The Master of Arts (MA) in Applied Legal Studies is a unique vocational graduate degree offered only at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia. It is the educational prerequisite for commissioning and practice as a notary public in the Canadian province of British Columbia.
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Background
A notary public in British Columbia, unlike those in the United States or other Canadian provinces, is a professional qualified to provide legal services on non-contentious matters such as wills and property transfers, in addition to customary notarial duties like attestation of signatures and taking affidavits. The Master of Arts in Applied Legal Studies is the educational pre-requisite to commissioning as a notary public in the province. The degree is offered by Simon Fraser University's School of Criminology and accepted its first cohort of students in 2008.
Admission and curriculum
The Master of Arts in Applied Legal Studies program is an approximately fifteen month sequence of instruction delivered in blended format that includes a combination of on-campus coursework combined with distance learning. Modules include topics such as contract law, legal writing, real estate law, and Canadian constitutional law. Distance learning components of the program are delivered via a real-time audio/video web-based chat application. Students are graduated from the program through a final examination in lieu of a thesis.
Though admissions decisions are ultimately made by Simon Fraser University, applicants must first be recommended by the British Columbia Society of Notaries, which mandates that prospective students possess an undergraduate university degree and five years full-time work experience in the banking, real estate, insurance, accounting, or legal sectors.
Recognition
In 2011 the program received an Award of Excellence from the Canadian Association for University Continuing Education.