a supervised internship for real-world application of skills learned in the classroom. Courses are taught during the day and at night to accommodate students' schedules.

"We have a highly successful and respected two-year associate degree program and found that many students were highly sought after even before they graduated," said Linda Gassaway, MCC's paralegal program director. "We recognize that some students need a shorter course of training so that they can enter the legal workforce more quickly."

Students who complete the certificate program may apply those classes toward the associate degree program to continue their education.

"They can begin working in the legal field with the certificate while continuing to learn more about their new profession in the paralegal degree program. They even have the option to continue on to a bachelor's degree through the University Center at MCC," Gassaway said.

For more information, contact Linda Gassaway at 299-8203 or lgassaway@mclennan.edu.