Doctor of Juridical Science

Doctor of Juridical Science, Doctor of the Science of Law, (in Latin) Scientiae Juridicae Doctor (sometimes also referred to as a Doctor of Laws), abbreviated J.S.D. or S.J.D., is a research doctorate in law.^[1] It is offered primarily in the United States, where it originated, and in Canada. As a research doctorate, it follows professional training in law (LL.B. or J.D.) and the first graduate-level training in law (LL.M.), and is primarily aimed at training professors, legal scientists, and other scholars in law.^[2]

Australia

The University of Melbourne,^[3] the University of Technology, Sydney,^[4] University of New South Wales,^[5] LaTrobe University,^[6] Queensland University of Technology^[7] Monash University,^[8] and the University of Western Australia^[9] offer the S.J.D. degree. The University of Melbourne^[10] University of Technology, Sydney,^[11] University of Western Australia^[12] and LaTrobe University^[13] describe their programs as a professional doctorate. The University of New South Wales calls its S.J.D. a research degree.^[14] Monash University categorizes its S.J.D. as a research degree, but states that it is a professional doctorate in the degree description.^[15] The course description by the Queensland University of Technology states that applicants are to have profound professional understanding of the practice of law, and that the research by the candidates is to make academic and professional contributions.^[16]

Canada

The Doctor of Juridical Science is offered by Dalhousie University^[17] and the University of Toronto.^[18]

Hong Kong

The City University of Hong Kong offers a Doctor of Juridical Science.^[19]

Hungary

Central European University, located in Budapest, offers a S.J.D. degree.^[20]

New Zealand

The University of Waikato offers the S.J.D. degree.^[21]

United States

The J.S.D. or S.J.D. is a research doctorate, and as such it is generally accepted as equivalent to the more commonly awarded research doctorate, the Ph.D.^[22] It is considered the "terminal degree in law" by Indiana University^[23] and Harvard Law School ^[24] and as the "most advanced law degree" by Yale Law School (J.S.D. Handbook)^[25],Georgetown University^[26],and Stanford University.^[27] The National Association of Legal Professionals states that the J.S.D./S.J.D. is "typically the most advanced (or terminal) law degree that would follow the earning of the LL.M. and J.D. degrees."^[28] However, there are other views that this term refers to its status as the highest research doctorate in law only and does not mean that the J.D. is not also a doctorate (the highest professional doctorate in law),^[29] which may very well be why Stanford on its website also refers to the J.S.D. as a "postdoctoral degree."^[30] Applicants for the program normally must have a first degree in law (such as a J.D. or LL.B.) and a LL.M.,^[31], but an LL.M. is not always required.^[32] The S.J.D. typically requires three to five years to complete,^[33][34] and requires an advanced study in law as a scientific discipline and a dissertation, which serves as an original contribution to the scholarly field of law.^[35] Notable recipients of the degree of Doctor of Juridical Science include: Harvey L. Strelzin (New York U., 1906);^[36]Charles Hamilton Houston (Harvard, 1923); ^[37]Lowell Turrentine (Harvard, 1929);^[38]Justice William Henry Hastie (Harvard, 1932);^[39]Justice Bernard Jefferson (Harvard, 1934);^[40]Pauli Murray (Yale, 1965)^[41]Judge Navanethem Pillay (Harvard).^[42]

See also

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

Notes and References