One of my hobbies is keeping up with education/occupational trends (odd, I know), and so I was interested to find out that George Washington University offers a Master of Professional Studies degree in Paralegal Studies. While it isn’t necessary to have a Master’s degree or any degree at all for that matter to get a job as a paralegal, the advanced credential certainly can’t hurt and actually could be key to long term career growth in the field. In times past, paralegals were often treated like half baked legal secretaries and some took the only way out they knew and applied to law school, but the thing was they didn’t really want to be lawyers so they ended up unhappy. But, times are changing, and these days for those interested in a career in government or an international organization, a Master’s degree entitles you to the same classification and pay grade as a J.D. That makes the Master’s degree in Paralegal Studies a good investment. A few schools today offer the “Executive JD” option – meaning study of law that doesn’t prepare for license with a state bar, in a sort of market response for customers who want to study law but don’t want a law license – but this credential is pretty much what it says it is – a law degree for people who are already executives and won’t ever have to explain to confused recruiters and mid-level managers on interviews why they have a law degree “without teeth” (i.e. license to practice). On the other hand, a program like the George Washington MPS is a good bet for people with an interest in law who aren’t executives, but also aren’t interested in law school, or for people who are already working in the field and want to stay in, but are also looking for a competitive edge in their career growth. The program is available in online, or traditional, on campus formats and both can be completed in about 15 months. Combine this MPS degree with a MLS/MLIS and your career growth and earning potential are wide open. (Fun fact: The Librarian of Congress earns more than a Senator).
Filed under: Career, Education, George Washington University, masters degree, paralegal studies
