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Understand the Legal System To Simplify It
In collaboration with The Colleges of Law, we are proud to offer the online Legal Studies Certificate program to prospective students like you who want to guide vulnerable people through our often dauntingly complex legal system.
Understanding that system requires legal expertise. As a student in the Legal Studies Certificate online program, you will attend online courses offered at The Colleges of Law, a highly regarded law school in California and fellow member of The Community Solution Education System with Saybrook. You will gain a comprehensive theoretical and practical understanding of the field of law and how it works from The Colleges of Law’s expert faculty, made up of practicing judges, lawyers, and elected officials.
To prepare you to help a more diverse group of people throughout your career, courses in this program cover a range of topics, including:
- Family law
- Child welfare law
- Education and special education law
- Mental health law
Depending on your professional goals, the elective courses you choose can provide the training you need to reshape government regulations, become an advocate for policy reform, initiate and transform social welfare and public health groups, and provide advice and guidance to health care, public health, and criminal justice organizations.
Legal Studies Certificate Job Outcomes
Upon completion of the online certificate in legal studies, you will have an enhanced skill set and deepened perspective to augment your current social work career. Depending upon each state's specific credentialing and practice requirement, those who complete this certificate program may be suited for careers in:
- Criminal justice
- Social welfare programs
- Public health
- Government
Other Integrative Social Work Online Programs
Interested in pursuing an online doctoral degree in Integrative Social Work? We offer multiple Ph.D. programs that may align more closely with your goals:
- Ph.D. in Integrative Social Work
- Ph.D. in Integrative Social Work: Integrative Community Studies Specialization
- Ph.D. in Integrative Social Work: Integrative Legal Studies Specialization
- Ph.D. in Integrative Social Work: Integrative Gerontology Studies Specialization
The Colleges of Law Is Part of Our Community
The Colleges of Law, along with Saybrook University and four other institutions of higher learning, is a member of The Community Solution Education System. Participation in this innovative system opens doors to unique, interschool opportunities such as the Legal Studies Certificate online program.
Program Components
Admissions Requirements
Interested participants must have completed a master’s degree program in social work, or other relevant area of study, from a regionally accredited college or university prior to enrollment.
Applicants for the Legal Studies Certificate program must submit the following:
- Official transcripts of accredited degrees
- A personal statement of up to 500 words explaining your professional interest in pursuing this certificate
- Current resume or CV
Invest in Your Future
Saybrook University remains committed to keeping higher education affordable and accessible. Our Financial Aid Department is ready to offer guidance and support in determining suitable financial assistance tailored to your needs, including potential scholarship opportunities, grants, and more.
Cost
Saybrook wants you to have the information you need to make an informed decision about your academic and career aspirations. Our Cost Calculator cost calculator provides an estimated cost of attending Saybrook to earn your Integrative and Functional Nutrition Certificate.
Sample Courses
Foundational Legal Skills
In this course, you will identify and distinguish sources of law, examine the differences between state and federal court systems, and research, analyze, and synthesize legal materials to write about specific issues, including the use of law as an instrument for social change.
Social Work and the Law
Whether navigating juvenile justice, immigration, or welfare systems, social workers and their clients confront critical legal issues every day. This course will introduce you to the often-invisible complex system of laws and procedures that shape and impact social work practice and the clients that social workers serve. You will gain an increased understanding of the purpose and scope of the law so that you are better able to identify issues, to make informed decisions, and to act.
Catalog
Please refer to our academic catalog for more information on the Legal Studies Certificate.
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University Learning Experience
Our Legal Studies Certificate program is a 100% online program. While the core of this program is completed asynchronously, there are some optional synchronous, online features designed to deepen your educational experience. We call this a Virtual Learning Experience (VLE). In addition to the VLEs, you will begin your studies with a virtual Welcome Week. Welcome Week activities, including a program orientation, are held online during the week before the start of Fall and Spring semesters. In-person Community Learning Experiences (CLE) are also available for you to explore. CLEs are held every odd-numbered year. They are optional and not required to complete the program.
Integrative Social Work Faculty
Saybrook’s Integrative Social Work faculty are practitioner-scholars dedicated to advancing their field through continued practice and comprehensive instruction. Meet some of our faculty members below.
Interim Department Chair, Integrative Social Work
- Higher Learning Commission (HLC) Faculty Advisory Committee Member and WASC Accreditation Reviewer - Teaching and Learning – Evaluation and Improvement
- Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) Site Visitor to BOA – Board of Accreditation
- Council on Social Work (CSWE) appointed Site Visitor of accreditation/reaffirmation to BSW/MSW social work programs.
- Professor of Social Work Law and Ethics
- Co-Editor of Journal of Educational Research and Practice
UNBOUND: Integrative Social Work
Advocate and lead with a person-centered, evidence-informed approach to social work and community well-being, where traditional principles meet holistic insights by earning your doctorate in social work or completing a social work certificate.
Profile, Students
Saybrook University Student Profile: Derek Kee-Haynes
For Derek Kee-Haynes, Saybrook’s humanistic approach makes space for decolonizing social work, because one size of social work doesn’t fit all.
Career Resources
Master’s vs. Ph.D. in social work: What’s the difference?
Ready to pursue a graduate degree in social work? Discover the differences between a master’s degree and a Ph.D. in social work here.