DOCTOR OF JURIDICAL SCIENCE DEGREE

The Law School admits a very limited number of candidates for the Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D.) degree. This is a highly specialized, research-oriented program and is open only to individuals with outstanding academic qualifications and demonstrated research interests in their field of study.

Entrance Requirements

U.S. Law School Graduates: For S.J.D. applicants who earned their first law degree from a U.S. law school, the following entrance requirements pertain. Applicants must hold a B.A. or equivalent degree from a regionally accredited college or university and a J.D. and an LL.M. or equivalent degrees, both earned with excellent records, from law schools that are members of AALS or approved by the ABA. (The requirement for an LL.M. may be waived in exceptional circumstances.) Applicants must submit copies of their master's thesis or one or more papers or articles they have written. Applicants must include a research proposal and dissertation topic approved by a full-time member of the Law School faculty who has agreed to serve as the faculty adviser if the applicant is admitted.

U.S. law school graduates interested in applying for admission to the S.J.D. program should contact Graduate Programs Office, The George Washington University Law School, Washington, DC 20052. Telephone: (202)994-7242.   E-mail: grad@law.gwu.edu

Foreign Law School Graduates: For S.J.D. applicants who earned their first law degree at a foreign law school, the following entrance requirements pertain. Applicants must have graduated with an excellent academic record from a foreign law school known for high academic standards; such a determination will be made by the director of the International and Comparative Law Program or by a qualified faculty member. As outlined above for U.S. attorneys, additional requirements include an LL.M. degree (which may be waived in exceptional circumstances), copies of the master's thesis or one or more papers or articles written by the applicant, and a research proposal and dissertation topic approved by a full-time member of the Law School faculty who has agreed to serve as the faculty adviser if the applicant is admitted. Consideration for admission requires proficiency in the English language, both oral and written, as determined by the director of the International and Comparative Law Program or by a faculty member designated by the dean.

Foreign law school graduates interested in applying for admission to the S.J.D. program should contact Graduate Programs Office, The George Washington University Law School, Washington, DC 20052, USA.   Telephone: (202) 994-7242. E-mail: igpo@law.gwu.edu.

Degree Requirements

Candidates for the Doctor of Juridical Science must complete the following requirements in order to be awarded the degree: A residence period of not less than one academic year; a course of study and research, designated by the candidate's dissertation committee, of no less than eight credit hours; and completion and acceptance of a dissertation. The dissertation must be submitted no later than three years from the date of matriculation into the S.J.D. program.