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Doctor of Juridical Science
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Georgetown offers a program of study leading to a doctorate in law (S.J.D.). Admission to the S.J.D. program is subject to rigorous requirements and is open only to outstanding applicants. Admission is based upon the applicant’s academic qualifications, scholarly potential, dissertation topic and the availability of a full time faculty member willing to supervise the applicant throughout the program. Candidates complete a two-year full time course of study, research, and writing under the supervision of a full time member of the faculty. If a candidate received an LL.M. from the Law Center within the past five years, he or she may ask to transfer four credits from the LL.M. degree towards the S.J.D. by applying in writing to the Associate Dean for Graduate Programs. During the first year, the candidate must complete an approved program of at least ten academic credits of course work, with an average of “B” or better, and substantial written work. The candidate’s dissertation committee will then decide whether to recommend that the student continue for the second year. A copy of the dissertation committee’s recommendation will be provided to the Office of the Registrar. If the candidate's first year was an LL.M. year, this appraisal shall occur at the beginning of the second semester of the first S.J.D. year. During the second year, the student will focus on the research and writing of the dissertation. A student is expected to be in frequent contact with his or her supervisor, who will monitor progress and provide advice throughout the writing process. After the faculty supervisor accepts the final version of the dissertation, the student must make an oral defense before a dissertation committee of three members of the faculty, who may recommend the conferral of the S.J.D. degree. Where the scholarship is truly exceptional, the committee may recommend that the degree be awarded with distinction. S.J.D. students are expected to complete their degrees within four years after commencing the program. Up to two additional years of study may be granted if the candidate obtains the consent of his/her faculty supervisor, and the request is approved by the Associate Dean for Graduate Programs. Approval will only be granted under extraordinary circumstances. Tuition for the S.J.D. degree is charged at the full time LL.M. rate for the first year, and at a rate equivalent to four academic credits each semester for the second year. Beyond the first two years, students are charged a continuing registration fee equal to the rate for one academic credit. Regrettably, no financial assistance is available from the Law Center to support doctoral studies. The candidate must complete the required first year of course work and research while in residence in the Washington, DC area, and is expected to complete the dissertation year here as well. In special circumstances, usually involving the nature of the research required for the dissertation, the candidate may with the permission of his/her supervisor and the Associate Dean for Graduate Programs be given permission to complete the dissertation away from the Washington, DC area. In this case, the candidate will be expected to return to the Law Center at least once a semester to meet with his or her faculty supervisor. For the first two years of the program, S.J.D. students are expected to be full time students and to limit any employment accordingly. S.J.D. students are limited to a maximum of ten hours per week of on-campus employment in the first year, and up to 20 hours per week of employment (on- or off-campus) in their second year. There are no employment restrictions after the second year. These employment restrictions are in addition to any imposed by an S.J.D.'s visa status. Admission is based upon the applicant's academic qualifications, scholarly potential, dissertation topic and the availability of a full time faculty member willing to supervise the applicant throughout the program. The application must be supported by outstanding recommendations from a law professor from the applicant's home country and from a professor familiar with the applicant's LL.M. work or teaching experience. Finally, the applicant must have excellent English language writing and speaking ability, demonstrated by a score exceeding 250 (with minimum scores of 25 in each of the three sections) on the computer-based TOEFL exam or 600 on the paper-based TOEFL exam (with minimum scores of 25 in each of the three sections). Applicants should submit the graduate program online application, all supporting documentation and the dissertation proposal by February 15, for the following academic year. The applicant's dissertation proposal, which must be presented in as much detail as possible, will be circulated by the Graduate Admissions Committee to potential full-time faculty supervisors. A full-time faculty member's interest in the research topic and his or her availability to supervise the applicant are essential prerequisites for consideration of any S.J.D. application, although they alone do not ensure admission to the program. If a faculty member expresses an interest in the proposal and the applicant demonstrates the requisite academic promise, the applicant will be interviewed, in person or by telephone, by the interested faculty member and the admissions committee. The applicant will be expected to discuss his or her dissertation proposal. After the interview and a final review of academic credentials, the admissions committee will make its final decision on the application. Revised January 22, 2008 (mbj) |
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