Transfer Policy

Transferring In

This policy is intended to govern the transfer of Legal Specialty courses taken at other colleges to earn credit for legal specialty courses required to earn an Associate Degree or Paralegal Certificate from Middlesex Community College (MCC). 

MCC Admissions

MCC Admissions must receive an official transcript from the college where the credits have been earned.

MCC Admissions determines whether the college from which the credits were earned is an accredited institution and whether the student earned a C or better in the course for which legal specialty credit is sought. If so, MCC Admissions forwards a copy of the transcript to the Paralegal Program Director for further review.

Paralegal Program Director

The Paralegal Program Director requests that the student provide a copy of the course description from the college catalog as well as the syllabus for any legal specialty course desiring transfer credit.

Upon receipt of the requested material, the Paralegal Studies Program Director reviews the course description and the syllabus to ensure that the course is similar to that offered at MCC and meets the American Bar Association’s requirements for a legal specialty course. To be considered a legal specialty course by the ABA, the course must:

  1. Cover a specific area of law, procedure, or the legal process
  2. Be developed for legal assistants
  3. Emphasize legal assistant skills, forms, documents, procedures, and legal principles and theories
  4. Be pertinent to the legal assistant’s performance on the job

 Restrictions

  • Legal Research & Writing II must be taken at MCC
  • Transfer credit will not be given for more than two legal specialty courses to satisfy the paralegal elective requirements at MCC. 
  • No credit will be given for legal specialty courses taken more than six years prior to student’s completion of the program requirements.
  • Credits will only be given for paralegal internships taken through MCC

Legal specialty courses will be reviewed by the Director of the Paralegal Program who will compare the content of the course to make sure that it meets ABA standards.

Transfer credit will be given for no more than two legal specialty courses (6 credits) to satisfy requirements for an Associate Degree or a Certificate. Transfer credit will not be accepted for the Paralegal Internship course, PAR 199.

Transferring Out

Transfer Suggestions for Paralegal Majors

Under the MassTransfer policy, paralegal students who complete their associate degree and the MassTransfer requirements qualify for admission to public colleges and universities as outlined below.

Graduates from this community college program who meet the requirements of the MassTransfer Agreement:

Will be admitted into (subject to the restrictions noted):

Community College

Program

State College/UMass

Program

Middlesex

Paralegal Studies - MassTransfer option

Bridgewater

School of Arts & Sciences/School of Business

Middlesex

Paralegal Studies - MassTransfer option

MCLA

Any B.A. or B.S. degree program

Middlesex

Paralegal Studies - MassTransfer option

UMass Amherst

College of Social & Behavioral Sciences

Middlesex

Paralegal Studies - MassTransfer option

UMass Dartmouth

All liberal arts majors except mathematics

 

Note: Paralegal Studies Transfer Track program only.

Middlesex

Paralegal Studies - MassTransfer option

UMass Lowell

College of Arts and Sciences/Humanities

Note: Not all programs can accommodate all credits. Consult with a Transfer Counselor.

Last Modified: 1/16/24