Tag: Paralegal – Honours Bachelor

At Durham College (DC), we offer more than diplomas and graduate certificates.

Students who want to combine comprehensive knowledge with practical experience can take one of our honours bachelor’s degree programs. Offered in five critical and in-demand fields – Artificial Intelligence, Behavioural Science, Community Mental Health, Construction Management, and Paralegal – our degrees integrate theory with intensive applied learning, setting you up for success after you graduate.

Here are three reasons why a DC degree may be right for you.

High-quality programs taught by industry professionals
At DC, our degrees are developed collaboratively between expert faculty and Program Advisory Committees made up of subject matter experts. These leaders in their fields help us ensure that students gain the skills and knowledge employers need.

We remain on the cutting-edge of education by providing programs that respond to shifting industry needs. Our Honours Bachelor of Artificial Intelligence (HBAI) was developed in response to the impact of AI on global business processes, and prepares students with the skills, tools and techniques required to design AI solutions. Similarly, we introduced our Honours Bachelor of Construction Management (HBCM) to address the labour shortage in this crucial field and produce graduates who can make an immediate impact on residential and industrial construction projects.

Our faculty members combine top scholastic qualifications with professional experiences and strong ties to their industry.

Variety of pathway options
Whether you’ve just graduated high school or have previous post-secondary experience, our degree programs are open to you.

For example, if you hold a diploma in Child and Youth Care, Behavioural Science Technician, Developmental Services Worker or Social Service Worker, you can leverage your previous learning to pursue your degree in Behavioural Science with advanced entry into the program. In less time and for less money, you can earn a degree and dramatically increase your employment prospects following graduation.

Similar opportunities are available for our Community Mental Health degree, where students with a diploma in Child and Youth Care or Social Service Worker can enter directly into semester four of the program.

Theory and training, all in one program
By combining classroom theory and hands-on training, our degree programs will enhance your practical skills with theoretical knowledge and give you a competitive edge in the job market.

Much like our diploma programs, our degrees offer you the invaluable opportunity to get out from behind your textbooks and put your knowledge to work in the real world via field placements. Artificial Intelligence students can gain experience working in the data analytics or artificial intelligence industry, while Community Mental Health students spend 14 weeks utilizing their studies in a supervised setting.

In the Paralegal program, students spend time at the Access to Justice Hub, where they represent real people in real court cases. By doing so, they see how the skills and knowledge they acquire in class can be applied in the workplace, gaining an incredible amount of practical experience and knowledge.

Beginning this fall, Durham College (DC) is offering a new way for students to prepare for a career in the growing paralegal profession.

To complement the two-year Paralegal – Diploma and one-year Graduate Certificate programs, DC is introducing the four-year Paralegal – Honours Bachelor program. Beginning in September, students who are passionate about the law can set their sights on the province’s second paralegal degree.

The paralegal profession has only been licensed in Ontario since 2009, and its parameters continue to expand. Paralegals can now represent people in civil litigation involving claims up to $35,000. Where once they were limited to representing people facing up to six months of jail time, they can now represent those facing up to two years for certain offences.

As paralegals take on more responsibility in the legal system, they need education that will fully prepare them for the courtroom, according to Dalton Burger, degree program coordinator.

“The sector is growing and the education has to keep up with it,” said Burger. “I’ve been teaching 15 years now. This degree is based on all the conversations the students and I have had, and what they’d like to see.”

Although a diploma will qualify students for the Law Society of Ontario’s (LSO) paralegal licensing exam, Burger believes the degree program will grow in popularity as the profession continues to expand. He pointed to degree courses on important subjects like constitutional law, Indigenous law and critical race theory as bonuses that, though not required by the LSO, give a budding paralegal an advantage in the job market.

Regardless of which credential they want, students have an invaluable learning opportunity at their fingertips. DC has partnered with the Durham Community Legal Clinic to create the Access to Justice Hub, where students can put their knowledge to work by representing real people in real court cases.

“It’s a free legal clinic, and the only one in Ontario where paralegal students gain experience working with marginalized people in their community,” explained Laurie Marshall, faculty member. “The Legal Clinic gains extra manpower having students there, and DC students have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for field placement. They gain an incredible amount of practical experience and knowledge.”

Working at the Hub was an indispensable opportunity for Siham Mao, a student in the graduate certificate program.

“My field placement experience at the Hub was incredibly rewarding. I admire and respect the Hub’s commitment in providing accessible legal aid for our community members facing barriers to justice,” said Mao. “I would highly recommend it for any students or volunteers looking to be a part of a team striving to bridge the justice gap in our community.”

The opportunity to apply what she had learned in class to the real situations she’ll encounter in her career was the highlight for Siobhan Rocks, another student.

“My work placement at the HUB gave me a fantastic opportunity to see how the skills and knowledge that I have acquired in college can be applied in the workplace,” she said.

Kristina Millson had a similarly valuable experience as she prepares for a career as a paralegal.

“I gained practical experience drafting court documents, speaking to clients, and going to the Court House to file documents and speak with the Court Clerks,” she said. “My experience at the HUB has made me even more excited to pursue this profession.”

With new program options like the Paralegal degree and unique hands-on learning opportunities like the Hub, DC continues to lead the way in preparing students to excel in their careers.