phd in legal studies

Ph.D. Program

The ph.d. in law degree.

The Ph.D. in Law degree program is designed to prepare J.D. graduates for careers as legal scholars and teachers through a doctoral program aimed at the production of a substantial body of academic research and writing under the close supervision of a three-member faculty dissertation committee. Unlike programs designed for students who wish to learn about law from the disciplinary perspectives of the social sciences or the humanities, the Ph.D. in Law is directed at students who wish to pursue advanced studies in law from the perspective of the law. This program offers emerging scholars an opportunity to contribute to the development of law as an academic field, and it provides an alternate pathway into law teaching alongside existing routes such as fellowships, advanced degrees in cognate fields, legal practice, and clerkships.

Because our entering Ph.D. students will have already completed their J.D. degrees, the anticipated course of study toward the Ph.D. in Law degree is three academic years and two summers in residence. In their first two semesters, Ph.D. students will enroll in courses designed to help them acquire the background and research skills needed to complete a dissertation in their field of interest and to prepare them for qualifying examinations that test the depth and breadth of the literacies and skills they have acquired. During their second year, students will prepare a dissertation prospectus and begin work on a dissertation. The dissertation may take the form of either three law review articles or a book-length manuscript and will make up a portfolio of writing that will be essential for success in the job market. Ph.D. students will also gain experience in the classroom, and receive the full support of Yale Law School’s Law Teaching Program , which has had remarkable success in placing graduates in tenure-track positions at leading law schools.

Ph.D. students receive a full-tuition waiver, a health award for health insurance coverage, and a stipend to cover their year-round living expenses, as well as support for participation in national and international conferences.

Applications for admission to the Ph.D. in Law program are available starting on August 15. The deadline for submission of all materials is December 15. Applicants to the Ph.D. in Law program must complete a J.D. degree at a U.S. law school before they matriculate and begin the Ph.D. program. Any questions about the program may be directed to Gordon Silverstein, Assistant Dean for Graduate Programs, at [email protected] .

Watch Gordon Silverstein, Assistant Dean for Graduate Programs, describe the Ph.D. program at Yale Law School.

Section Menu

Student Profile Videos

Omar Yousef Shehabi LLM

A student perspective on the LLM program, international law, and law teaching at Yale Law School.

Thomas Kadri PhD

A student perspective on the Ph.D. in Law program and his research on tort liability.

Adriana Edmeades Jones LLM

A student perspective on getting an LL.M. at Yale Law School and the benefits of faculty interactions.

Graduate Student Life

2020 and 2021 Graduate Programs alumni celebrate in the YLS Courtyard with Assistant Dean Gordon Silverstein before their in-person ceremony in May 2022

2022 Graduate Program degree candidates with Dean Heather K. Gerken in April 2022

The breadth and depth of public interest opportunities at Yale Law School are incredible, and the unique curriculum allows us to dive in as first-year students.

• School of Law

Ph.D. in Law

The Ph.D. in Law prepares graduates for global leadership in the judiciary, academia, business and government. Since 1966, the program has offered a select number of diverse students the opportunity to attain their highest professional aspirations and career goals. A preeminent center for interdisciplinary legal studies, UW Law offers a global focus and innovative approach to integrating legal scholarship within the humanities and social sciences, medicine and global health, business and technology, and environmental and public policy.

The Ph.D. program is designed to provide a rich and thorough foundation in research methodologies, jurisprudence, legal theory, policy, dissertation preparation and ready access to specialized elective coursework from within the law school and university-wide research centers, institutes and schools. Throughout the program, our graduate students receive individualized attention from exceptional faculty and staff.

With its long and respected history, the Ph.D. program provides students with a global alumni network. Alumni are committed supporters and mentors and lead in many sectors around the world.

The Ph.D. program requires a minimum of three years’ study, at least two years of which are comprised of coursework taken while in residence at the UW. Ph.D. candidates must complete 90 credits. A minimum of 60 credits must be taken at the UW including a minimum of 27 dissertation credits. Some of the credits earned in an LL.M. program may be counted among the 60 credits.

Doctoral dissertation committees are led by faculty experts from UW Law and include members with deep knowledge and expertise from across the university. Students can customize their studies with interdisciplinary coursework, independent study, field research, global internships and externships.

See full curriculum

• Current Ph.D.s in Law
• PhD Admissions

Related Links

Graduate Programs, UW School of Law William H. Gates Hall Box 353020 4293 Memorial Way Seattle, WA 98195-3020, USA gradlaw@ uw .edu

The Best Online Doctorate in Legal Studies Programs

Staff Writers

Contributing Writer

Learn about our editorial process .

Updated October 24, 2023

TheBestSchools.org is an advertising-supported site. Featured or trusted partner programs and all school search, finder, or match results are for schools that compensate us. This compensation does not influence our school rankings, resource guides, or other editorially-independent information published on this site.

Are you ready to discover your college program?

A doctorate in legal studies considers research methods, legal theory, justice policy, and jurisprudence as they pertain to legal institutions and the legal profession. Many programs prepare legal professionals and practicing attorneys to expand their expertise into specific areas of law, including maritime law, intellectual property law, and human rights law. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects 8% growth for postsecondary instructors , including those in criminal justice and law, between 2022 and 2032. Use this guide to learn more about what you can expect from an online doctorate program in legal studies.

For more degree and career info, jump to:

• Choosing an Online Doctorate in Legal Studies Program
• What Else Can I Expect From an Online Doctorate in Legal Studies Program?

Careers with a Doctorate in Legal Studies

Legal phd programs for you.

Because numerous types of degrees fall under the umbrella of “Doctorate in Legal Studies,” the following sections display top-ranked programs from several related ranking articles on our website. To learn more about these different degrees, follow the link at the end of each section to their corresponding ranking article.

• Criminal Justice
• Homeland Security
• Public Administration

We use trusted sources like Peterson's Data and the National Center for Education Statistics to inform the data for these schools. TheBestSchools.org is an advertising-supported site. Featured or trusted partner programs and all school search, finder, or match results are for schools that compensate us. This compensation does not influence our school rankings, resource guides, or other editorially-independent information published on this site. from our partners appear among these rankings and are indicated as such.

#1 The Best Online Doctorate in Legal Studies Programs

California University of Pennsylvania

• California, PA
• Online + Campus

The online doctor of criminal justice program at California University of Pennsylvania ranks as one of the field's best degrees. The public university helps degree-seekers complete a doctorate in a flexible format. Doctoral students also benefit from research support, career advising, and library access.

After passing comprehensive examinations, doctoral candidates propose a dissertation topic and conduct research in their specialty area. As the field's terminal degree, the doctoral program trains graduates for roles in academia, research, and industry.

Doctoral students attending the accredited institution online qualify for several forms of financial aid. Contact the program for more information about research support and financial aid.

California University of Pennsylvania at a Glance:

Online Student Enrollment: 4,367

Online Master's Programs: 13

Online Doctoral Programs: 2

Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 18-to-1

Graduate Tuition Rate: $9,288

Accepts Transfer Credits: Data not available

#2 The Best Online Doctorate in Legal Studies Programs

National University

• San Diego, CA

The Ph.D. in homeland security leadership and policy at Northcentral University offers a doctorate in an online learning format. Degree-seekers benefit from flexible course options through the private institution. Doctoral students meet with career advisors and faculty mentors.

The online program requires a minimum of 82 credits of doctoral coursework. After passing comprehensive examinations, doctoral candidates spend 1-2 years researching and writing their dissertation. A doctorate can lead to job opportunities in research, academia, and leadership.

Doctoral students qualify for fellowships, scholarships, and federal financial aid programs at the accredited institution. Contact the program for more information about research support and financial aid.

National University at a Glance:

Online Student Enrollment: Data not available

Online Master's Programs: 26

Online Doctoral Programs: 15

Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 3-to-1

Graduate Tuition Rate: $16,983

Accepts Transfer Credits: Accepted

#3 The Best Online Doctorate in Legal Studies Programs

Walden University

• Minneapolis, MN

Walden University offers a Ph.D. in criminal justice program with an online learning format. Thanks to a flexible format, the private institution makes it easier to complete a doctorate. Doctoral students also benefit from research support, career advising, and library access.

After passing comprehensive examinations, doctoral candidates conduct research for their dissertation. With a doctorate in, professionals may work in academia, research, and leadership roles.

Doctoral students qualify for federal financial aid and fellowships at the accredited institution. Contact the program for more information about doctoral admissions.

Walden University at a Glance:

Online Master's Programs: 39

Online Doctoral Programs: 20

Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 17-to-1

Graduate Tuition Rate: $12,039

#4 The Best Online Doctorate in Legal Studies Programs

Colorado Technical University-Colorado Springs

• Colorado Springs, CO

The online doctor of management in homeland security program, offered by Colorado Technical University-Colorado Springs, ranks as a top program in the field. At the private institution, degree-seekers take doctoral classes in a flexible format. Doctoral students engage in advanced research and benefit from support services.

Degree-seekers move through the program by passing exams and researching a dissertation project. As the field's highest degree, the doctorate trains graduates for academic, research, and leadership careers.

The accredited institution meets federal requirements for financial aid support. Contact the program for more information about research support and financial aid.

Colorado Technical University-Colorado Springs at a Glance:

Online Student Enrollment: 27,043

Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 31-to-1

Graduate Tuition Rate: $13,710

#5 The Best Online Doctorate in Legal Studies Programs

California Baptist University

• Riverside, CA

Doctoral students seeking an online program benefit from the doctor of public administration program at California Baptist University. Degree-seekers benefit from the flexible enrollment options at the private university. Doctoral students engage in advanced research and benefit from support services.

During the online program, learners complete advanced coursework. After passing comprehensive examinations, doctoral candidates conduct research for their dissertation. A doctorate prepares graduates for roles in research, academia, and leadership.

At the accredited institution, doctoral students qualify for several forms of financial aid. Reach out to the program to learn more about admission requirements.

California Baptist University at a Glance:

Online Student Enrollment: 6,112

Student-to-Faculty Ratio: 16-to-1

Graduate Tuition Rate: $12,830

See more of the Best Online Doctorate in Criminal Justice Degree Programs .

Choosing a Doctorate in Legal Studies Program

50 Best Online Colleges & Universities Earning a doctorate in legal studies online give you extensive training in research and scholarship as you pursue coursework on legal theory and practice. You acquire knowledge applicable to personal and professional goals, with many programs providing you the opportunity to tailor the program to a particular subset of law.

The interdisciplinary nature of a legal studies doctoral program provides you with exposure to legal subfields across historical and geographical boundaries. Corporate law professionals, for example, can explore the intricacies of finance and commerce law, while civic-minded legal activists can focus on environmental or human rights law.

Legal studies and law doctoral degrees require two to three years of coursework with at least one additional year to write a dissertation. Coursework prepares you to conduct research necessary for your dissertation. You will also develop a research proposal with faculty and work closely with advisors.

Some programs give you the opportunity to teach undergraduate students and participate in mock trials. Students also complete comprehensive oral or written exams over all of the classes taken. This demonstrates your expert knowledge of standards, practices, and principles of legal studies. Students must pass these exams and complete a dissertation to graduate.

What Else Can I Expect from an Online Doctorate in Legal Studies Program?

Doctoral programs in legal studies vary by school and department. Some classes remain consistent across the curriculum, but many degrees offer you the chance to concentrate on a particular segment of law, legal institutions, or jurisprudence. Programs that allow you to structure your program based on individual interests also give you practical knowledge applicable to your personal and professional goals.

Concentrations Offered for an Online Doctoral Degree in Legal Studies

• Careers This Concentration Prepares For: Corporate lawyer, human rights lawyer, corporate negotiator
• Careers This Concentration Prepares For: Criminal justice professor, law school professor, law school administrator, legal researcher
• Careers This Concentration Prepares For: Law school professor, legal scholar and researcher

Curriculum for an Online Doctoral Degree in Legal Studies

• Research Methods: Research methods courses train students to use qualitative and quantitative research techniques to gather data in anticipation of their dissertation. Students use research tools, including statistics and ethnographic software.
• Jurisprudence: Coursework on jurisprudence provides students with the history and philosophy of law to understand its current application. Students assess their own relationships with law and justice as well. Jurisprudence classes may involve activities such as moot court.
• Anthropology of Law: A course on the anthropology of law focuses on the relationship between law and society. Students learn about the interactions of culture, people, and institutions in the context of regulations, legal applications, and ethical norms.
• Current Issues and Trends in Law: Students learn about contemporary matters related to law and legal policy through extensive readings, in-depth discussions, and individual research. Classes may focus on a specific topic such as finance, management, human rights, or private law.
• Law and Morality: Law and morality classes emphasize the relationship between individual choice, dilemma, and law. Students study the nature of law as well as scenarios and case studies to assess how people make decisions when faced with punishment, penalty, or ethical conflict.

A doctorate in legal studies prepares you for careers that require expertise in research, analytical, and critical-thinking skills. You gain the knowledge needed to make ethical and informed decisions in a legal setting, and increase your potential career growth in academia, government, and business.

• Median Annual Salary: $80,840
• Projected Growth Rate (2022-2032): 8%
• Median Annual Salary: $97,250
• Projected Growth Rate (2022-2032): 0.4%
• Median Annual Salary: $135,740

Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics

Popular with our students.

Highly informative resources to keep your education journey on track.

Take the next step toward your future with online learning.

Discover schools with the programs and courses you’re interested in, and start learning today.

• Youth Program
• Wharton Online

Ethics & Legal Studies

Wharton’s phd program in ethics and legal studies is unique: the only doctoral program in the world to focus on ethical and legal norms relevant to individual and organizational decision-making within business..

The Ethics & Legal Studies Doctoral Program at Wharton trains students in the fields of ethics and law in business. Students are encouraged to combine this work with investigation of related fields, including Philosophy, Law, Psychology, Management, Finance, and Marketing. Students take a core set of courses in the area of ethics and law in business, together with courses in an additional disciplinary concentration such as management, philosophy/ethical theory, finance, marketing, or accounting. Our program size and flexibility allow students to tailor their program to their individualized research interests and to pursue joint degrees with other departments across Wharton and Penn. Resources for current Ph.D. students can be found at http://www.wharton.upenn.edu/doctoral-inside/ .

Our world-class faculty take seriously the responsibility of training graduate students for the academic profession. Faculty work closely with students to help them develop their own distinctive academic interests. Our curriculum crosses many disciplinary boundaries. Faculty and student intellectual interests include a range of topics such as:

• Philosophy & Ethics : • philosophical business ethics • normative political philosophy • rights theory • theory of the firm •  philosophy of law • philosophy of punishment & coercion • philosophy of deception and fraud • philosophy of blame and complicity • climate change ethics • effective altruism • integrative social contracts theory • corporate moral agency
• Law & Legal Studies : • law and economics • corporate penal theory • constitutional law • bankruptcy • corporate governance • corporate law • financial regulation • administrative law • empirical legal studies • blockchain and law • antitrust law • environmental law and policy • corporate criminal law • corruption • negotiations.
• Behavioral Ethics : • neuroscience and business ethics • moral psychology • moral beliefs and identity • moral deliberation • perceptions of corporate identity

Our program prepares graduates for tenure-track careers in university teaching and research at leading business schools and law schools. We have an excellent record of tenure-track placements, including Carnegie Mellon University, Notre Dame University, and George Washington University.  Click here to see our placements .

Sample Schedule

Core courses.

In addition to the Wharton Doctoral course requirements, the student’s four-course unit core in the Legal Studies and Business Ethics Department consists of two required doctoral seminars, LGST 9200 Ethics in Business and Economics, and LGST 9210 Foundations of Business Law. The remaining two LGST courses may be selected from a list of LGST courses that the faculty coordinator has approved.

Students without basic law courses will be required to take LGST 1010 in their first semester. Students will take LGST courses, other than Ph.D. seminars, under an independent study number, meet with the instructor periodically outside class, and write a paper. These requirements should be satisfied through courses taught by members of the LGST standing faculty, though exceptions will be made in special circumstances. The requirements may be adjusted for students with law degrees.

Ethics and Law in Business Courses

Students must take four LGST courses, including these two core course seminars:

• Ethics in Business and Economics (LGST 9200)
• Foundations of Business Law (LGST 9210)

Major Disciplinary Cluster

The purpose of the cluster is to ground students in a single academic specialty other than Business Ethics. Clusters include the following:

Students must choose a disciplinary cluster during the first year, in consultation with a faculty advisor. Required courses may not be double-counted. For example, a student choosing Philosophy as the cluster may not use the two required courses in ethical theory as part of the five course cluster requirement.

Get the Details.

Visit the Ethics & Legal Studies website for details on program requirements and courses. Read faculty and student research and bios to see what you can do with an Ethics & Legal Studies PhD.

Ethics & Legal Studies Doctoral Coordinator Brian Berkey Associate Professor of Legal Studies & Business Ethics

Academic & Business Administrator Tamara English Legal Studies and Business Ethics Department Email: [email protected]

Legal Studies Graduate Programs in America

1-25 of 103 results

Harvard Law School

• Cambridge, MA ·
• Harvard University ·
• Graduate School
• · Rating 4.33 out of 5   9 reviews

Harvard University ,

Graduate School ,

CAMBRIDGE, MA ,

9 Niche users give it an average review of 4.3 stars.

Featured Review: Doctoral Student says Extremely welcoming and friendly school. Makes everyone feel wanted and included! The teachers are very hands on and administration is wonderful. I was pleasantly surprised to see how much effort... .

Read 9 reviews.

Duke University School of Law

• Durham, NC ·
• Duke University ·
• · Rating 5 out of 5   1 review

Duke University ,

DURHAM, NC ,

1 Niche users give it an average review of 5 stars.

Featured Review: Doctoral Student says I love Duke Law. The community is excellent, the teaching is lovely, and Durham is such a nice place to live. I recommend it to anyone looking to attend law school. .

Read 1 reviews.

• Philadelphia, PA ·
• University of Pennsylvania ·

University of Pennsylvania ,

PHILADELPHIA, PA ,

University of Pittsburgh School of Law

• University of Pittsburgh ·
• Graduate School ·
• PITTSBURGH, PA
• · Rating 4.5 out of 5   4

Suffolk University

• · Rating 4.56 out of 5   16

University of Illinois Springfield

• SPRINGFIELD, IL
• · Rating 4.31 out of 5   32

Northwestern Pritzker School of Law

• Chicago, IL ·
• Northwestern University ·

Northwestern University ,

CHICAGO, IL ,

University of Chicago Law School

• University of Chicago ·

University of Chicago ,

Georgetown Law

• Washington, DC ·
• Georgetown University ·
• · Rating 5 out of 5   2 reviews

Georgetown University ,

WASHINGTON, DC ,

2 Niche users give it an average review of 5 stars.

Featured Review: Doctoral Student says Lots of access to a variety of different courses depending on what your interests are. Also can take courses in the evening which is nice for those who work during the day. .

Read 2 reviews.

• Find college scholarships

UCLA School of Law

• Los Angeles, CA ·
• University of California - Los Angeles ·
• · Rating 3.5 out of 5   4 reviews

University of California - Los Angeles ,

LOS ANGELES, CA ,

4 Niche users give it an average review of 3.5 stars.

Featured Review: Doctoral Student says I think law school in general always goes from bad to better over time. I started out really confused and anxious, and I don't think I really took advantage of what UCLA Law offered while I was a 1L.... .

Read 4 reviews.

University of Virginia School of Law

• Charlottesville, VA ·
• University of Virginia ·

University of Virginia ,

CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA ,

Featured Review: Doctoral Student says So far everyone has been so welcoming and supportive. I can’t wait to begin taking classes in the fall. I have heard nothing but positive things about the law program .

• Atlanta, GA ·
• Emory University ·
• · Rating 4 out of 5   4 reviews

Emory University ,

ATLANTA, GA ,

4 Niche users give it an average review of 4 stars.

Featured Review: Doctoral Student says The program has recently started, but we are in full force. I think the best part are the professors ability and energy to teach the classes. The worst part was probably the orientation. It seemed... .

Berkeley Law

• Berkeley, CA ·
• University of California - Berkeley ·

Blue checkmark.

University of California - Berkeley ,

BERKELEY, CA ,

Featured Review: Doctoral Student says Berkeley Law offers high quality legal education. Teachers are engaged and classes are stimulating. I am proud to be a Berkeley Law student .

Northeastern University School of Law

• Boston, MA ·
• Northeastern University ·
• · Rating 4 out of 5   6 reviews

Northeastern University ,

BOSTON, MA ,

6 Niche users give it an average review of 4 stars.

Featured Review: Doctoral Student says The professors are great and peers are more supportive than your typical law school. However, the administration is terribly unorganized year after year. It seems that have had the same problems for... .

Read 6 reviews.

NYU School of Law

• New York, NY ·
• New York University ·

New York University ,

NEW YORK, NY ,

Featured Review: Doctoral Student says For the past year, I've been deferring to pursue a Fulbright Peru scholarship, but I'm even more excited with this experience to begin at NYU Law in the fall studying human rights and international... .

• Sponsored Find Student Loan Options
• Intellectual Property Law Graduate Programs
• Paralegal Graduate Programs

Boston College Law School

• Newton, MA ·
• Boston College ·
• · Rating 4.75 out of 5   8 reviews

Boston College ,

NEWTON, MA ,

8 Niche users give it an average review of 4.8 stars.

Featured Review: Alum says I am an alum of BCLS and can say, hands down, I received a great education. BCLS cultivates an inclusive and supportive culture, that is academically rigorous. The big difference between BCLS... .

Read 8 reviews.

School of Law - William & Mary

• Williamsburg, VA ·
• William & Mary ·
• · Rating 4.67 out of 5   3 reviews

William & Mary ,

WILLIAMSBURG, VA ,

3 Niche users give it an average review of 4.7 stars.

Featured Review: Doctoral Student says W&M Law provides a personable and effective academic environment wherein the competitive nature of a normal law school takes a back seat. .

Read 3 reviews.

School of Law - Boston University

• Boston University ·

Boston University ,

Featured Review: Master's Student says BU has excellent faculty, a great facility, and a welcoming environment. While you can't escape competitiveness in law school, the cultivated atmosphere is one of helpfulness - in any way you may be... .

University of Illinois College of Law

• Champaign, IL ·
• University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign ·

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign ,

CHAMPAIGN, IL ,

Featured Review: Doctoral Student says I am an incoming student to the College of Law, but want to make sure it's noted that the professionalism, friendliness, and transparency of the administration during the application and... .

University of Miami School of Law

• Coral Gables, FL ·
• University of Miami ·
• · Rating 4.82 out of 5   11 reviews

University of Miami ,

CORAL GABLES, FL ,

11 Niche users give it an average review of 4.8 stars.

Featured Review: Doctoral Student says Miami Law is very challenging, and has a fair mix of amazing and undesirable professors. As a student entering my second year, I am very excited to take advantage of being able to choose a class... .

Read 11 reviews.

Case Western Reserve University School of Law

• Cleveland, OH ·
• Case Western Reserve University ·
• · Rating 5 out of 5   4 reviews

Case Western Reserve University ,

CLEVELAND, OH ,

4 Niche users give it an average review of 5 stars.

Featured Review: Master's Student says The school was amazing, the professors were amazing, the area around the campus is nice. The only downside is the winters. I hate snow, and Cleveland gets a lot. .

Tulane Law School

• New Orleans, LA ·
• Tulane University ·
• · Rating 5 out of 5   6 reviews

Tulane University ,

NEW ORLEANS, LA ,

6 Niche users give it an average review of 5 stars.

Featured Review: Other says I am currently enrolled for the Juris Doctor (JD) Program at Tulane Law School. This program gives me the opportunity to participate in Journals, Moot Court, Clinics, Externship activities etc. I am... .

Santa Clara University School of Law

• Santa Clara, CA ·
• Santa Clara University ·
• · Rating 4 out of 5   3 reviews

Santa Clara University ,

SANTA CLARA, CA ,

3 Niche users give it an average review of 4 stars.

Featured Review: Doctoral Student says The classmates can be rude and mean but the professors are very nice. I feel like they have a lot of resources but you have to go out and seek the help yourself .

Law School - University of Minnesota Twin Cities

• Minneapolis, MN ·
• University of Minnesota Twin Cities ·

University of Minnesota Twin Cities ,

MINNEAPOLIS, MN ,

University of Washington School of Law

• Seattle, WA ·
• University of Washington ·

University of Washington ,

SEATTLE, WA ,

Featured Review: Master's Student says Application and acceptance went very fast. Classes start next month and I can't wait to begin my Master of Jurisprudence program. .

Michael E. Moritz College of Law

• Columbus, OH ·
• The Ohio State University ·

The Ohio State University ,

COLUMBUS, OH ,

• Pittsburgh, PA ·
• · Rating 4.5 out of 5   4 reviews

University of Pittsburgh ,

PITTSBURGH, PA ,

4 Niche users give it an average review of 4.5 stars.

Featured Review: Master's Student says I am in the MSL program (Master of Studies in Law). I am in the online program. Online at pitt is fairly new so some program have kinks or so I have heard. The MSL does not. It has been smooth, educational and valuable. .

George Washington University Law School

• George Washington University ·
• · Rating 4.33 out of 5   3 reviews

George Washington University ,

3 Niche users give it an average review of 4.3 stars.

Featured Review: Doctoral Student says My favorite part about attending law school at GW are the amazing professors and faculty who are truly so talented and successful and care about students' success. One thing I do not like about GW... .

American University

• WASHINGTON, DC
• · Rating 4.48 out of 5   152

American University Washington College of Law

• American University ·
• · Rating 4.36 out of 5   11

Tulane University

• NEW ORLEANS, LA
• · Rating 4.24 out of 5   38

Showing results 1 through 25 of 103

Graduate Programs in Legal Studies

Consider more than Law School for Advanced Studies:

Are you interested in further studies to advance your careers?

Consider graduate programs, particularly those featured below and what they offer for future careers in research, public policy and the academy.

Obviously, the faculty of Legal Studies encourages your attention to the Jurisprudence and Social Policy (JSP) Program, the academic home of most of your GSIs and the leading interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary PhD that pushes the frontiers of research on law and legal institutions. But each of the programs below have features that may interest you and a couple enable you to pursue both an academic degree (MA/PhD) and a professional JD degree.

And, should you gain admission to one of the featured programs below, you may not need to take out any more loans or seek the financial support of your families while advancing your careers. Consult your professors and GSIs, or make an appointment to see Professor Jonathan Marshall, Director of Legal Studies, by emailing him:  [email protected]

Jurisprudence & Social Policy Program, UC Berkeley Northwestern University JD/PhD

UC Irvine PhD Criminology, Law & Society

UC Irvine Mater of Criminology, Law & Society UC Irvine Master of Public Policy UC Irvine Concurrent Degree Program

Yale Law School PhD in Law

Arizona State University PhD in Justice Studies

San Jose State University Master’s Program in Justice Studies

• Skip to Content
• Catalog Home
• Institution Home
• Graduate Catalog /
• The Wharton School /

Ethics and Legal Studies, PhD

The Ethics & Legal Studies Doctoral Program at Wharton focuses on the study of ethics and law in business. It is designed to prepare graduates for careers in university teaching and research at leading business schools, law schools, and other programs. Faculty and student interests range over topics including international business ethics and human rights, corporate governance, ethical conduct in business, social impact, environmental law and policy, securities, equality in law and ethics, normative political theory, negotiations, corporate constitutional rights, and corporate criminal law.

For more information: https://lgst.wharton.upenn.edu/programs/phd/

View the University’s Academic Rules for PhD Programs .

Required Courses

The course of study for the Ph.D. requires the completion of sixteen graduate course units, including courses in statistics. Some graduate-level credit from courses at other universities may transfer to Wharton.

The degree and major requirements displayed are intended as a guide for students entering in the Fall of 2024 and later. Students should consult with their academic program regarding final certifications and requirements for graduation.

Print Options

Print this page.

The PDF will include all information unique to this page.

A PDF of the entire 2024-25 catalog.

A PDF of the 2024-25 Undergraduate catalog.

A PDF of the 2024-25 Graduate catalog.

• JD/PhD Legal Studies and Business Ethics

The Ethics & Legal Studies Doctoral Program at Wharton focuses on the study of ethics and law in business. It is designed to prepare graduates for tenure-track careers in university teaching and research at leading business schools, and law schools.

• Degree Requirements
• JD/MBA (4 Year)
• JD/MBE Bioethics
• JD/MSSP Social Policy
• JD/MS Nonprofit Leadership
• JD/MSEd Education Policy
• JD/MSEd Higher Education
• JD/MA or MS Criminology
• JD/MD Doctor of Medicine
• JD/MSE Engineering
• JD/MCP City & Regional Planning
• JD/MPH Master of Public Health
• JD/AM Islamic Studies
• JD/MA and JD/PhD Philosophy
• JD/PhD Anthropology
• JD/PhD Communications
• JD/PhD Psychology
• Certificates
• Legal Practice Skills
• Clinics & Externships
• Academic Support Program
• International Affairs
• Future of the Profession Initiative
• Legal Education Programs
• Executive Education
• Academic Calendar
• Learning Outcomes
• Advocacy Competitions

About the JD/PhD Legal Studies and Business Ethics

The Ethics & Legal Studies Doctoral Program at Wharton trains students in the fields of ethics and law in business. Students take a core set of courses in the area of ethics and law in business together with courses in an additional disciplinary concentration such as management, philosophy/ethical theory, finance, marketing, or accounting.

The program size and flexibility of the PhD Legal Studies and Business Ethics allow students to tailor their program to their individualized research interests and to pursue a joint degree with the Law School. Resources for current PhD students can be found on the Wharton Website .

Program Course Overview

The University’s world-class faculty take seriously the responsibility of training graduate students for the academic profession. Faculty work closely with students to help them develop their own distinctive academic interests. The curriculum crosses many disciplinary boundaries.

Faculty and student intellectual interests include a range of topics such as:

• Philosophy & Ethics : • philosophical business ethics • normative political philosophy • rights theory • theory of the firm • philosophy of law • philosophy of punishment & coercion • philosophy of deception and fraud • philosophy of blame and complicity • climate change ethics • effective altruism • integrative social contracts theory • corporate moral agency
• Law & Legal Studies : • law and economics • corporate penal theory • constitutional law • bankruptcy • corporate governance • corporate law • financial regulation • administrative law • empirical legal studies • blockchain and law • antitrust law • environmental law and policy • corporate criminal law • corruption • negotiations.
• Behavioral Ethics : • neuroscience and business ethics • moral psychology • moral beliefs and identity • moral deliberation • perceptions of corporate identity

How to Apply

Students must apply and gain admission separately to each department. Applications to the Department of Legal Studies & Business Ethics are welcomed contemporaneously with the Law School application and vice versa.

Applications for Fall 2021 Wharton admission opened September 15th, 2020. The deadline to apply is December 15th, 2020. In assessing your application, the Wharton admissions committee considers previous academic work, standardized graduate examination performance (GRE/GMAT), and the evaluations of instructors and professional supervisors. More information is on the Wharton Doctoral Admissions Website.

For more information, admitted or current JD students should contact Amanda S. Aronoff. Applicants or prospective applicants to the Law School should contact [email protected] .

Interested in other PhD joint degrees?

JD/PhD American Legal History

JD/PhD Philosophy

• Youth Program
• Wharton Online

Ethics & Legal Studies Doctoral Program

The Ethics & Legal Studies Doctoral Program at Wharton focuses on the study of ethics and law in business. It is designed to prepare graduates for tenure-track careers in university teaching and research at leading business schools, and law schools.

The Ethics & Legal Studies Doctoral Program at Wharton trains students in the fields of ethics and law in business. Students are encouraged to combine this work with investigation of related fields, including Philosophy, Law, Psychology, Management, Finance, and Marketing. Students take a core set of courses in the area of ethics and law in business, together with courses in an additional disciplinary concentration such as management, philosophy/ethical theory, finance, marketing, or accounting. Our program size and flexibility allow students to tailor their program to their individualized research interests and to pursue joint degrees with other departments across Wharton and Penn. Resources for current Ph.D. students can be found at http://www.wharton.upenn.edu/doctoral-inside/ .

Our world-class faculty take seriously the responsibility of training graduate students for the academic profession. Faculty work closely with students to help them develop their own distinctive academic interests. Our curriculum crosses many disciplinary boundaries. Faculty and student intellectual interests include a range of topics such as:

• Philosophy & Ethics : • philosophical business ethics • normative political philosophy • rights theory • theory of the firm •  philosophy of law • philosophy of punishment & coercion • philosophy of deception and fraud • philosophy of blame and complicity • climate change ethics • effective altruism • integrative social contracts theory • corporate moral agency
• Law & Legal Studies : • law and economics • corporate penal theory • constitutional law • bankruptcy • corporate governance • corporate law • financial regulation • administrative law • empirical legal studies • blockchain and law • antitrust law • environmental law and policy • corporate criminal law • corruption • negotiations.
• Behavioral Ethics : • neuroscience and business ethics • moral psychology • moral beliefs and identity • moral deliberation • perceptions of corporate identity.

Contact & Resources

Brian Berkey, Faculty Coordinator

Tamara English, Academic & Business Administrator [email protected]

Prospective Students View the Legal Studies Ph.D. FAQ or Visit Wharton

Current Ph.D. Students

Ethics & Legal Studies Career Placements

All Wharton PhD Placements

Our program prepares graduates for tenure-track careers in university teaching and research at leading business schools and law schools. We have an excellent record of tenure-track placements, including Carnegie Mellon University, Notre Dame University, and George Washington University.  Click here to see our placements .

Students enter the program from a wide variety of disciplinary backgrounds, including undergraduate degrees in business, philosophy, pre-law, psychology, and sociology. Some students have earned master degrees or law degrees prior to admission. Prior coursework in ethics, law, social sciences, or philosophy is considered a plus, although no formal credentials in any one of these areas is a prerequisite.

Course of Study

The course of study for the Ph.D. requires the completion of sixteen graduate course units, including two core doctoral seminars as well as two core courses in statistics. Some graduate-level credit from courses at other universities may transfer to Wharton. The expected time required to complete the degree is five years. Students receive tuition waivers, health insurance, and an annual living stipend. Students are expected to play an active and engaged role in the department’s and the University of Pennsylvania’s scholarly community while pursuing their degree, and as such, they are expected to be resident in the local area as they progress through the program.

Academic Enrichment

The Department regularly hosts junior and senior scholars from around the world for talks, lunches, and seminars. Doctoral students are encouraged to take full advantage of these opportunities.

The Legal Studies & Business Ethics Seminar Series features speakers from various areas of law and business ethics.  A wide range of recent topics includes Coin-Operated Capitalism, Paying People to Take Health Risks, The Curious Case of Social Enterprise Law, and Assigning Blame in the Wake of the Financial Crisis.

The Zicklin Center Normative Business Ethics Workshop Series provides a regular forum for scholars working on business ethics from a normative perspective.  A wide range of recent topics includes the Ethics of Big Data in Genomics, Boycotting the Boycott, a Reflection on the Duty of Charity Within Shareholder Theory, and Workplace Sexual Harassment as Sex Discrimination.

Current PhD Students

Chris Hughes 1st year Ph.D. Student

Chris Hughes is a Senior Fellow at the Institute on Race, Power, and Political Economy at The New School and the co-founder and chair of the Economic Security Project. His research focuses on contemporary issues in progressive political economy, including the history of central banking, antimonopoly policy, guaranteed income studies, and tax policy. Hughes is currently writing a book on the history of American economic governance entitled  Marketcrafting: How the Visible Hand Shapes the Economy  to be published in 2025 by Simon and Schuster. His first book,  Fair Shot: Rethinking Inequality and How We Earn , was published by St Martin’s Press in 2018.

Hughes has a masters in Economics from The New School of Social Research and graduated from Harvard  magna cum laude  with a bachelors in History and Literature. He was a co-founder of Facebook and directed Barack’s Obama’s digital organizing efforts in 2008. A former member of the Council on Foreign Relations, Hughes chairs the board of the Brooklyn-based Foundation for Community Psychoanalysis, and serves on the boards of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and the Washington Square Park Conservancy.

Michaela Lobo 3rd year Ph.D. Student

I majored in business administration during my undergraduate degree, following which I was involved in brand marketing and corporate responsibility for the Estée Lauder Companies. During my bachelor’s degree and my time in the corporate world, I had a growing interest in morality and, more specifically, how ethics should apply within the context of business. This led me to pursue an MLitt in Philosophy at the University of St Andrews and, currently, the Ethics and Legal Studies PhD at Wharton.

During my search for doctoral programs, I was looking for something very specific: a program that would allow me to ask philosophical questions about business organisations, how they should be operated, how their members should behave, and so on. Unlike traditional programs at philosophy or business departments, Wharton’s LGST PhD is unique in that the aim is to prepare students to become academics in business ethics itself. I valued the opportunity to build foundations in business, economics, philosophy, and law. Additionally, I appreciated that we would simultaneously hone skills in our preferred methodology and dive deeper into areas of research we find most interesting. I was fortunate to interact with some of the faculty members and current students one-on-one and via the Zicklin Center’s workshops (enabled by the shift from in-person to the Zoom room). These interactions allowed me to discover first-hand the fantastic academic culture of the department and its members’ passion for normative business ethics.

I would advise prospective students to first focus on themselves: What ideas are you constantly thinking about? What types of questions are you eager to explore and have answered? And, in what ways do you like solving these puzzles? Next, find the department and set of faculty that can best support you in asking these questions, finding ways to solve them, and, eventually, discovering answers to them!

Alessio Salviato 1st year Ph.D. Student

Alessio Salviato joined the PhD program in Legal Studies and Business Ethics in 2023, after having completed his BA in Management at University of Padua (UniPd) and a two-years MPhil in Philisophy at Vita-Salute San Raffaele University (UniSr), where he is currently finishing his PhD in Ethics. Before the PhD, he worked as a corporate social responsibility strategist in a multinational company. He is a member of the European Business Ethics Network (EBEN) and the International Society of Business, Economics and Ethics (ISBEE).

He is interested in corporate moral responsibility; corporations and politics; and philosophical arguments for and against capitalism.

Guilherme Siqueira de Carvalho 4th year Ph.D. Student

I was drawn to studying and researching the vicious cycle of systemic corruption since 2014 with a particular and growing interest in the nuances of the relationship between businesses and corruption. The interdisciplinary approach, the world-class faculty, and the overall academic design of the Ethics & Legal Studies Doctoral Program at Wharton provide the ideal setting for pursuing that interest and will enable me to approach his subject of study from multiple angles.

Yifan Wang 1st year Ph.D. Student

My main research interests lie in moral psychology and applied political philosophy in the context of free markets.

I studied political philosophy and double majored in statistics in college. After graduation, I worked in the industry of economic consulting and served as a staff to expert witnesses who testified in court about economic issues related to antitrust and class action lawsuits. My interest in corporations and market phenomena sprung during that period. Later, I pursued an MA in philosophy at Georgia State, where I studied market phenomena related to emergent technologies such as sustainable brands and state surveillance embedded in markets. In the future, I hope to hone into some of these topics.

Meanwhile, I am drawn to moral psychology, especially emotion-based approaches to moral motivations and moral decision-making. At the LGST Ph.D. program, I plan to further study corporate organization so that I can apply theories in moral psychology to better understand how people make decisions of moral significance in their everyday practice inside corporations.

Olamide Williams 3rd year Ph.D. Student

Since the 2008 financial crisis, there has been a public emphasis on the ethical responsibility of the economic and financial policy-making agencies that oversee the financial system. I hope to explore methodological approaches to ethics and critically apply that to economic and financial policymaking, particularly during crisis time. Wharton not only offers the ethical foundation for my research on what responsibility, if any, such agencies have towards economic participants, but a faculty who will engage and are well versed in the economic, legal, and policy questions that arise along the way. I am confident that as my research evolves, Wharton’s interdisciplinary nature and faculty will offer expert guidance in whatever direction I go.

DPhil in Socio-Legal Studies

• Entry requirements
• Funding and Costs

College preference

• How to Apply

About the course

The Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) degree entails the carrying out of a research project and writing a thesis of between 75,000 and 100,000 words. 

The thesis must make a significant and substantial contribution to the field of socio-legal studies. You will be expected to develop a topic that contributes to an understanding of law in society, drawing on empirical data, to a greater or lesser degree, and adopting theoretical and analytic perspectives from any social science discipline, or a combination of disciplinary perspectives.

During the first year you will attend weekly seminars convened by members of staff at the Centre for Socio-Legal Studies (CSLS) on ‘Theory and Methods in Socio-Legal Research’. Part-time students will be able to tailor their study and methods training in liaison with their supervisor, and may attend the seminars over a two-year period. The seminars are intended to develop an appreciation of law as a social phenomenon, to introduce various theoretical perspectives and to consider the variety of practical empirical techniques by which research questions may be addressed. Throughout the course, you will be able to take part in an extensive range of seminar programmes and discussion groups, affording plentiful opportunities for interaction both with your peers and with academics working in the same or similar research areas.

Part-time attendance details

• As a part-time student you will be required to attend 18 two-hour seminars in Theory and Methods, each followed by a 90 minute research seminar, in Oxford over the course of two years. There is some flexibility in the pattern of attendance, which will be determined by mutual agreement with your supervisor.
• You should expect to attend regular supervision sessions in Oxford throughout the first two years of the DPhil and thereafter in person or online as agreed with your supervisor.
• You should expect to spend, on average, the equivalent of 50% of a working week on your doctoral studies over the course of at least six years.

Supervision

The allocation of graduate supervision for this course is the responsibility of the CSLS and it is not always possible to accommodate the preferences of incoming graduate students to work with a particular member of staff. In exceptional circumstances a supervisor may be found outside the CSLS.

Throughout the period of your studies, you will work with a supervisor with whom you will meet individually at regular intervals to discuss your project and who will provide feedback and advice. In the case of students who require specific help to adjust to an academic programme or to acquire a new range of skills, additional support may be made available after consultation with the supervisor.

All students will be initially admitted to the status of Probationer Research Student (PRS). Within a maximum of four terms as a full-time PRS student (eight terms as a part-time student), you will be expected to apply for, and achieve, transfer of status from Probationer Research Student to DPhil status by taking a qualifying test (QT) which is assessed by two examiners. This requires you to submit a well-developed research outline plus a substantial piece of written work. This application is normally made by the third term for full-time students (sixth term for part-time students). A similar exercise then takes place in your sixth term, or later (twelfth term for the part-time pathway), when you report on your progress and submit a substantial part of the proposed thesis for a further assessment, which leads to a confirmation of DPhil status.

After three or at most four years (no later than eight years for the part-time pathway), you submit your final thesis to two examiners, respectively internal and external to the University. The examiners will read your thesis and then conduct an oral examination with you, known as a viva voce, before providing a written report to the Law Faculty. On that basis, your thesis may be judged to have passed, so that you can be awarded a DPhil, or to be in need of revision, in which case it is referred back to you for re-submission at a later date; in extreme cases, the thesis may not be passed.

Graduate destinations

DPhil students pursue a range of career paths after completion of the doctorate. Many take up academic posts, or pursue postdoctoral research. Some enter legal practice and others develop careers in consultancies, government, regulatory agencies, non-governmental organisations and private companies.

Changes to this course and your supervision

The University will seek to deliver this course in accordance with the description set out in this course page. However, there may be situations in which it is desirable or necessary for the University to make changes in course provision, either before or after registration. The safety of students, staff and visitors is paramount and major changes to delivery or services may have to be made in circumstances of a pandemic, epidemic or local health emergency. In addition, in certain circumstances, for example due to visa difficulties or because the health needs of students cannot be met, it may be necessary to make adjustments to course requirements for international study.

Where possible your academic supervisor will not change for the duration of your course. However, it may be necessary to assign a new academic supervisor during the course of study or before registration for reasons which might include illness, sabbatical leave, parental leave or change in employment.

For further information please see our page on changes to courses and the provisions of the student contract regarding changes to courses.

Entry requirements for entry in 2024-25

Proven and potential academic excellence.

The requirements described below are specific to this course and apply only in the year of entry that is shown. You can use our interactive tool to help you  evaluate whether your application is likely to be competitive .

Please be aware that any studentships that are linked to this course may have different or additional requirements and you should read any studentship information carefully before applying. 

Degree-level qualifications

As a minimum, applicants should hold or be predicted to achieve the following UK qualifications or their equivalent:

• a first-class or strong upper second class undergraduate degree (average mark of 65% or above) with honours in law, or in any other social science discipline including sociology, anthropology, politics, and economics, or in a relevant humanities discipline.

Equivalent qualifications may include a postgraduate diploma or a master’s degree.

Most students admitted to the programme have a previous master's qualification but this is not a formal requirement.

For applicants with a degree from the USA, the minimum GPA sought is 3.7 out of 4.0.

If your degree is not from the UK or another country specified above, visit our International Qualifications page for guidance on the qualifications and grades that would usually be considered to meet the University’s minimum entry requirements.

GRE General Test scores

No Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or GMAT scores are sought.

Other qualifications, evidence of excellence and relevant experience

• Part-time applicants will also be expected to show evidence of the ability to commit time to study and, if applicable, an employer's commitment to make time available to study, to complete coursework, and attend course and University events and modules. Where appropriate, evidence should also be provided of permission to use employers’ data in the proposed research project.
• Publications are not expected. They may, in certain circumstances, advantage an application but it is appreciated that the opportunity to publish may vary considerably depending on factors such as the stage the student has reached in their graduate career and the structure of the course(s) they have studied. Consequently, a lack of publications will not be assessed negatively.

English language proficiency

This course requires proficiency in English at the University's  higher level . If your first language is not English, you may need to provide evidence that you meet this requirement. The minimum scores required to meet the University's higher level are detailed in the table below.

*Previously known as the Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English or Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) † Previously known as the Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English or Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE)

Your test must have been taken no more than two years before the start date of your course. Our Application Guide provides  further information about the English language test requirement .

Declaring extenuating circumstances

If your ability to meet the entry requirements has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic (eg you were awarded an unclassified/ungraded degree) or any other exceptional personal circumstance (eg other illness or bereavement), please refer to the guidance on extenuating circumstances in the Application Guide for information about how to declare this so that your application can be considered appropriately.

You will need to register three referees who can give an informed view of your academic ability and suitability for the course. The  How to apply  section of this page provides details of the types of reference that are required in support of your application for this course and how these will be assessed.

Supporting documents

You will be required to supply supporting documents with your application. The  How to apply  section of this page provides details of the supporting documents that are required as part of your application for this course and how these will be assessed.

Performance at interview

Interviews for short-listed candidates are normally held in late February and early March.

A shortlist is compiled after an assessment of each application by two (or three, if there is a discrepancy of views) senior members of the Centre for Socio-Legal Studies (CSLS). If you are shortlisted you will be interviewed, either in person or online or, if electronic communication is problematic, by telephone. There will be a minimum of two interviewers.

How your application is assessed

Your application will be assessed purely on your proven and potential academic excellence and other entry requirements described under that heading.

References  and  supporting documents  submitted as part of your application, and your performance at interview (if interviews are held) will be considered as part of the assessment process. Whether or not you have secured funding will not be taken into consideration when your application is assessed.

An overview of the shortlisting and selection process is provided below. Our ' After you apply ' pages provide  more information about how applications are assessed . 

Shortlisting and selection

Students are considered for shortlisting and selected for admission without regard to age, disability, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy and maternity, race (including colour, nationality and ethnic or national origins), religion or belief (including lack of belief), sex, sexual orientation, as well as other relevant circumstances including parental or caring responsibilities or social background. However, please note the following:

• socio-economic information may be taken into account in the selection of applicants and award of scholarships for courses that are part of  the University’s pilot selection procedure  and for  scholarships aimed at under-represented groups ;
• country of ordinary residence may be taken into account in the awarding of certain scholarships; and
• protected characteristics may be taken into account during shortlisting for interview or the award of scholarships where the University has approved a positive action case under the Equality Act 2010.

Processing your data for shortlisting and selection

Information about  processing special category data for the purposes of positive action  and  using your data to assess your eligibility for funding , can be found in our Postgraduate Applicant Privacy Policy.

Admissions panels and assessors

All recommendations to admit a student involve the judgement of at least two members of the academic staff with relevant experience and expertise, and must also be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies or Admissions Committee (or equivalent within the department).

Admissions panels or committees will always include at least one member of academic staff who has undertaken appropriate training.

Other factors governing whether places can be offered

The following factors will also govern whether candidates can be offered places:

• the ability of the University to provide the appropriate supervision for your studies, as outlined under the 'Supervision' heading in the  About  section of this page;
• the ability of the University to provide appropriate support for your studies (eg through the provision of facilities, resources, teaching and/or research opportunities); and
• minimum and maximum limits to the numbers of students who may be admitted to the University's taught and research programmes.

Offer conditions for successful applications

If you receive an offer of a place at Oxford, your offer will outline any conditions that you need to satisfy and any actions you need to take, together with any associated deadlines. These may include academic conditions, such as achieving a specific final grade in your current degree course. These conditions will usually depend on your individual academic circumstances and may vary between applicants. Our ' After you apply ' pages provide more information about offers and conditions . 

In addition to any academic conditions which are set, you will also be required to meet the following requirements:

Financial Declaration

If you are offered a place, you will be required to complete a  Financial Declaration  in order to meet your financial condition of admission.

Disclosure of criminal convictions

In accordance with the University’s obligations towards students and staff, we will ask you to declare any  relevant, unspent criminal convictions  before you can take up a place at Oxford.

The Centre for Socio-Legal Studies (CSLS) will provide you with an individual study space in the form of a desk and a PC that is supported by the University’s IT services for your first year. You will have access to a wide range of electronic resources, including a large number of online journals.

In the socio-legal field you are engaged in interdisciplinary research and can benefit from several of the Bodleian libraries. The two most heavily used are close at hand: the Social Science Library (SSL) is housed on the ground floor of the Manor Road Building and the Law Library is in the adjacent building, the St Cross building. Both libraries offer a selection of study spaces including graduate study rooms, individual study carrels and group discussion rooms which are available for booking. You also have access to all the other Bodleian libraries and in some cases also to one or more college libraries.

The CSLS benefits from having seminar rooms in the Manor Road Building available for academic events.

The CSLS research community is vibrant. Members convene research seminars, workshops, book colloquia and a prominent Annual Socio-Legal Lecture. In addition to participating in these academic events, our students have initiated and successfully run their own Socio-Legal Discussion Group and other specialist events. All these events bring staff and students together to exchange ideas, to meet visiting speakers and to engage in discussion of a variety of socio-legal issues. You will receive multiple opportunities to gain experience of presenting and discussing your work in progress.

The CSLS also holds social events, including weekly coffee afternoons throughout the year, so that staff and students can interact and network.

Oxford’s Faculty of Law, one of the largest in the UK, offers you the opportunity to study alongside some of the best law graduates of your generation, under the direct supervision of some of the world’s leading legal scholars.

Oxford's reputation for master's-level legal education has few equals. All of the courses on offer involve intensive work to a very high academic standard, and the BCL and MJur are exceptional in their use of tutorials as a principal means of course delivery. Both of these programmes offer an extensive variety of options and the opportunity to specialise in certain fields or to select a diverse combination of courses. For those with more specialist interests, the faculty also offers the MSc in Law and Finance, the MSc in Criminology and Criminal Justice, the MSc in Taxation, and the Postgraduate Diploma in Intellectual Property Law and Practice, the MSc in Intellectual Property, and the MSc in International Human Rights Law (formerly known as the MSt in International Human Rights Law and offered by the Department of Continuing Education).

For its research students, the faculty offers a wider range of legal and interdisciplinary specialisms corresponding to the diverse interests of faculty members. For many research students the ultimate goal will be a DPhil, the Oxford term for a doctoral qualification, but the faculty also offers a one-year MPhil course which can either be taken in its own right or as a route into the DPhil. As a research student, you can expect to work closely with a specialist supervisor who will help you develop your ideas and pursue your thesis to a successful conclusion.

Research students play a central role in the intellectual life of the faculty, collaborating in numerous discussion groups and colloquia and participating in many BCL, MJur and MSc course seminars.

Centre for Criminology Pursuing an innovative programme of criminological research and delivering high quality education.

The Centre for Criminology is an independent unit of the University’s Faculty of Law. The centre is dedicated to pursuing an innovative programme of criminological research and to delivering high-quality graduate education in criminology. It has a vibrant programme of research, aimed principally at fostering and developing clusters of research activity around seven substantive areas:

• security, rights and justice
• penal culture, policy and practice
• politics, legitimacy and criminal justice
• crime and the family
• psychology, criminal justice and law
• victims and victimisation
• criminal justice, citizenship and migration.

Members of the centre are committed to:

• connecting criminological work to the broader concerns of the social sciences;
• thinking comparatively about crime and punishment;
• bringing together sociological and normative approaches to the analysis of crime and justice; and
• working at the intersections between criminology and public policy.

These approaches to the study of crime and criminal justice inform teaching and doctoral supervision in the centre. They create an intellectually stimulating and collaborative environment to pursue your study in criminology.

Centre for Socio-Legal Studies At the forefront of multidisciplinary research into the nature and role of law in society.

The Centre for Socio-Legal Studies (CSLS) brings together scholars with diverse academic backgrounds and ambitions, who pursue their own research topics and are also encouraged to collaborate widely and develop multifaceted research programmes. Researchers address fundamental questions about the nature of law, its relations with morality, religion, and justice, and its role in regulation, government and community, the nature of rules and legalistic thought, the development of laws, legal systems and legal cultures, and the social character of the rule of law.

The CSLS welcomes students who wish to pursue research in any aspect of socio-legal studies, broadly defined. The centre's staff have a range of expertise in socio-legal research and methodologies and draw on a range of cognate fields, including anthropology, jurisprudence, political science, regulation studies, economics and sociology. Supervision can be offered in most areas of social-legal studies.

The CSLS has a community of around thirteen full-time research staff and thirty-three graduate research students. Links with leading scholars in Oxford’s Faculty of Law and throughout the University enhance the breadth of the centre’s research and the resources made available to students.

Courses offered by the faculty

View all courses   View taught courses View research courses

The University expects to be able to offer over 1,000 full or partial graduate scholarships across the collegiate University in 2024-25. You will be automatically considered for the majority of Oxford scholarships , if you fulfil the eligibility criteria and submit your graduate application by the relevant December or January deadline. Most scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic merit and/or potential. 

For further details about searching for funding as a graduate student visit our dedicated Funding pages, which contain information about how to apply for Oxford scholarships requiring an additional application, details of external funding, loan schemes and other funding sources.

Please ensure that you visit individual college websites for details of any college-specific funding opportunities using the links provided on our college pages or below:

Please note that not all the colleges listed above may accept students on this course. For details of those which do, please refer to the College preference section of this page.

Further information about funding opportunities for this course can be found on the faculty's website.

Annual fees for entry in 2024-25

Full-time study.

Further details about fee status eligibility can be found on the fee status webpage.

Part-time study

Information about course fees.

Course fees are payable each year, for the duration of your fee liability (your fee liability is the length of time for which you are required to pay course fees). For courses lasting longer than one year, please be aware that fees will usually increase annually. For details, please see our guidance on changes to fees and charges .

Course fees cover your teaching as well as other academic services and facilities provided to support your studies. Unless specified in the additional information section below, course fees do not cover your accommodation, residential costs or other living costs. They also don’t cover any additional costs and charges that are outlined in the additional information below.

Continuation charges

Following the period of fee liability , you may also be required to pay a University continuation charge and a college continuation charge. The University and college continuation charges are shown on the Continuation charges page.

Where can I find further information about fees?

The Fees and Funding  section of this website provides further information about course fees , including information about fee status and eligibility  and your length of fee liability .

Additional information

There are no compulsory elements of this course that entail additional costs beyond fees (or, after fee liability ends, continuation charges) and living costs. However, please note that, depending on your choice of research topic and the research required to complete it, you may incur additional expenses, such as travel expenses, research expenses, and field trips. You will need to meet these additional costs, although you may be able to apply for small grants from your department and/or college to help you cover some of these expenses.

Please note that you are required to attend in Oxford for a minimum of 30 days each year, and you may incur additional travel and accommodation expenses for this. Also, depending on your choice of research topic and the research required to complete it, you may incur further additional expenses, such as travel expenses, research expenses, and field trips. You will need to meet these additional costs, although you may be able to apply for small grants from your department and/or college to help you cover some of these expenses.

Living costs

In addition to your course fees, you will need to ensure that you have adequate funds to support your living costs for the duration of your course.

For the 2024-25 academic year, the range of likely living costs for full-time study is between c. £1,345 and £1,955 for each month spent in Oxford. Full information, including a breakdown of likely living costs in Oxford for items such as food, accommodation and study costs, is available on our living costs page. The current economic climate and high national rate of inflation make it very hard to estimate potential changes to the cost of living over the next few years. When planning your finances for any future years of study in Oxford beyond 2024-25, it is suggested that you allow for potential increases in living expenses of around 5% each year – although this rate may vary depending on the national economic situation. UK inflationary increases will be kept under review and this page updated.

If you are studying part-time your living costs may vary depending on your personal circumstances but you must still ensure that you will have sufficient funding to meet these costs for the duration of your course.

Students enrolled on this course will belong to both a department/faculty and a college. Please note that ‘college’ and ‘colleges’ refers to all 43 of the University’s colleges, including those designated as societies and permanent private halls (PPHs). 

If you apply for a place on this course you will have the option to express a preference for one of the colleges listed below, or you can ask us to find a college for you. Before deciding, we suggest that you read our brief  introduction to the college system at Oxford  and our  advice about expressing a college preference . For some courses, the department may have provided some additional advice below to help you decide.

The following colleges accept students for full-time study on this course:

• Balliol College
• Blackfriars
• Brasenose College
• Campion Hall
• Christ Church
• Corpus Christi College
• Exeter College
• Green Templeton College
• Hertford College
• Keble College
• Lady Margaret Hall
• Linacre College
• Lincoln College
• Merton College
• New College
• Nuffield College
• Oriel College
• Pembroke College
• The Queen's College
• Regent's Park College
• Reuben College
• St Anne's College
• St Antony's College
• St Catherine's College
• St Cross College
• St Hilda's College
• St Peter's College
• Somerville College
• University College
• Wolfson College
• Wycliffe Hall

The following colleges accept students for part-time study on this course:

Before you apply

Our  guide to getting started  provides general advice on how to prepare for and start your application. You can use our interactive tool to help you  evaluate whether your application is likely to be competitive .

If it's important for you to have your application considered under a particular deadline – eg under a December or January deadline in order to be considered for Oxford scholarships – we recommend that you aim to complete and submit your application at least two weeks in advance . Check the deadlines on this page and the  information about deadlines and when to apply  in our Application Guide.

Application fee waivers

An application fee of £75 is payable per course application. Application fee waivers are available for the following applicants who meet the eligibility criteria:

• applicants from low-income countries;
• refugees and displaced persons; 
• UK applicants from low-income backgrounds; and 
• applicants who applied for our Graduate Access Programmes in the past two years and met the eligibility criteria.

You are encouraged to  check whether you're eligible for an application fee waiver  before you apply.

Readmission for current Oxford graduate taught students

If you're currently studying for an Oxford graduate taught course and apply to this course with no break in your studies, you may be eligible to apply to this course as a readmission applicant. The application fee will be waived for an eligible application of this type. Check whether you're eligible to apply for readmission .

Do I need to contact anyone before I apply?

It is suggested that you look at the list of CSLS research staff  to check that your research interests fall within an area in which the CSLS has research expertise. Academic members of staff cannot answer general enquiries about projects and supervision. General queries should be directed to the course administrator via the contact details provided on this page. However, do check the CSLS FAQs webpage  before contacting the administrator. 

Completing your application

You should refer to the information below when completing the application form, paying attention to the specific requirements for the supporting documents . 

If any document does not meet the specification, including the stipulated word count, your application may be considered incomplete and not assessed by the academic department. Expand each section to show further details.

Proposed field and title of research project

Under the 'Field and title of research project' please enter your proposed field or area of research if this is known. If the department has advertised a specific research project that you would like to be considered for, please enter the project title here instead.

You should not use this field to type out a full research proposal. You will be able to upload your research supporting materials separately if they are required (as described below).

Proposed supervisor

If known, under 'Proposed supervisor name' enter the name of the academic(s) who you would like to supervise your research. Otherwise, leave this field blank.

This will not affect your application.

Referees: Three overall, academic and/or professional

Whilst you must register three referees, the department may start the assessment of your application if two of the three references are submitted by the course deadline and your application is otherwise complete. Please note that you may still be required to ensure your third referee supplies a reference for consideration.

Your references will support intellectual ability, academic achievement and motivation.

Official transcript(s)

Your transcripts should give detailed information of the individual grades received in your university-level qualifications to date. You should only upload official documents issued by your institution and any transcript not in English should be accompanied by a certified translation.

More information about the transcript requirement is available in the Application Guide.

A CV/résumé is compulsory for this course. Most applicants choose to submit a document of one to two pages highlighting their academic achievements and any relevant professional experience.

Research proposal: A maximum of 1,000 words

You should submit a detailed outline of your proposed research, written in English, covering areas such as the background to the research, methodology, expected results and the contribution to the field of learning.

The word count does not need to include any bibliography. Footnotes should be included in the word count.

If possible, please ensure that the word count is clearly displayed on the document.

This will be assessed for:

• the coherence of the proposal
• the originality of the project
• evidence of motivation for and understanding of the proposed area of study
• ability to present a reasoned case in English
• the feasibility of successfully completing the project in the time available for the course.

Start or continue your application

You can start or return to an application using the relevant link below. As you complete the form, please  refer to the requirements above  and  consult our Application Guide for advice . You'll find the answers to most common queries in our FAQs.

Application Guide   Apply - Full time Apply - Part time

ADMISSION STATUS

Closed to applications for entry in 2024-25

Register to be notified via email when the next application cycle opens (for entry in 2025-26)

12:00 midday UK time on:

Friday 19 January 2024 Latest deadline for most Oxford scholarships Final application deadline for entry in 2024-25

*Three-year average (applications for entry in 2021-22 to 2023-24)

Further information and enquiries

This course is offered by the  Centre for Socio-Legal Studies  within the  Faculty of Law

• Course page  and FAQs on the faculty's website
• Theory and methods course
• Funding information from the faculty
• Academic and research staff
• Research at the  faculty  and centre
• Social Sciences Division
• Residence requirements for full-time courses
• Postgraduate applicant privacy policy

Course-related enquiries

Advice about contacting the department can be found in the How to apply section of this page

✉ [email protected] ☎ +44 (0)1865 284220

Application-process enquiries

See the application guide

Visa eligibility for part-time study

We are unable to sponsor student visas for part-time study on this course. Part-time students may be able to attend on a visitor visa for short blocks of time only (and leave after each visit) and will need to remain based outside the UK.

Find A Degree

The 7 Best Online Schools for Doctorate in Law (Juris Doctor) Degree Programs

Phd program rankings.

• Fully Funded PhDs in Education
• Doctor of Nursing Education
• Ph.D.: No Application Fees
• No-GRE Online Ph.D. in Psychology
• No-GRE Online Ph.D. Programs
• Fast Online Doctoral (Ph.D. and Ed.D.)
• The Most Affordable Online DBA
• Doctorate in Public Policy/Administration
• Doctor of ABA
• Transitional Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT)
• Doctorate in Marketing
• ALL Ph.D. Degree Program Rankings

Career Guides

• Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine
• Aerospace Engineering
• Behavioral Health (D.B.H.)
• Chemical Engineering (PhD CE)
• Chemistry (D.Chem.)
• Clinical Nutrition (D.C.N.)
• Speech-Language Pathology (CScD)
• Criminology (D.Crim.)
• Economics (DEc)
• Health Science (D.H.S./D.H.Sci)
• Library Science (D.L.S.)
• Molecular Biology (Phd Mol Biol)
• Occupational Safety and Health (D.O.S.H.)
• Physics (Ph.D. Physics)
• ALL PhD Career Guides

Valuable Resources

• Best Laptops for Ph.D. Students
• Gift Ideas for Ph.D. Students
• Burnout & Chronic Stress
• The Key to Free Grad School
• Ph.D. Guide for International and Domestic Students
• Habits Of Highly Effective Leaders
• Online Doctorate Reputation
• Journals for Ph.D. Students
• Earning a PhD
• Write a Perfect Essay Like a PhD
• Master’s Degree As a Bridge To Ph.D.
• Self-Funding Your PhD
• Importance of Accreditation
• Online Ph.D. Support Groups
• Getting Accepted to an Online Ph.D.
• Common Fears of Ph.D. Students
• Habits of Successful People
• US Doctoral Degrees
• ALL VALUABLE RESOURCES

Frequently Asked Questions

• Why earn a Doctorate Degree?
• What are the Ph.D. Admission Requirements?
• How Much Does a Ph.D. Cost?
• How many years will it take for me to achieve my doctorate degree online?
• Do online doctorate degree programs require campus visits?
• Ph.D. vs. Doctorate
• ALL FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
• Highest-Paying Doctoral Degrees
• Famous Ph.D. Theses In History
• Struggles Only a Ph.D. Student Would Understand
• Ph.D. Requiring Residencies
• The World’s Richest Doctors
• Academic Conferences
• Most Popular PhD Degrees
• ALL Ph.D. Highlights

A Doctorate in Law is an optional academic feat for Law majors who seek advanced learning, specialize in research, and contribute to law literature. Juris Doctor degree holders–students who have completed three years in law school and may practice the profession– are eligible for admission to the Doctorate in Law degree program.

An Online Doctorate Degree in Law is generally research-intensive and usually requires an extensive doctoral thesis. On average, students finish the degree in three to four years. The Online Doctorate in Law degree is designed for adult learners who aim to go beyond the law practice and explore other competencies, including in the areas of scholarly research and publication, as well as teaching in academia.

Page Jumps!

Walden university, liberty university, abraham lincoln university, emory university, florida state university, loyola university chicago, california southern university, best online schools for doctorate in law (juris doctor) degree programs.

Methodology: We compiled a list of the 10 Best Online Schools for Doctorate in Law Degree Programs for 2021, listed in no particular order due to each school’s unique degree program and highlights. In exploring these features, we also mention the career opportunities for graduates who have acquired advanced knowledge and skills in the discipline. The following attributes were considered: Highlights each school’s accreditation details, required credit hours for program completion, admission requirements and retention rates, Programs designed to relay a better understanding of legal and ethical laws, public policy and legal trends to the working professional, Includes Dissertation/Doctoral study in Juris Doctor Law, Options in Concentrations; allowing students opportunities to expand on their current credentials, apply for advancements, or pursue a teaching career at the university level, 100% Online, Blended or Hybrid format options, Financial Aid options: Scholarships, Grants, Military Aid, Offers experiential learning through an effective online distance learning format by quality professors outstanding in the field of Doctorate Law (Juris Doctor), Based on prestigious and notability as an online school according to reputable academic resources. To learn more, please see our Methodology page.

ONLINE PH.D. IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE WITH A LAW AND PUBLIC POLICY CONCENTRATION

Program Standouts: The Ph.D. in Criminal Justice with a Law and Public Policy concentration at Walden University explores the contemporary practices and theories and national and global issues in the administration of criminal justice.

This online doctorate degree provides the necessary skills and knowledge a student needs to attract exciting new career opportunities, whether they want to pursue leadership roles in the current organization or start a new career in criminal justice. It is ideal for students who are interested in gaining an in-depth knowledge of the law or studying legal concerns in the workplace.

Students need to have 98 credit hours to earn this online doctorate program.

Campus Location: Minneapolis, Minnesota

Accreditation: Walden University receives accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission

Retention Rate: 33%

Acceptance Rate: 98%

Admission Requirements:

• A master’s degree from an accredited college or university
• Admission Application
• Writing Assessment
• Application Essay
• Official Transcript of Records

Program Core Components:

• The Nature of Crime and Criminology
• Policy and Analysis in Criminal Justice Systems
• Technological Solutions and 21st–Century Crime
• Qualitative Reasoning and Analysis
• Leadership: Putting Theory into Practice in Criminal Justice Administration

Degree Outcomes: Graduates of this online doctorate program have the option to pursue career advancement in their current profession. They are able to evaluate the root cause of crime and its specific impact on the practice of law, procedures, and policies.

In addition, it has prepared them for a variety of positions, such as:

• private investigator,
• professor/instructor,
• criminal investigator,
• director of emergency management,
• and other roles related to the law/criminal justice industry.

LEARN MORE ABOUT WALDEN UNIVERSITY’S ONLINE PH.D. IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE WITH A LAW AND PUBLIC POLICY CONCENTRATION

ONLINE PH.D. IN PUBLIC POLICY

Program Standouts: Liberty University has a Ph.D. in Public Policy that provides the ethical background and skills that students or professionals need to mold the local, national, state, and local law in order to pursue peace and instill Christian values in the pursuit of happiness.

This online Ph.D. degree is suitable for individuals seeking to enhance their current credentials, strengthen their skills in policy research or put an emphasis on educating the next generation of law professionals.

It has five specializations, namely:

• Education Policy,
• Economic Policy,
• National Security Policy,
• Foreign Policy,
• and Social Policy.

Students need to have 60 credit hours to earn this degree in a span of three years, depending on the students’ timeframes of learning.

Campus Location: Lynchburg, Virginia

Accreditation: Liberty University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Retention Rate: 32%

Acceptance Rate: 99%

• Official College Transcript of Records
• Application Fee
• Proof of English Proficiency
• Statement of Purpose
• Foundations of Statesmanship & Public Policy
• Foreign Policy, Globalization & Statesmanship
• Natural Law, The State & The Gospel
• Statesmanship, Federalism & Intergovernmental Relations
• The Founding Era & Constitution

Degree Outcomes:

Graduates of this online doctorate program are equipped with essential skills in law and governance. They are built upon their existing expertise in their chosen specialization and hone their craft to help create a better, secure and prosperous future for the nation.

LEARN MORE ABOUT LIBERTY UNIVERSITY’S ONLINE PH.D. IN PUBLIC POLICY

ONLINE JURIS DOCTOR DEGREE PROGRAM

Program Standouts: The Juris Doctor online program of Abraham Lincoln University is designed for individuals who want to practice law or those interested to pursue into one of the many legal fields that a Juris Doctor degree offers.

It is ideal for working professionals and provides students with increased flexibility without sacrificing their quality of education. They are able to learn the advanced analytical skills necessary to create legal documents, perform legal research, and investigate legal issues and concerns. The Juris Doctor of ALU requires 140 quarter units to earn this degree.

The university prides itself on the establishment of a rigorous, online law degree that provides competence in the educational goals of their law students.

Campus Location: Los Angeles, California

Accreditation: Abraham Lincoln University has received accreditation from the Distance Education Accrediting Commission.

Retention Rate: 73%

Acceptance Rate: 100%

• Completed Online Application
• $50 Non-Refundable Application Fee
• Completed Online Assessment Test
• Current government-issued photo ID
• 500-1000 Word Personal Statement describing the professional and personal goals and explanation on pursuing a Juris Doctor degree
• Official Transcript of Records  
• Criminal Law
• Contracts A and B
• Constitutional Law
• Criminal Procedure
• Advanced Legal Research & Writing

Abraham Lincoln University’s law school graduates of the Juris Doctor program have the eligibility to become full members of the State Bar of California and are eligible to practice in California. They are able to understand the principles and theories of law, their relationships with others, and their limitations.

Graduates are prepared for a rewarding career as well as prepared for the California First Year Law Students’ Examination and California General Bar Examination.

LEARN MORE ABOUT ABRAHAM LINCOLN UNIVERSITY’S ONLINE JURIS DOCTOR DEGREE PROGRAM

ONLINE JD DEGREE

Program Standouts: The Juris Doctor program offered by the Emory Law of the Emory University provides empowerment to discern students’ legal path right from the beginning of their legal studies. The faculty handling the Emory Law are experts in their respective law careers and dynamic teachers in the learning environment.

The freshman year of studies immerses students in the language of the law, sophomore students have the opportunity in a one-week immersion in advocacy and a summer internship program, and the third-year students of this online doctorate program puts an emphasis on mentorship programs under the supervision of a dedicated 3L Career Center adviser.

Students will need 90 credit hours to earn this degree.

Campus Location: Atlanta, Georgia

Accreditation: Emory University has earned accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

Retention Rate: 95%

Acceptance Rate: 13%

• $80 Non-refundable Application Fee
• Two Letters of Recommendation
• Personal Statement
• Civil Procedure
• Introduction to Legal Advocacy, Research, and Communications I and II
• Legislation and Regulation

Juris Doctor graduates of Emory University have demonstrated an understanding and knowledge of procedural American Law and they are equipped with professional skills that are needed for ethical participation and competence as members of the legal professions.

In addition, they demonstrate competence in reasoning, problem-solving in a legal context, legal analysis, and legal research. A rewarding career awaits them in the private and government sectors that need legal expertise across different issues and concerns of the society.

LEARN MORE ABOUT EMORY UNIVERSITY’S ONLINE JD DEGREE

JURIS DOCTOR (J.D.) ONLINE PROGRAM

Program Standouts: Florida State University offers a Juris Doctor program through its College of Law. This doctorate degree is completed in an average of three years depending on the students’ timeframe of learning. It is specially formatted in traditional courses and develops to include the latest in interdisciplinary and theoretical analyses.

The university offers several learning opportunities for experiential learning and courses that enable students to be competitive and highly-skilled entrants into the business, law, and government sectors. Additionally, students have the option to enroll in any FSU’s joint-degree programs namely:

• Urban and Regional Planning and Law,
• Oceanography: Aquatic Environmental Science and Law,
• Sport Management and Law,
• Business and Law,
• Social Work and Law,
• Information and Law,
• Public Administration and Law,
• Information Technology and Law,
• or International Affairs and Law.

Campus Location: Tallahassee, Florida

Accreditation: Florida State University receives accreditation from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC).

Retention Rate: 96%

Acceptance Rate: 37%

• Online Application Form
• $30 Non-refundable Application Fee
• Law School Admission Test or GRE
• LSAC Report
• Residency Form
• Optional but preferable requirements such as Academic Addendum, Diversity Statement, and Letter of Recommendation
• TOEFL and IELTS Requirement (For international students only)

Program Specializations:

• International Law
• Environmental, Energy, and Land Use Law
• Business and Tax Law

Degree Outcomes: Graduates of this Juris Doctor program have a strong wealth of knowledge through FSU’s extensive and hands-on learning program. The hands-on learning experience in the Mock Trial and Moot Court programs equipped their graduates to be appellate and trial advocates.

They are provided the opportunity to hone their research and writing skills that are essentially useful when they navigate in different sectors of the society through promising legal professions.

LEARN MORE ABOUT FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY’S JURIS DOCTOR ONLINE PROGRAM

ONLINE LAW DEGREES: JURIS DOCTOR (JD) DEGREE PROGRAM

Program Standouts: California Southern University’s Juris Doctor program is suitable for individuals who prefer the convenience and flexibility without compromising their busy, working professions.

This online JD program is a rigorous and challenging program that puts an emphasis on ethical responsibility and analytical thinking capabilities. The rigorous program has the same case books and materials that many of the country’s most prominent law schools use.

Students will become part of a community that provides overall support and tools essential to the study of law and business. CalSouthern’s JD program requires 88 credits for degree completion. Students can earn this degree in as quick as 2 years depending on their pace of learning.

Campus Location: Costa Mesa, California

Accreditation: California Southern University received accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior College and University Commission.

Retention Rate: 67%

• Online Enrollment Application
• $75 Application Fee
• Official Transcript of Records of Undergraduate Coursework
• JD Assessment Questionnaire Completion
• Signed Enrollment Agreements
• Contracts I and II
• Legal Writing I and II
• Constitutional Law I and II
• Professional Responsibility
• Legal Research

Graduates of CalSouthern’s online JD program acquire an advanced set of knowledge of the traditional fields of law.

They are integrated with skills that are helpful in understanding and applying legal procedures, to comprehend legal principles, limitations of the law, and excel in the State Bar of California examinations. They have the eligibility to sit for the California Bar Exam.

LEARN MORE ABOUT CALIFORNIA SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY’S ONLINE LAW DEGREES: JURIS DOCTOR DEGREE PROGRAM

WEEKEND JURIS DOCTOR PROGRAM

Program Standouts: The Juris Doctor program of Loyola University Chicago is a rigorous program combined with practical experience students need to rise above the competition.

Students will work closely with world-class faculty to learn the foundations of the American legal system. The set of coursework under this program helps students learn to effectively apply the study of law to real-world challenging scenarios.

Students must complete 86 credit hours to earn a JD degree in Loyola. Experiential learning that is comprised of 6 credit hours is required to demonstrate the applied knowledge and skills of the students all throughout the program.

All online courses are offered through the university’s highly interactive and collaborative online learning platform – Sakai.

Campus Location: Chicago, Illinois

Accreditation: Loyola University Chicago is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission

Retention Rate: 86%

Acceptance Rate: 77%

• Completed Online Application Form
• LSAT Scores
• One Letter of Recommendation
• Law School Admission Test Exam
• Character and Fitness Questions
• Qualification for Bar Exam Admissions
• Administrative Law

Students who complete the JD program will earn the same rewarding opportunity to gain benefits from quality, world-class legal education at Loyola. They have achieved unwavering success in serving different sectors of society through promising career pathways in the government and private sectors.

LEARN MORE ABOUT LOYOLA UNIVERSITY CHICAGO’S WEEKEND JURIS DOCTOR PROGRAM

Why should i earn a doctorate in law (juris doctor) degree.

Earning a Juris Doctor (JD) degree is an excellent option for anyone interested in learning more about the legal field and pursuing a career as an attorney. A JD degree provides the necessary skills and knowledge to practice law and a deeper understanding of the legal system.

The degree also offers a variety of opportunities for specialization and career advancement. Those with a Juris Doctor degree can also look forward to higher salaries, increased job security, and more job opportunities.

What can I do with a Doctorate in Law (Juris Doctor) Degree?

A Doctorate in Law (Juris Doctor) Degree is the highest degree in law and is typically required to practice law in the United States. With a Juris Doctor, you could pursue a career in legal practice by becoming a lawyer, a judge, or a law professor.

Additionally, a Juris Doctor can open up policy-making, advocacy, and legal consulting opportunities. You could also apply your degree to a career in government, business, or nonprofit organizations.

Do I need a Doctorate in Law (Juris Doctor) Degree to become a lawyer?

Yes, in most states in the United States, you must have a Juris Doctor (JD) degree in order to become a licensed lawyer.

What is the average salary for an Attorney?

The average salary for an attorney in the United States is approximately $135,740 per year to upwards of $239,200 annually, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. This figure can vary depending on geographic location, experience, and other factors.

• theme: legal-studies

Criminology and Justice Policy

Political Science

Our PhD in Political Science covers four fields: American government, comparative politics, international relations, and public policy. The curriculum introduces students to all four fields, though each student will concentrate on a primary and secondary field.

Public Policy

The PhD in Public Policy is an interdisciplinary social science program for individuals interested in analyzing and formulating policy through research in academia or a variety of other high-level professional settings.

Professional Doctorates

Northeastern offers customizable courses of study, flexible formats, and challenging work experiences that propel careers forward.

The primary mission of the major is to focus on skills to prepare men and women for the challenges of law school or related fields. In fulfillment, the Legal Studies Major has two options: completion of the major with a minor to complete a degree to prepare for related fields or associated graduate work outside of law school, or a “3+3” program designed for possible early matriculation into Belmont’s College of Law.

Students pursuing early admission to the Belmont College of Law through the 3+3 program participate in the Belmont University College of Law’s mission to prepare qualified students with an excellent understanding of the law that will equip them to become professional counselors, advocates, and judges; researchers, teachers, and philosophers of the law; entrepreneurs; and thoughtful citizens. Belmont University College of Law is committed to the Christian tradition.  We believe that instilling the highest standards of personal and professional conduct is our ethical and communal responsibility.  Meeting Belmont mission, vision and values, we seek to ensure that the knowledge and values that we transmit to our students serve the ends of justice.

To provide a way for qualified Belmont students seeking a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree at Belmont to save tuition costs by completing a bachelor’s degree and a law degree in as little as six years. Through a unique arrangement with the Belmont College of Law, the 3+3 Law Program allows students to begin their first year of law school during their fourth year of undergraduate study (by completing the major, respective Bell Core, plus any free electives to reach minimum of 99 total earned hours). For students not electing to pursue the 3+3 program the major offers skills that may be applied to the legal field or related disciplines.

The Belmont 3+3 Option

Belmont’s 3+3 (B.A. / B.S. to J.D. program) is designed to allow qualified students who complete the major in Legal Studies their respective BELL Core (General Education), plus any free electives to meet a minimum of 99 credits in undergraduate studies, and if accepted through application, the ability to matriculate to Belmont’s College of Law. Upon successful completion of the first year of law school (with at least 29 earned LAW hours), the student will earn the undergraduate degree (B.A. or B.S.), and upon completion of the College of Law’s degree requirements in the College of Law earn the Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree. 1  Students electing to take this major but not seek early entry into Belmont’s College of Law will follow the course of study provided to the completion of the bachelor degree, as either a BA or BS in Legal Studies.

BELL Core Requirements: 53 Hours (minimum)

Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) or Bachelor of Science (B.S.)    

Technical Requirements (count in BELL Core):

Technical Requirements are courses identified by the program as required courses and will count in the BELL Core     or as General Electives.

• ECO 2210 Principles of Macroeconomics 3 Hours
• ECO 2220 Principles of Microeconomics 3 Hours
• PHI 1510 Critical Thinking 3 Hours
• PHI 1520 Ethics 3 Hours

Legal Studies Major: 30 Hours

Major core requirements: 24 hours.

 *Students should complete PHI 1510    or PHI 1520    prior to registering for MGT 3230  

• MGT 2410 Business Law I 3 Hours
• COM 2200 Persuasion 3 Hours
• COM 2020 Argumentation and Debate 3 Hours
• LGS 1300 Intro to Legal Studies 3 Hours
• LGS 3130 Legal Entrepreneurship 3 Hours
• PHI 3430 Philosophy of Law 3 Hours
• PHI 3440 Social & Political Philosophy 3 Hours
• MGT 3230 Business Ethics 3 Hours *
• MGT 4310 Negotiation 3 Hours
• MGT 4220 Business Law II 3 Hours

Major Electives: 6 Hours

• MBU 2520 Copyright Law 3 Hours
• MBU 3550 Music Industry Contract Law 3 Hours
• PSC 4320 International Law 3 Hours
• PUB 2500 Copyright and Publishing Law 3 Hours
• MDS 4100 Communication Law 3 Hours
• SOC 3700 Criminal Justice 3 Hours
• SOC 2450 Law and Society 3 Hours
• REL 3540 Eco-Justice and Faith 3 Hours 1
• REL 3510 Poverty and Justice 3 Hours 1
• LGS 1350 Introduction to Legal Writing 3 Hours
• LGS 2320 Trial Practice 3 Hours

Legal Studies Major (3+3 option)

Sub total of BELL Core (Gen Ed) plus major above = 83 credit hours. If pursuing the 3+3 option student must take 16 additional free elective hours to equal 99 earned hours prior to ability to matriculation to College of Law. 

Legal Studies Major (Non 3+3 option)

Students electing to pursue the Legal Studies Major but not seeking early entry into Belmont’s College of Law, or students leaving the Law School and returning to complete the undergraduate degree.

Minor Requirements: 18 Hours

General electives: 27 hours (minimum), total required for the program: 128 hours.

1  REL 2350    and  REL 2510    are recommended prequisites.  

Should a student in the 3+3 program decide to withdraw from the college of law after matriculation, or fail to successfully complete law courses such that the student is not eligible to continue toward the J.D. at Belmont, the student may be readmitted to Belmont University in the undergraduate program to complete the remaining undergraduate credits needed to graduate, (if the earning of the B.A. or B.S. degree has not already occurred).

Up to the first 29 hours of LAW courses (primarily year one of law school) in the Belmont College of Law will be listed as undergraduate LST (Legal Studies) courses. For example: LAW 6100, Contract and Sales (4) will be listed to an undergraduate rubric LST 4895, Contract and Sales (4). This provides accurate monitoring and auditing of the progress toward the undergraduate degree and ensures the student has a valid undergraduate transcript showing allowed course work in a “plus” program, with degree. 

Legal Studies majors seeking early admission through the 3+3 program should consult the Legal Studies advisor and the Belmont College of Law for admissions criteria. The list below is provided as a guideline for Admissions to the Belmont College of Law:

Admission requirements:

• Admission into Belmont’s graduate law program (J.D.) is competitive. Participation in the Legal Studies 3+3 is not a guarantee of admission to the Belmont College of Law J.D. program. Students interested in the program should work closely with the undergraduate law school advisor to ensure that they are meeting requirements and their GPA is competitive for graduate studies.
• Students may apply to the Belmont graduate program after successfully completing a minimum of 99 semester credit hours as given in the curriculum matrix above.
• Finish major requirements in the Major of Legal Studies
• Finish general education requirements (B.A. or B.S.)
• Create an account with the Law School Admissions Council’s Credential Assembly Service (LSAC CAS) early in your junior year and apply for a need-based fee waiver from LSAC (if relevant)
• Provide information to the Director of Legal Studies for the assessment letter, including information on academic honors and awards, work experience, public service, significant achievements in extracurricular activities
• Complete personal statement for law school application
• Complete resume for law school application
• Complete financial aid application (if relevant) for law school application and also research other scholarship/financial aid options
• Contact the College of Law’s Admission Coordinator and complete law school application
• An applicant must present a satisfactory score on the Law School Admission Test (LSAT).  If taken multiple times, the highest score will be used.
• Be in good standing with the university and “academic good standing.”

Students will be advised to take these additional calendared steps to prepare for the LSAT:

• Take an LSAT prep course in August, November, or January of the Junior year
• Take the LSAT exam in September, December, or February of the Junior year
• Submit law school application online via the LSAC CAS on or before March 1st

What are the Academic Calendar changes to BNSG in 2025?

What calendar will the program be using for 2025 intakes , when can i start my program can i start in any study period , are all courses taught in each study period , when will the 2025 handbook be available , can i accelerate my program and finish my degree quicker , am i required to study in every study period with this calendar , what makes the new calendar for my program better , will i have to do any courses in another calendar , how do pathway timings match up with entry into this program , i am a current student, what does this change mean for my program , will the school provide more information about my program’s transition into the new academic calendar , where can i go if i need support , is this answer helpful.

Coordinated JD/PhD Program

Harvard Law School and the Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

The Coordinated JD/PhD Program is designed for students interested in completing interdisciplinary work at Harvard University and is founded on the belief that students’ legal studies and their arts and sciences graduate studies can be mutually enriched through this pursuit. Students completing the coordinated program receive a JD from Harvard Law School (HLS) and a PhD from the Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences  (Harvard Griffin GSAS). It is expected that these students will be strong candidates for teaching posts at law schools and in arts and sciences programs, as well as for other positions in law and academia. Prospective students interested in the coordinated program may reach out to  HLS J.D. Admissions  and the  Harvard Griffin GSAS Office of Admissions  to learn more. Current and admitted students interested in the coordinated program are encouraged to contact  April Pettit , in the Office of Academic Affairs at HLS for questions about the JD program, or  Dan Volchok , Assistant Dean of Student Success at Harvard Griffin GSAS for questions about the PhD programs.

Prospective students must separately apply to and be admitted to both HLS and a Harvard Griffin GSAS PhD program in order to participate in the coordinated JD/PhD program.

• Students enrolled in HLS, but not yet admitted to Harvard Griffin GSAS, must apply to Harvard Griffin GSAS no later than the 2L year, meeting the Harvard Griffin GSAS application deadline for matriculation the following year.
• Students enrolled in Harvard Griffin GSAS, but not yet admitted to HLS, should apply to HLS no later than the G3 year, meeting the HLS application deadline for matriculation the following year.
• Please see below for details about participation in the coordinated program for Harvard Griffin GSAS students who apply and are admitted to HLS after the G3 year.

Once admitted to both schools, students must submit a proposed Plan of Study to the coordinated program no later than October 1 of the academic year following admission to both schools. Students should submit the Plan of Study to April Pettit in the Office of Academic Affairs at HLS.

Please note: Harvard Griffin GSAS students who apply to and are admitted to HLS after the G3 year at Harvard Griffin GSAS must then separately apply to the coordinated program. The application to the coordinated program should include (1) a statement detailing the way in which the student plans to integrate his or her legal studies with his or her graduate studies including how work done at HLS will inform the dissertation work and vice versa; and (2) a letter of support from the primary Harvard Griffin GSAS advisor; and (3) the Plan of Study.

The JD/PhD committee will review the applications to determine admission to the coordinated program.

Students will be registered in only one School during any given semester/term. Pursuant to ABA rules, students must  complete all requirements for the JD degree within seven years of the date they first enroll in HLS ; they may graduate from HLS before completing the PhD. Students must have satisfactorily completed at least 16 half courses in their Harvard Griffin GSAS department to receive the PhD. Students in the coordinated program will have two primary faculty advisors, one at HLS and one at Harvard Griffin GSAS, who will jointly advise students.

Students will be expected to complete the first-year program, three upper-level fall or spring semesters, and two winter terms at HLS, for a total of five fall and spring semesters and three winter terms. In lieu of the sixth HLS semester generally required of JD students, students in the coordinated program may take a semester at Harvard Griffin GSAS, completing courses or dissertation work pre-approved by HLS, and equivalent to at least 10 HLS credits. This Harvard Griffin GSAS semester may be taken only after a student has matriculated at HLS and completed their entire first year of study there. Students and their faculty advisors will determine the most appropriate sequencing for each student’s course of study, keeping in mind the HLS course, credit, and residency requirements for this program.

Course and Credit Requirements

First-year program.

The first year at HLS consists of (1) Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law, Legislation and Regulation, Property, and Torts; (2) First-year Legal Research and Writing; (3) January Experiential Term; and (4) a spring upper-level elective at HLS of a minimum of 2 and a maximum of 4 classroom credits.

Upper-Level Years

Credit and residency requirements.

Students must earn no fewer than 52 credits beyond the first year, including 36 HLS classroom credits. Classroom credits include those connected to courses, seminars and reading groups, but not writing or clinical credits. The 36 required classroom credits also include the required minimum of two credits to satisfy the Professional Responsibility Requirement and credits from the required winter terms (provided that the course chosen offers classroom credits). Of the remaining 16 required HLS credits, a maximum of ten are earned through courses or tutorials taken in Harvard Griffin GSAS and/or for dissertation writing (see below). Note that students must have their advisor’s approval before engaging in a semester of Harvard Griffin GSAS dissertation writing that is expected to count toward the HLS credit requirements . The remaining six required HLS credits may be earned in classroom, writing or clinical courses.

While at HLS, students must be enrolled in a minimum of ten total credits each semester in HLS or Harvard Griffin GSAS, with no fewer than eight of these being HLS classroom credits toward the requirement of 36 HLS classroom credits.

Winter Term Requirement

Students also must enroll in the HLS winter term two times during their upper-level years in the program. Each of the winter terms must follow a fall term enrollment or precede a spring term enrollment at HLS. Students may register for a course of two or three credits. JD/PhD students will be permitted to spend one of the winter terms in the HLS Winter Writing Program, provided they are engaged in written work for HLS credit according to the rules of that program.

Written Work Requirement

JD/PhD students must complete the JD Written Work Requirement. Students are permitted to satisfy the requirement with a portion of their dissertation, provided this work meets HLS standards for written work. However, any portion of the dissertation counted toward the JD Written Work Requirement cannot also be used as part of the 10 HLS-equivalent credits earned during a student’s Harvard Griffin GSAS semester. Further information about the J.D. Written Work Requirement and the Winter Term Writing Program is available from the HLS Registrar’s Office .

Pro Bono Requirement

JD/PhD students must complete the  HLS Pro Bono Requirement  of 50 hours of public service.

Residency Requirement

A minimum of two years of full-time study in residence is required for all PhD programs in the Harvard Griffin GSAS. During the period of registration at HLS, coordinated JD/PhD students will have “study-at-another-Harvard-school” status in Harvard Griffin GSAS.

Structure of Academic Work

Students will ordinarily be enrolled for at least four years (8 terms) in Harvard Griffin GSAS. They must complete at least 16 half courses to receive their PhD. Students may cross-register for a limited number of Harvard Griffin GSAS courses during their upper-level terms at HLS. Depending on the Harvard Griffin GSAS department, these courses may count toward the PhD. However, JD/PhD students may count a maximum of 10 credits from Harvard Griffin GSAS coursework or dissertation writing toward the JD. Therefore, students planning to spend a semester enrolled at Harvard Griffin GSAS taking courses or writing the dissertation for which they will earn 10 HLS credits may not also count cross-registered Harvard Griffin GSAS courses toward the JD.

General Examinations

In most departments, once having completed the required coursework, students must pass a general examination or other preliminary or qualifying examinations before undertaking independent research on a dissertation. Normally, when the nature of the field and previous preparation permit, students should pass these examinations by the end of the second year of full-time academic residence.

PhD Dissertation

The student’s dissertation prospectus must be approved by the department. A student who wishes to present as a dissertation a published article, series of articles, book or other document, or a manuscript that has been accepted for publication, must have the approval of the department concerned. In no case, however, may a dissertation be presented that has already been submitted toward another degree, either at Harvard or elsewhere. The Dissertation Acceptance Certificate must be signed by at least three readers approved by the student’s department, two of whom must be members of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS). FAS emeriti (including research professors) and faculty members from other schools at Harvard who hold appointments on GSAS degree committees are authorized to sign the Dissertation Acceptance Certificates as FAS members. GSAS strongly recommends that the chair of the dissertation committee be a member of FAS. The third reader may be a member of the HLS faculty.

Requirement of Satisfactory Status

Continuous registration, a satisfactory grade record, and evidence that satisfactory progress is being made toward the degree are required of all candidates for graduate degrees offered by FAS. All students in Harvard Griffin GSAS must be making satisfactory progress in order to be eligible for any type of financial aid and teaching. The following five provisions are the general definition of satisfactory progress during registration in Harvard Griffin GSAS:

• During the first two years of graduate study any student who has completed expected requirements is considered to be making satisfactory progress.
• In each of the first two years, a student must have achieved the minimum grade-point average required by the faculty, a B average. (see Harvard Griffin GSAS Policies: Grade and Examination Requirements ).
• By the end of the third year, a student must have passed general examinations or the departmental equivalent.
• By the end of the fourth year, a student must have obtained approval of a dissertation prospectus or its departmental equivalent.
• By the end of the fifth year and each subsequent year during which a student is allowed to register, they must have produced at least one acceptable chapter of the dissertation.

For more information about satisfactory progress, please see Harvard Griffin GSAS Policies .

Other Requirements

Ordinarily, programs will have a language requirement and an expectation of teaching. Students should consult with their Harvard Griffin GSAS departments for more information about these requirements.

There are a number of possible academic schedules for students pursuing both degrees. Three sequences are outlined below, but students may propose alternative sequences. In considering their courses of study, students should be aware that their financial aid packages might be affected at the school in which they defer enrollment.

Year 1: HLS Year 2: Harvard Griffin GSAS Year 3: Harvard Griffin GSAS Year 4: HLS Year 5: 1st term, HLS Year 5: 2nd term, Harvard Griffin GSAS (earning the equivalent of 10 HLS credits in dissertation work) Following year(s): Harvard Griffin GSAS until completion of dissertation

Year 1: Harvard Griffin GSAS Year 2: Harvard Griffin GSAS Year 3: HLS Year 4: Harvard Griffin GSAS Year 5: HLS Year 6: 1st term, HLS Year 6: 2nd term, Harvard Griffin GSAS (earning the equivalent of 10 HLS credits in dissertation work) Following year(s): Harvard Griffin GSAS until completion of dissertation

Year 1: HLS Year 2: HLS Year 3: Harvard Griffin GSAS Year 4: Harvard Griffin GSAS Year 5: 1st term, HLS Year 5: 2nd term, Harvard Griffin GSAS (earning the equivalent of 10 HLS credits in dissertation work) Following year(s): Harvard Griffin GSAS until completion of dissertation

Updated Plans of Study

By October 1 each year, current JD/PhD students should submit an updated Plan of Study to April Pettit, in the HLS Office of Academic Affairs.

Other Academic Information

Faculty advising.

Students in the program will have primary faculty advisors at both HLS and at Harvard Griffin GSAS. If possible, HLS faculty advisors should be selected before the completion of the 2L year. The HLS faculty advisor must sign off on any dissertation writing a student expects to use for JD credit. In some Harvard Griffin GSAS departments, the director of graduate studies serves as the faculty advisor during the first two years of study. Faculty advisors will supervise students’ academic work, advise students on their courses of study and on specific classes appropriate for their PhD work, and approve the courses of study for their students on an annual basis. If appropriate, the HLS advisor will be the third reader on the student’s dissertation committee, with at least two readers required to be members of FAS.

Leaving the JD/PhD Program

If a student fails to make adequate progress toward the PhD, the student’s faculty advisors will be permitted to withdraw the student from the program. In such cases, in order to receive the JD degree, a student will still need to meet the graduation and credit requirements for the JD degree.

Tuition and Financial Aid

Harvard law school.

Students must pay five semesters of full tuition. Students will be eligible for HLS financial aid for all semesters during which they pay tuition to HLS. For more information on Financial Aid, visit the Student Financial Services Financial Aid webpage .

Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

The minimum financial requirement for the PhD is at least four terms of full tuition followed by two years of reduced tuition and a facilities fee unless the degree is completed in less than four years. The financial aid awarded upon admission to the PhD program is available during those terms in which the student is enrolled in Harvard Griffin GSAS. Students should refer to their notice of financial support provided by their department upon admission to Harvard Griffin GSAS. Students should consult with their GSAS departments for more information.

Administrative Information

The HLS Registrar’s Office, the FAS Registrar’s Office, the GSAS Assistant Dean of Student Success, the HLS Associate Director of Academic Affairs, and the appropriate financial aid officers, will coordinate on students’ registration status and updated plans of study.

Housing and Student Life

GSAS and HLS will work together to ensure that the student services offered by both Schools are available to JD/PhD students during all their years in the Coordinated Program, including career and counseling offices, financial aid offices, student centers, and alumni offices. Students in the coordinated program will have email accounts at both schools throughout the program. Disability services and visa requirements will be coordinated on a case-by-case basis by the HLS Dean of Students and Registrar and by the Harvard Griffin GSAS Assistant Dean for Student Success. Students may apply for housing through either School for the years in which they are enrolled for at least one semester/term at both Schools. In all other years, students must apply for housing to the School in which they are enrolled.

Modal Gallery

Gallery block modal gallery.

• Request Info
• Saint Mary's NewsCenter

‘Protagonists of Social Transformation’ and Saint Mary’s Graduate and Professional Studies Commencement 2024

A journey together: Lenae Garrett MA '24 and Nigel Burnett MA '24 were among 360 students celebrated at Graduate and Professional Studies Commencement 2024. / Photo by Bryan Navarro

Guest speaker Brother Ernest Miller FSC, drawing comparisons with John Baptist de La Salle, Dorothy Day, and Dolores Huerta, among others, urged graduates to transform the status quo by “rejecting the norms” of society.

It was a picture-perfect morning on the Saint Mary’s College campus on May 26, with a hint of dew on the Saint Mary’s Stadium lawn but plenty of sunshine to help warm the crowd as family, friends, and other supporters settled in to cheer on their students at SMC’s 2024 Graduate and Professional Studies Commencement ceremony.

The graduates—360 students who earned certificates, credentials, or advanced degrees, including doctorates—were completing an academic journey similar to the one they had previously experienced as undergraduates. Now, they donned personalized mortarboards, high-fived their classmates, and basked in congratulatory applause from loved ones as newly minted teachers, counselors, writers, dancers, kinesiologists, communicators, and business administrators.

Among those walking the stage were seven members of a brand new cohort at Saint Mary’s: the first-ever group of Gaels to earn a Master of Science in Biotechnology from SMC’s School of Science . They joined graduates of programs in the School of Liberal Arts , School of Economics and Business Administration , and the Kalmanovitz School of Education . 

“We could not have asked for a better first cohort,” said Professor Vidya Chandrasekaran, Program Director for the Professional Science Master's in Biotechnology program. “The students were excited to be the pioneers in our program and navigated the challenges of being in a new program with good cheer and grace. I am grateful to them for providing feedback on the curriculum to ensure it was relevant in the current biotechnology landscape.” 

A message of gratitude

Daniel McCarthy MA ’24 was this year’s Lasallian Scholar, part of an educator’s program to support Lasallian and Catholic school systems, and he delivered the invocation for the ceremony. He spoke on behalf of his classmates when he thanked God for providing them with the many people who helped make it possible for the graduates to cross the stage and complete their studies.

“Thank you for blessing our families and friends—for each loved one that got here safely today,” he said. “For each time they supported us through our academic journeys, motivated us when things got rough, hung out when we needed a break. Thank you for giving us people who listened and were present, who would reschedule plans so that we could finish our assignments, and who would send us off to class and tell us they were proud.”

In his salutation, Interim President  Brother Thomas Jones, FSC , gently called on the new graduates to use their new academic credentials for the common good.

“You carry with you more than just a certificate of completion, more than just a diploma,” he said. “You carry with you an experience of community and belonging that can be gifts to the world. Use these gifts generously and wisely.” 

Looking beyond academic success

Augmenting Brother Thomas’s theme of using one’s academic credential as a tool for making the world a better place,  Brother Ernest Miller, FSC , the ceremony’s guest speaker, challenged the students to look beyond the traditional definition of success and follow the lessons learned in the Book of Joshua to become “protagonists of social transformation.” 

“Today’s society is culturally wired toward attaining status and success—academic or material,” said Brother Ernest. “However, I propose to you that success itself is not the end of what is required of us. Beyond the success of what Cornel West calls ‘conspicuous commodity consumption,’ achieving what is significant is our life’s destination.”

God, Brother Ernest reminded the graduates, instructed Joshua to be strong and courageous not just once, but three times.

“As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; Be strong and courageous…” he quoted from the book’s first chapter. “Only be strong and courageous…Be strong and courageous; do not be frightened or dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

“I propose to you that success itself is not the end of what is required of us. Beyond the success of what Cornel West calls ‘conspicuous commodity consumption,’ achieving what is significant is our life’s destination.” —Brother Ernest Miller, FSC

He urged the graduates to “transform the current age, to focus success to enable, to empower, to ennoble others to become people who are alive and able to shape a new world.”

Near the end of his speech, Brother Ernest told the graduates, “In this magical moment, energized with expectation and high on hope, we cannot be but sobered by the concrete realities that face our world.” Their dream, he suggested, “is a preferred picture of what the world would look like because of the signature you are gifted to write in this time.”

He challenged the Class of 2024 to “keep the focus on those whose suffering is often rendered invisible—those disenfranchised, impoverished, and disinherited.” Whatever profession the graduates choose, he said, they must demonstrate empathy and courage in order to transform the status quo.

“It is a struggle for the long haul,” he said, “but with God, all things are possible.”

Honoring Allie Macaulay MA ’24 

At the outset of the Kalmanovitz School of Education graduate introductions,  Dean Carol Ann Gittens paused to award a posthumous Master’s in Counseling to  Allie Macaulay , who passed away in late December after a courageous battle with cancer. She had been pursuing a Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy with the hope of supporting patients in dealing with the realities of a cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Accepting the degree on her behalf were her parents,  Marc and  Sandy Macaulay , and her sisters  Hannah and  Kelsey Macaulay . They were they to honor and show their love for someone who was, as Dean Gittens said, “An extraordinary woman with incredible energy, compassion, unconditional love, and a beautiful soul.” 

The Day in Pictures: Graduate and Professional Studies Commencement 2024

Photos by bryan navarro.

View the full gallery of photos here.

More on SMC Commencement

© 2024 Saint Mary’s College of California

Time in Elektrostal , Moscow Oblast, Russia now

• Tokyo 05:39AM
• Beijing 04:39AM
• Kyiv 11:39PM
• Paris 10:39PM
• London 09:39PM
• New York 04:39PM
• Los Angeles 01:39PM

Time zone info for Elektrostal

• The time in Elektrostal is 8 hours ahead of the time in New York when New York is on standard time, and 7 hours ahead of the time in New York when New York is on daylight saving time.
• Elektrostal does not change between summer time and winter time.
• The IANA time zone identifier for Elektrostal is Europe/Moscow.

Time difference from Elektrostal

Sunrise, sunset, day length and solar time for elektrostal.

• Sunrise: 03:44AM
• Sunset: 09:04PM
• Day length: 17h 20m
• Solar noon: 12:24PM
• The current local time in Elektrostal is 24 minutes ahead of apparent solar time.

Elektrostal on the map

• Location: Moscow Oblast, Russia
• Latitude: 55.79. Longitude: 38.46
• Population: 144,000

Best restaurants in Elektrostal

• #1 Tolsty medved - Steakhouses food
• #2 Ermitazh - European and japanese food
• #3 Pechka - European and french food

Find best places to eat in Elektrostal

• Best steak restaurants in Elektrostal
• Best bbqs in Elektrostal
• Best breakfast restaurants in Elektrostal

The 50 largest cities in Russia

Current time by city

For example, New York

Current time by country

For example, Japan

Time difference

For example, London

For example, Dubai

Coordinates

For example, Hong Kong

For example, Delhi

For example, Sydney

Geographic coordinates of Elektrostal, Moscow Oblast, Russia

City coordinates

Coordinates of Elektrostal in decimal degrees

Coordinates of elektrostal in degrees and decimal minutes, utm coordinates of elektrostal, geographic coordinate systems.

WGS 84 coordinate reference system is the latest revision of the World Geodetic System, which is used in mapping and navigation, including GPS satellite navigation system (the Global Positioning System).

Geographic coordinates (latitude and longitude) define a position on the Earth’s surface. Coordinates are angular units. The canonical form of latitude and longitude representation uses degrees (°), minutes (′), and seconds (″). GPS systems widely use coordinates in degrees and decimal minutes, or in decimal degrees.

Latitude varies from −90° to 90°. The latitude of the Equator is 0°; the latitude of the South Pole is −90°; the latitude of the North Pole is 90°. Positive latitude values correspond to the geographic locations north of the Equator (abbrev. N). Negative latitude values correspond to the geographic locations south of the Equator (abbrev. S).

Longitude is counted from the prime meridian ( IERS Reference Meridian for WGS 84) and varies from −180° to 180°. Positive longitude values correspond to the geographic locations east of the prime meridian (abbrev. E). Negative longitude values correspond to the geographic locations west of the prime meridian (abbrev. W).

UTM or Universal Transverse Mercator coordinate system divides the Earth’s surface into 60 longitudinal zones. The coordinates of a location within each zone are defined as a planar coordinate pair related to the intersection of the equator and the zone’s central meridian, and measured in meters.

Elevation above sea level is a measure of a geographic location’s height. We are using the global digital elevation model GTOPO30 .

Elektrostal , Moscow Oblast, Russia