SJD Program

The SJD is the highest law degree offered by the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School. All applicants must have already earned an LLM, JD, or equivalent degree from Penn Carey Law or a comparable institution. Applicants also must have a well-stated scholarly proposal, with an area of research and appropriate research methodology clearly outlined. View application information.

The principal requirement of the SJD is a dissertation that makes an original and substantive contribution to legal scholarship. This contemplates a book or extended monograph reflecting intensive and creative research with respect to a specific topic, problem, or area of law. The work, both in content and form, must be of publishable quality.

In keeping with its mission of training future legal academics and global leaders, starting with the 2021-22 academic year Penn Carey Law will provide fellowships for eligible SJD candidates that include full tuition, health insurance, and a stipend. Fellowships will cover three years of residence at Penn Carey Law for up to three students.

See SJD Specific Frequently Asked Questions and Application Information.

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Degree Details

The SJD is an advanced law degree requiring the written submission and oral defense of a major piece of independent research that makes an original and substantive contribution to legal scholarship (“the dissertation”).

Completion of the SJD ordinarily will be within three years following admission to the program, although the SJD candidate may petition for an extension. The Graduate Programs Committee, with the approval of a student’s dissertation committee, may grant extensions to students in good standing.

First Year Requirements

All SJD students are required to spend the first full academic year of their SJD program in residence at the Law School. During the first year, students are expected to:

Secure the consent of a faculty member from among the Law School’s standing faculty to serve as an adviser. The adviser will also serve as the chair of the student’s dissertation committee;
Complete and submit a revised research proposal and a bibliography that substantially builds on the initial proposal submitted with the student’s application to the adviser;
Complete two one-semester courses in their area of specialization chosen from among those offered to upper level JD students.

In addition, first year SJD students may apply to serve as legal writing fellows who assist LLM students. SJDs who are accepted to be legal writing fellows typically receive a small stipend and often continue in this role during their second and third year if they remain in residence.

Second Year Requirements

If the faculty adviser approves the proposal, during the second year the student is expected to:

Submit a dissertation outline to their adviser;
Assemble their full dissertation committee, which must consist of three members, two of whom (including the chair) must be members of Penn Law’s standing faculty. The third dissertation committee member may, in appropriate cases, be selected from outside the Law School. Determinations regarding the inclusion of a committee member from outside the Law School shall be made by the student’s adviser in consultation with the Deputy Dean for International Affairs.

Third Year Requirements

If the faculty adviser approves the outline, during the third year the student is expected to:

Submit a draft dissertation to their committee (target deadline: October 1);
Submit a completed dissertation to their committee (target deadline: February 15);
Orally defend their dissertation before the dissertation committee.

Dissertation Requirements

Dissertations must make an original and substantial contribution to legal scholarship. This requirement is ordinarily satisfied by work equivalent in scale and quality to a book, extended monograph, or series of scholarly articles reflecting intensive and creative research with respect to a specific topic, problem or area of law. The work, both in content and form, must be of publishable quality.

The oral defense of the dissertation occurs after the members of the dissertation committee determine that the dissertation substantially satisfies the requirements of the program.

Termination

There are circumstances where an SJD student’s program may be terminated. See below:

If a student’s primary adviser, in consultation with the Graduate Programs Committee and the Deputy Dean for International Affairs, determines that the student is not making satisfactory progress toward the completion of the dissertation, the student may be dismissed from the program;
If a student fails to pay the required tuition and fees, the student may be dismissed from the program in accordance with University policy; and
Termination decisions may be appealed to the Committee on Academic Standing.

Academic Degrees and Admissions

Applicants to the SJD program must have already earned a JD, LLM or equivalent degree from Penn Carey Law or another comparable institution. All applicants must have a well-stated scholarly agenda, with an area of research and appropriate research methodology clearly outlined. Applicants must also submit a sample, in English, of their research-based writing on a legal topic of approximately 10-20 pages. This may be a work that has already been published and/or an excerpt of a longer work, so long as the candidate is the sole author of the submission.

Admission to the program is based upon the evaluation of a candidate’s past record and future promise as a legal scholar. Consideration is given to an applicant’s proposed research project, writing sample, academic record, professional experience, recommendations, personal statement, and English-language ability.

Dissertation Proposal

An applicant must submit an SJD proposal setting forth the scholarly project the applicant intends to pursue in the SJD Program, including a preliminary list of primary and secondary materials. An application will be successful only if an applicant’s proposal indicates a strong likelihood that, upon completion, the project will make a significant contribution to legal scholarship and will satisfy the dissertation requirements.

The proposal should thoroughly describe the anticipated dissertation topic, the goal of the project and how the applicant will achieve that goal, as well as the research methodology and the relevance and significance of the topic. There is no specific requirement regarding the length of the proposal, but most submissions are 15-20 pages in length.