Graduate division of National Paralegal College
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School
Description

NPC was founded in 2003 and has been continuously accredited by the DEAC since 2006. Initially offering 10 courses and one academic program, NPC now offers seven academic programs and more than 100 courses. NPC courses are synchronous, instructor-led and feature live interaction with instructors and lectures and other materials that can be viewed or downloaded for offline use by students at any time.

The mission of National Juris University is to provide quality Internet-based education to students seeking careers in the legal and regulatory professions. NJU seeks to enable those students whose lifestyles lead them to opt for distance education to obtain comprehensive instruction and training to meet their educational goals without having to compromise academic quality.

Admissions Criteria

The NPC graduate programs are administered by National Juris University (NJU), a subsidiary school of NPC. To gain admission to any graduate program, please complete our online application form. The applicant must have graduated from a college or university that is accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by the United States Department of Education or a foreign equivalent. In addition, the student must have achieved an undergraduate grade point average of 3.0 or higher (on a 4.0 scale). Students with an undergraduate Grade Point Average below 3.0 may be considered for admission if they can demonstrate, to the satisfaction of the Dean, that they are likely to succeed at NJU. A student can demonstrate an ability to succeed with work experience, graduate-level education, achievement of a superior score on a recognized graduate school admissions test, or other outstanding achievement(s). In all such matters, the decision of the Dean is final.

There are also the following program prerequisites:

Master of Science in Legal Studies and and Master of Science in Compliance Law In addition to having a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university, each incoming student must have completed at least one substantive advanced writing or legal writing course (graduate or undergraduate level) prior to taking his or her first "LGL" course at NJU.

Master of Science in Taxation In addition to having a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university, each incoming student must have completed at least three credits in mathematics or another quantitative area such as finance or statistics and at least three credits in accounting prior to taking his or her first course at NJU.

Where necessary, official undergraduate transcripts must be provided to NPC within 30 days of beginning classes. Students who are unable to furnish an official undergraduate transcript within 30 days after beginning classes may be dismissed from the college.

The goals of National Juris University are:

  • To provide students with a rigorous academic foundation as well as the career-oriented skills necessary to succeed in the workplace.
  • To use technology in order to bring the interactivity of the brick-and-mortar school experience into the student's home or office.
  • To create a collaborative online learning environment by encouraging class and message board participation by students and staff so that students can learn from each other as well as from faculty members.
  • To give individual attention and instruction to each NJU student through the diligent efforts of involved and interested professors, teacher's assistants and other faculty members.
  • To encourage student learning in legal subjects by dynamic instruction that piques student interest in the subject matter.
  • To prepare NJU students with the skills necessary to work as non-lawyer legal professionals at law firms, corporate law departments and firms and organizations that specialize in taxation.
  • To provide effective placement assistance services so that students have the opportunity to secure satisfying jobs in which they can make full use of their NJU education.
  • To enable students to read, understand and interpret legal materials such as cases, statutes, and other legal sources in a wide variety of contexts.
  • To teach NJU students to find relevant legal materials, including statutes, cases and secondary sources that are necessary to effectively conduct legal research.
  • To train NJU students to appropriately apply case law to the facts of hypothetical situations as they are likely to arise during the student's work as a legal professional.
  • To ensure that NJU students are acutely aware of their ethical responsibilities as legal professionals, including their responsibilities to avoid the unauthorized practice of law in their work environment.

Academic Programs

National Juris University offers programs leading to the following degrees:

All programs require the completion of 36 credit hours.
All programs consist of highly interactive structured courses.

Prestigious Faculty

The faculty is comprised of dynamic attorneys and other qualified professionals who bring the real-world law firm experience directly to you. Our team includes attorneys who have practiced law in the United States and abroad, computer professionals, and support personnel who have intimate knowledge of the day-to-day problems that challenge the legal or tax professional.

Live, Interactive Classrooms

National Juris University is a pioneer of interactive online distance education, and has fully interactive lectures given by experienced attorneys.

  • The interactive lecture brings the standard classroom experience into the privacy, comfort, and convenience of a student's home.

  • Instructors are able to draw illustrations, highlight, and mark up exhibits for all students to see, as the lecture takes place on the electronic whiteboard.

  • Lectures include analysis and discussion of legal concepts and how they apply to current legal and social issues.

All lectures are recorded in audio/video format. Students can view the lectures at any time at their own convenience. Attendance during lectures is not mandatory. The advantage to attending the lectures live as opposed to watching the recordings is the ability to ask the instructor questions during the lecture. The choice is yours.

Additionally, comprehensive message boards are populated by faculty and staff with legal research, course assignments, industry news and trends, the job market and much more.

Legal Research Training

LexisNexis Total Reserach System
LexisNexis is the leading completely online legal research tool in the country.

All students at National Juris University receive access to the LexisNexis Total Research System and are trained in its use. Students complete extensive research assignments using LexisNexis during the course of their studies and become proficient users of this important legal research tool.

Library and Information Reosurces Network

National Juris University is proud to partner with the Library Information Resources Network (LIRN) to allow our students access to academic, scholarly and popular research sources, including books, journals, magazines, newspapers and periodicals. This research library gives our students access to scores of databases and tens of thousands of documents not available on the open Web or through LexisNexis.

CALI

NJU is proud to be an institutional subscriber to the Computer-Assisted Legal Instruction ("CALI") online legal lesson database. Our students have access to the full array of hundreds of lessons across many areas of law. Enrolled NJU students should contract Stephen Haas for information on accessing this lesson database.

Voice Proctor

NJU uses the Voice Proctor system for exam security. Voice Proctor uses voice biometrics to ensure that the person taking the exam is the student who has registered for the course. This system protects NJU's academic integrity while allowing students to take exams at the time and location of their convenience, without being in front of a camera.

Non-Discrimination Policy

NPC is committed to equal opportunity in its education and admission policies. It is our desire to provide equal opportunity to all. NPC does not discriminate or differentiate based on race, color, creed, age, gender, national origin, religion, sexual orientation or disability. Amy Dubitsky is designated under 34 C.F.R. 104.7(a).

The United States Department of Education’s Title IX regulations require institutions that receive federal financial aid under Title IV must not discriminate on the basis of sex in the education programs or activities it operates. NPC aligns our policies with the principles on which these regulations are based. Questions or complaints regarding Title IX issues should be directed to NPC's Title IX coordinator, Ayala Wohlgelernter. Ayala can be reached via:

E-mail: ayala {at} nationalparalegal {dot} edu
Phone: 800-371-6105, ext. 106
Mail: 717 E Maryland Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85014-1561

Title IX training materials for NPC staff can be found here.