S.J.D. Degree Program
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APPLICATION DEADLINE: April 1
THE NEXT APPLICATION CYCLE FOR THE S.J.D. PROGRAM WILL BE FOR THE FALL 2009 TERM. INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS -Click here for more information on the Admissions process. |
The Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D.) Program selects outstanding students prepared to write a doctoral-level dissertation in law, who will make original contributions to the legal literature, and who have a strong intellectual commitment to advanced legal study.
Degree Requirements
During the first year of study, candidates must be full-time students in residence at WCL, and may be required to participate in an S.J.D. seminar and in any WCL colloquia and conferences relevant to the dissertation topic or designed specifically for S.J.D. students.
Candidates are expected to hold regular meetings with the faculty advisor during the year of residency. A study plan form must be filed with the S.J.D. committee at the start of each semester.
Students may work part-time (up to twenty hours per week) during the first year. Off-campus employment is not encouraged, as the student must demonstrate a full-time commitment to legal scholarship at WCL. Suitable employment should be discussed with the faculty advisor.
After the year in residence, S.J.D. candidates may continue their program in residence at WCL, or they may become "non-resident" S.J.D. candidates. Holders of F-1 or J-1 visas must maintain residency at WCL while in the U.S. to maintain their visa status. The WCL SJD Program is designed to take no longer than three (3) years to complete. Extension of the candidacy for one additional year beyond the standard three-year timeframe requires the approval of your faculty advisor and the director of the SJD Program and can be granted only upon a showing of extraordinary circumstances. An extension for a fifth year may be granted only by means of a special petition to the dean of the law school and only in cases of the most compelling need.
Coursework
Based on the recommendations of the faculty advisor, an S.J.D. candidate who holds an LL.M. from WCL may be required to audit additional courses. Candidates who do not have a WCL LL.M. shall be required to complete coursework during their year in residence at WCL. The number of courses required will be determined by the faculty advisor in consultation with the S.J.D. committee. The completion of these courses shall be a condition of the candidate's admission into the S.J.D. program. These candidates should be aware that the course requirements may increase the total cost for the first year of the S.J.D. program.
Dissertation
The S.J.D. dissertation is comparable to a Ph.D. dissertation in the humanities or social sciences. An acceptable S.J.D. dissertation must be an original, publication-quality scholarly treatment of the chosen topic that advances knowledge in the field. It is not merely a restatement of existing knowledge.
Since an S.J.D. dissertation is a special scholarly undertaking, there is no rigid length requirement. Nevertheless, it is expected that S.J.D. dissertations generally will be more than 150 pages in length, ranging between 150 and 300 pages. Each S.J.D. candidate is to have a primary faculty advisor who is a WCL faculty member. The faculty advisor will provide counsel during the research and writing of the S.J.D. dissertation, and will serve on the candidate's examination committee, which is to consist of at least three WCL professors. The S.J.D. committee, in consultation with the primary faculty advisor, will approve the other members who will serve on the examination committee. The S.J.D. candidate will provide an oral defense of the dissertation. If the examination committee approves a dissertation, the WCL faculty as a whole will decide whether the S.J.D. degree should be awarded.
Current Enrollment
Current enrollment is 27 students from 22 countries, under the instruction of fourteen full-time faculty members, including the director, Professor Anthony E. Varona, and forty-eight adjunct faculty members who are all recognized experts and leading practitioners in the field.
