How to Contact Us Graduate Admissions Georgetown University Law Center 600 New Jersey Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20001-2022 Email: llmadmis@ law.georgetown.edu Phone (202) 662-9020 Fax (202) 662-9439   S.J.D. Student and Alumni Profiles S.J.D. Student Profiles S.J.D. Alumni Profiles   Graduate Degree Programs and Careers in Law Teaching Frequently Asked Questions

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.

Requirements for the S.J.D. Degree:

1. Complete a two-year full-time course of study, research, and writing under the supervision of a full-time member of the faculty. During this period, the candidate must be in residence in the Washington, D.C., area. After these two years, the candidate may complete the dissertation away from the Washington, D.C., area if given permission from his/her faculty supervisor and the Associate Dean for Graduate Programs to do so. 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. While in residency, S.J.D. students are expected to be full-time students and to limit employment (on or off campus) to a maximum of 20 hours per week. This employment restriction applies regardless of whether a student's visa would permit more hours of employment.
2. Participate in the S.J.D. Colloquium and S.J.D. Methods Seminar during the candidate's time in residency. The S.J.D. Colloquium is a year-long class that allows students to present their work to one another. Its goal is to improve the quality of students' work in a collaborative and supportive environment. The S.J.D. Methods Seminar, which is also a year-long class, provides students with an introduction to the analysis of and methodology for the writing of a dissertation.
3. Make appropriate and adequate progress towards the completion of a dissertation. At the end of each academic year, the candidate’s dissertation committee will report to the Associate Dean for Graduate Programs whether the candidate is making satisfactory academic progress. If, in the opinion of the dissertation committee and the Associate Dean for Graduate Programs, the candidate is not making appropriate progress, the candidate may be terminated from the program.
4. Submit a dissertation that is accepted by the candidate’s dissertation committee and complete an oral defense of the dissertation. The dissertation must make an original and substantial contribution to legal scholarship. Where the scholarship is truly exceptional, the committee may recommend that the degree be awarded with distinction.

Tuition

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. Financial assistance may be available.

Who May Apply

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).

Application Procedure

The application deadline is March 1st.  Information about the application process can be found at http://www.law.georgetown.edu/admissions/LLMApplicationRequirements.htm.

Revised December 14, 2011 (cdp)