Doctor of Juridical Science

Doctor of Juridical Science, Doctor of the Science of Law, (in Latin) Scientiae Juridicae Doctor or Juridicae Scientiae Doctor (sometimes also referred to as a Doctor of Laws), abbreviated S.J.D. or J.S.D., respectively, is a research doctorate in law[1] similar to the more commonly awarded research doctorate, the PhD[2][3] It is offered primarily in the United States (where it originated), and in Canada and Australia. As a research doctorate, it follows professional training in law (LL.B. or J.D.) and the first graduate degree in law (Master of Laws). 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,[4] Bond University,[5] La Trobe University,[6] the University of Canberra,[7] the University of New South Wales,[8] the University of Sydney,[9] the University of Technology Sydney,[10] and the University of Western Australia.[11] It was once offered by the Queensland University of Technology.[12]

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[13] It is considered the "most advanced law degree" by UVA Law,[14] Duke Law School,[15] Berkeley Law,[16] Harvard Law School,[17] Yale Law School,[18] NYU Law,[19] Stanford Law,[20] UCLA School of Law,[21] Washington University School of Law,[22] George Washington University Law School,[23] UIUC Law School.[24] According to Indiana University[25] 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 (or terminal) law degree that would follow the earning of the J.D. and LL.M. degrees."[26]

Applicants for the program must have outstanding academic credentials.[27] A first degree in law (such as a J.D. or LL.B.) is required, as well as an LL.M..[28] Exceptions as to the latter condition (i.e. holding an LL.M.) are seldom—if ever—granted.[29]

The J.S.D. typically requires three to five years to complete.[29][30] 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.[31]

Notable recipients of the degree of Doctor of Juridical Science include:

• Sang-Hyun Song (Cornell Law School, 1970), President of the International Criminal Court (ICC)
• Harvey L. Strelzin (New York University, 1906), New York State Assembly member and professor at New York University.[32]
• Charles Hamilton Houston (Harvard, 1923), prominent civil rights attorney[33]
• Lowell Turrentine (Harvard, 1929), prominent professor of law at Stanford University[34]
• Justice Bernard Jefferson (Harvard, 1934), renowned legal scholar and appellate court[35]
• Pauli Murray (Yale, 1965), prominent civil rights advocate[36]
• Ayala Procaccia (University of Pennsylvania, 1972), Israel Supreme Court Justice
• John Cencich (Notre Dame Law School, 2008), Professor and former senior United Nations war crimes investigator at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia at The Hague.
• Christos Rozakis (University of Illinois, 1973) (President of the Administrative Tribunal of the Council of Europe and former vice-president of the European Court of Human Rights)
• Ma Ying-jeou (Harvard, 1980), President of the Republic of China
• Theodor Meron (Harvard Law School), professor of law (New York University) and president of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia
• Hanoch Dagan, (Yale Law School, 1993), Stewart and Judy Colton Professor of Legal Theory and Innovation and former Dean of Tel Aviv University Faculty of Law, Justin D'Atri Visiting Professor of Law at Columbia University[37]
• Katherine Franke (Yale Law School, 1998), Sulzbacher Professor of Law, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, Columbia University; Director, Center for Gender and Sexuality Law at Columbia Law School; Faculty Director, The Law, Rights, and Religion Project at Columbia Law School[38]
• W. Michael Reisman (Yale Law School 1965), Myres S. McDougal Professor of International Law at Yale Law School[39]
• Lucian Bebchuk (Harvard Law School 1984), William J. Friedman and Alicia Townsend Friedman Professor of Law, Economics, and Finance Director, Program on Corporate Governance, Harvard Law School.[40]

See also

• Doctor of Law
• Legum Doctor (Doctor of Laws) (LL.D.)
• Juris Doctor (J.D.)
• Master of Laws (LL.M.)
• Bachelor of Laws (LL.B.)
• Doctor of Canon Law (J.C.D.)

Notes and references

1. "Doctor of Juridical Science – Legal Definition". Yourdictionary.com. 20 August 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
2. "Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD)". Archived from the original on 11 February 2008. Retrieved 11 February 2008.CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link)
3. "LL.M. and S.J.D. Programs, Graduate Studies in Law". Law.virginia.edu. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
4. "Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD), ANU College of Law - ANU". programsandcourses.anu.edu.au. Canberra, Australia: Australian National University. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
5. "Doctor of Legal Science (Research)". bond.edu.au. Gold Coast, Australia: Bond University. 5 November 2019. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
6. "Doctor of Juridical Science". latrobe.edu.au. Melbourne, Australia: La Trobe University. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
7. "Course - University of Canberra". canberra.edu.au. Canberra, Australia: University of Canberra. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
8. "Juridical Science (PrDoc)". legacy.handbook.unsw.edu.au. Sydney, Australia: University of New South Wales. 9 March 2017. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
9. Sydney Law School. "Doctor of Juridical Studies - Sydney Law School - The University of Sydney". sydney.edu.au. Sydney, Australia: University of Sydney. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
10. "C02027v5 Doctor of Juridical Science". cis.uts.edu.au. Sydney, Australia: University of Technology Sydney. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
11. "Doctor of Juridical Science". uwa.edu.au. Perth, Australia: University of Western Australia. 7 November 2019. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
12. "Admissions – Page 6 – Agent Newsbites". blogs.qut.edu.au. Brisbane, Australia: Queensland University of Technology. 2015. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
13. Doctorate document at US Dept. of Education
14. "S.J.D. Program". law.virginia.edu. Retrieved 4 May 2020.
15. "S.J.D. Program". law.duke.edu. Retrieved 9 April 2018.
16. "J.S.D. Program". law.berkeley.edu. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
17. "S.J.D. Courses & Academics". Law.harvard.edu. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
18. "Yale Law School | Contact the Graduate Programs Office". Law.yale.edu. Archived from the original on 28 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
19. "NYU Law – LL.M. & J.S.D.: J.S.D. Program". Law.nyu.edu. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
20. Stanford Law School. "Doctor of Science of Law (JSD) | Stanford Law School". Law.stanford.edu. Archived from the original on 20 July 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
21. https://law.ucla.edu/llm-sjd/sjd-program/
22. "Programs for International Lawyers/Juridicae Scientiae Doctor (JSD) Program".
23. The George Washington University Law School. "Doctor of Juridical Science | GW Law | The George Washington University". law.gwu.edu. Retrieved 9 May 2018.
24. "https://law.illinois.edu/admissions/graduate-admissions/jsd-application/". External link in |title= (help)
25. "S.J.D. Degree". Indylaw.indiana.edu. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
26. "NALP - National Association for Law Placement | Working Glossary". nalp.org. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
27. "SJD Degree". law.duke.edu. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
28. "Doctor of Juridical Science Degree". Law.gwu.edu. Archived from the original on 5 November 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
29. "Georgetown Law – Doctor of Juridical Science (Admissions)". Law.georgetown.edu. 21 September 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
30. "Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD) Requirements". Law.duke.edu. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
31. "Tulane Law School Prospective Students". Law.tulane.edu. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
32. "Press Release Archives #417-97 Leg. creating Harvey L. Strelzin Street". Nyc.gov. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
33. "Charles Hamilton Houston legal definition of Charles Hamilton Houston. Charles Hamilton Houston synonyms by the Free Online Law Dictionary". Legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com. 22 April 1950. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
34. "Lowell Turrentine, retired Stanford law school professor, dead at 96". News.stanford.edu. 26 January 1988. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
35. "Justice Jefferson Remembered as Soft-Spoken Legal Giant". Metnews.com. 29 June 1910. Retrieved 18 October 2011.
36. Yardley, Jonathan (7 May 1987). "A Woman's Triumphs in a Fight for Justice". Newsday. Retrieved 30 March 2010.
37. "Login | Columbia Law School". law.columbia.edu. Archived from the original on 21 June 2016. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
38. "Katherine Franke | Faculty | Columbia Law School". law.columbia.edu. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
39. "W. Michael Reisman - Yale Law School". law.yale.edu. Retrieved 2 September 2016.
40. Harvard Law School. "Lucian A. Bebchuk | Harvard Law School". hls.harvard.edu. Retrieved 2 September 2016.