Georgetown Law Bulletin

DOCTOR OF JURIDICAL SCIENCE (S.J.D.)

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. For the first year, the candidate must be in residence in the Washington, D.C., area, and for the second year is normally expected to be in the area as well. In special circumstances, usually involving the nature of the research required for the dissertation, 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.
2. For the first two years of the program, 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.
3. Complete during the first year an approved program of at least ten academic credits of coursework, with an average of “B” or better, and substantial written work. In appropriate circumstances, the Associate Dean, in consultation with the candidate’s dissertation advisor, may authorize the candidate to take fewer credits of course work. The reduction in the number of course credits taken does not affect the tuition that is charged. 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.

Time for Completion of the Program

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 be granted only under extraordinary circumstances and only where the student is making satisfactory progress.