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Graduate Program

Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D.) Program

Overview

The Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D.) is Harvard Law School's most advanced law degree, designed for aspiring legal academics who wish to pursue sustained independent study, research and writing. In recent years we have created a vibrant intellectual community of young scholars from around the world, most of whom will secure teaching positions in their home countries, the U.S., or third countries. We currently have over 70 S.J.D. candidates overall (some 50 in residence) representing 26 countries, drawn primarily from among Harvard's top LL.M. graduates. Candidates ultimately are expected to produce a dissertation that will constitute a substantial and valuable contribution to legal scholarship.

There are five stages to the S.J.D. program:

The first two of these requirements—preparation and completion of a study plan, and successful completion of the oral (general) examination—are normally completed during the first year of study. The S.J.D. candidate normally completes the remaining requirements—presentations at the S.J.D. colloquium, submission and acceptance of the dissertation, and oral defense of the dissertation—during the 36-month period following completion of the oral examination.

Each S.J.D. candidate pursues the degree under the supervision of an overall faculty supervisor selected by the candidate and approved by the Committee on Graduate Studies. Normally this supervisor must be a full-time member of the Harvard Law School faculty.

Programs of Study

Each S.J.D. student pursues a program of study that is tailored specifically to his or her academic interests. The process of developing this program of study begins with the S.J.D. application, in which the candidate identifies his or her proposed dissertation topic, an overall faculty supervisor, and proposed members of an orals committee. Once the applicant is admitted to the program, this topic is then refined into a study plan during the fall of the first year of S.J.D. studies, then further refined as the candidate's studies progress.

Our students pursue a wide range of dissertation topics—from behavioral approaches to law and economics; to the transformation of legal and democratic institutions in Central and Eastern Europe; to the role of prosecutors in the U.S. and Latin America; to the role of criminal defense lawyers in South Africa; to critical approaches to international law. Many of our students incorporate the insights of other disciplines into their work, drawing on the expertise and assistance of not only the Harvard Law School faculty but also that of scholars elsewhere at Harvard University and at other leading universities in the U.S. and abroad.

Unlike many other doctoral programs, Harvard Law School does not prescribe a particular sequence of courses for its S.J.D. students. Rather, the candidate spends the beginning of the autumn of the first year developing his or her own "study plan," or academic itinerary for the first twelve to sixteen months of study. This study plan includes a combination of courses, readings, and other academic work framed in the context of the candidate's specific fields of study, and lays a foundation for later work on the dissertation. Preparing a workable study plan requires candidates to undertake independent research, review past study plans that treat related topics, and consult with their faculty supervisors (all of whom are selected by the student) and members of the Graduate Program staff.

The study plan is organized around three or four "fields" chosen with reference to the candidate's dissertation proposal and future teaching plans. One might think of a field as an upper-level seminar in a particular area of study, or perhaps as a community of people who communicate with each other in writing. We encourage students to include one interdisciplinary field, a field that seeks to combine study of the law with insights from a discipline other than law (such as economics, history, philosophy, or political science). The candidate's work in each field is supervised by a scholar with expertise in the area; this scholar also constitutes a member of the candidate's orals committee.

Once a student's study plan has been approved, the student spends the rest of the first year in residence in Cambridge, pursuing the program of study called for. At the end of twelve to eighteen months, the candidate sits for an oral examination before his or her overall faculty supervisor and field supervisors. The oral examination is a rigorous two-hour exercise that both tests the student's mastery of his or her fields of study and provides guidance for proceeding to the next phase of his or her work. After successfully completing this examination, the candidate moves on to the dissertation phase. Candidates normally complete and defend the dissertation within three years after the oral examination. Although candidates are not required to remain in residence in Cambridge after the first year of study, most in fact do so.

In addition, S.J.D. candidates present their work on the dissertation twice during the program. Presentations are scheduled as part of the S.J.D. Colloquium Series, a weekly gathering of S.J.D. candidates, members of the Committee on Graduate Studies, and invited faculty. The first presentation is made after completion of the oral examination, and no later than the end of the second year of study. At this stage, the S.J.D. candidate presents selected themes of their work in progress—whether research findings, methodological considerations or some additional challenge of their doctoral project. The second presentation, which offers a comprehensive treatment of the doctoral piece, is completed prior to graduation in the last year of study. It is a formal presentation of the completed paper to academic colleagues, similar in form to a job talk or conference paper.

A sampling of the variety and breadth of the research projects and academic interests within the S.J.D. program can be explored by visiting the S.J.D. candidate web pages.

Academic Life

As is the case for most doctoral programs, pursuing the S.J.D. is an intensely individual endeavor, one that requires discipline and self-direction. To enrich what might otherwise be a lonely existence, the Graduate Program helps S.J.D. students form a larger academic community—both among themselves and in the framework of the larger Graduate Program and Harvard communities.

For example, the S.J.D. Colloquium Series, in addition to being a vehicle for the fulfillment of a degree requirement, in fact is a lively and serious forum for intellectual exchange. Many S.J.D. students also teach their own workshops, under the aegis both of the Graduate Program and other research programs, which attract S.J.D., LL.M. and J.D. students, graduate students from elsewhere in the University, and some faculty. S.J.D. candidates also work as teaching assistants, research assistants, and even co-teachers with various faculty members, within the Law School and elsewhere at Harvard. Many of our students present their work at academic conferences and lecture series at a range of venues worldwide. We also offer S.J.D. students a variety of workshops on such topics as teaching techniques, dissertation writing, and the job search process.

In addition, participation in the S.J.D. program often represents an opportunity to publish. We have recently launched a working paper series intended to showcase the work of Harvard's S.J.D. students. Many of our students have published portions of their dissertations and related work—in law journals, volumes of essays, and elsewhere—while still in the program.

Teaching Opportunities—At Harvard and Beyond

Because the S.J.D. is a degree designed to train law teachers, having the opportunity to practice one's teaching skills is critical. As indicated above, the Graduate Program offers its S.J.D. candidates numerous such opportunities at Harvard Law School, and many other opportunities exist elsewhere at Harvard. In addition, many S.J.D. candidates pursue short-term teaching opportunities at other institutions (some of them under arrangements with Harvard for this purpose). In recent years, our S.J.D. candidates have held visiting and adjunct professorships at such schools as The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, the University of California at Berkeley, Boston University, the University of Oklahoma, and the University of Puerto Rico.

Finally, most of our S.J.D. graduates obtain permanent employment at leading universities worldwide. In the past five years, our S.J.D.s have obtained positions at such top U.S. schools as the University of Michigan; Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Georgetown University; New York University; and elsewhere. Worldwide, recent students have joined the faculties of such schools as Australian National University, Australia; the University of Toronto and York University/Osgoode Hall, Canada; the University of Los Andes, Colombia; the University of London, England; the University of Helsinki, Finland; Tel-Aviv University and Bar-Ilan University, Israel; Birzeit University, Israel/Palestine; the University of Otago, New Zealand; the University of Stellenbosch, South Africa; and Landegg Academy, Switzerland.