Doctor of Juridical Science


Doctor of Juridical Science, Doctor of the Science of Law, Scientiae Juridicae Doctor or Juridicae Scientiae Doctor, abbreviated S.J.D. or J.S.D., respectively, is a research doctorate in law similar to the more commonly awarded research doctorate, the PhD It is offered primarily in the United States, and in Canada and Australia. As a research doctorate, it follows professional training in law and the first graduate degree in law. It is primarily aimed at educating professors, legal scientists, and other scholars in law.

Australia

The S.J.D. is offered by the Australian National University, Bond University, La Trobe University, the University of Canberra, the University of New South Wales, the University of Sydney, the University of Technology Sydney, and the University of Western Australia. It was once offered by the Queensland University of Technology.

United States

The J.S.D., or S.J.D. is a research doctorate, and as such it is generally accepted as equivalent to the more commonly awarded research doctorate, the PhD It is considered the "most advanced law degree" by UVA Law, Duke Law School, Berkeley Law, Harvard Law School, Yale Law School, NYU Law, Stanford Law, UCLA School of Law, Washington University School of Law, George Washington University Law School, UIUC Law School. According to Indiana University it is the "terminal degree in law". The National Association of Legal Professionals states that the J.S.D./S.J.D. is "the most advanced law degree that would follow the earning of the J.D. and LL.M. degrees."
Applicants for the program must have outstanding academic credentials. A first degree in law is required, as well as an LL.M.. Exceptions as to the latter condition are seldom—if ever—granted.
The J.S.D. typically requires three to five years to complete. The program begins with a combination of required and elective coursework. Then, upon passage of the oral exam, the student advances to doctoral candidacy. Completion of the program requires a dissertation, which serves as an original contribution to the scholarly field of law.
Notable recipients of the degree of Doctor of Juridical Science include: