Department of Legal Studies
 | |
| Department of Legal Studies | |
| Type | Education, Faculty |
|---|---|
| Leader | Vacant |
| Leader title | Department Chair— Legal Studies, Criminal Justice and Public Administration |
| Affiliations | Oakridge College |
The Department of Legal Studies, Criminal Justice, and Public Administration prepares students for practical, academic, and service-oriented work connected to law, criminal justice, public records, public safety, and civic administration. For everyday use, the department is commonly referred to as the Department of Legal Studies.
The Department of Legal Studies believes legal education should do more than teach rules and procedures. It should help students understand how communities organize authority, resolve conflict, protect rights, document decisions, and hold institutions accountable. At Oakridge, we approach legal studies as both an academic field and a public responsibility.
The Department of Legal Studies reflects Oakridge’s broader commitment to stewardship, public service, and institutional memory. In Briarmont, questions of land, labor, ownership, justice, and civic responsibility have shaped the town for generations. Legal education is therefore understood as part of the larger work of helping communities govern themselves with fairness, order, and care.
The department does not function as a law school, police academy, or political science department. Instead, it provides preparatory pathways for students interested in legal support work, criminal justice, municipal administration, public safety, and future legal study. Students may pursue coursework in legal reasoning, court procedure, criminal justice systems, public records, administrative process, ethics, legal documentation, and public-facing institutional work.
Whether you are preparing for pre-law study, paralegal work, criminal justice, municipal service, public safety, or law-adjacent professional roles, the Department of Legal Studies offers a course of study that balances academic foundation with practical readiness. Here, you will build the habits of accuracy, judgment, communication, procedure, and responsibility expected in legal and public-service environments.
We serve students who want to investigate, document, administer, protect, interpret, support, and understand how institutions function. If you are seeking an education rooted in law, public responsibility, civic order, and the everyday systems that help communities hold themselves accountable, you will find your place here.
Programs of Study
The Department of Legal Studies offers a focused selection of academic and applied programs designed to support legal study, criminal justice, legal support work, municipal administration, and public safety preparation. Its course offerings are organized to serve students seeking pre-law preparation, practical legal office training, criminal justice study, public records work, municipal service, or entry-level security and public safety preparation.
Programs offered by the Department of Legal Studies include:
- A.A. in Criminal Justice
- B.A. in Legal Studies
- Paralegal Studies Certificate
- Municipal Administration Certificate
- Security and Public Safety Certificate
Together, these programs give the department a clear legal, civic, and public-service identity. The bachelor’s-level Legal Studies program supports students preparing for advanced legal study, including pre-law pathways, while the associate program provides a structured foundation in criminal justice. The certificate programs offer practical routes into legal support, municipal administration, and supervised public safety work without overstating Oakridge’s role as a law school, police academy, or government training institute.
Ranks & Positions
The department is led by its Department Chair and staffed through the standard Oakridge faculty ladder — Tenured Professor, Professor, Associate Professor, Assistant Professor, Instructor, Adjunct Faculty, and Teaching Assistant.
The department belongs to the Professional Studies division and reports to the Dean of Professional Studies.