Earn a Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD) in your area of expertise—in three years
Interested in earning your Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD)? This program is designed to allow you to complete the highest research degree in law within a specialized field of study of your choice.
Want to learn more about the SJD program? Visit our academic pages.
Application and Program Details
SJD applicants should have an LLM degree from an accredited law school in the USA. SJD applicants do not need to re-take the TOEFL or IELTS; they should submit the scores they used to gain LLM admission.
Enrollment of SJD students is limited. Admission decisions are made on a rolling basis and we encourage students to apply early in order to have the best chance of admission. Students applying for the Fall semester should submit their applications and thesis proposals no later than April 1. Students applying for the Spring semester should submit their application materials by October 15.
The Office of Global Legal Studies will match SJD students with law faculty who have similar research interests and who are available to mentor SJD students. There is no need for SJD applicants to contact law professors. Admitted SJD students are assigned a faculty mentor at the start of their first semester.