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”). An LLM thesis may be incorporated into the doctoral dissertation, if appropriate.

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.

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.

Following a successful dissertation defense, an SJD candidate must submit three copies of their dissertation to the Associate Dean for Graduate Programs for placement in Biddle Law Library.

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 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. Candidates must, in addition, provide links to scholarly work published in the English language.

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, academic record, professional experience, recommendations, and English-language ability.

Each applicant must 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. An applicant who has not received a degree from Penn Law must submit at least one recommendation from a faculty member at the institution that granted their prior law degree.

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.

English Proficiency

***All applicants must submit a TOEFL or IELTS score or seek a waiver. Applicants seeking a waiver of the English language requirement, should do so by submitting a request. This applies even if you are a native English speaker and/or attend or attended a law school in the U.S. Failure to do so will delay consideration of your application.***

Successful participation in Penn Law’s SJD program requires a high level of English proficiency. Most coursework at Penn’s Law School centers on dialogue between the instructor and members of the class. In addition, an SJD student must be able to communicate effectively with their adviser. Consequently, a student should be able to understand rapid, idiomatic English as spoken in class and in seminar discussions. Students must be able to express thoughts clearly in both spoken and written English and must read the language with ease. The quantity and quality of academic work required at Penn Law cannot be accomplished without such mastery of the English language.

Penn Law does not grant conditional admission to applicants with insufficient English language skills and all applicants must have achieved the language proficiency noted above by the time their application is submitted. Prospective applicants who may need more substantial English language instruction prior to applying may wish to consider the courses offered by the University of Pennsylvania’s English Language Programs. More information can be found on the English Language Programs website. 

Note: Penn Law does not have a minimum score requirement. In general, we look for a TOEFL score of at least 100 or IELTS score of 7. We also look at the breakdown for listening, speaking, writing and reading to ensure that all indicate a high level of English proficiency. However, a lower score in one area or overall does not automatically preclude an applicant from consideration for Penn Law’s LLM program. Applicants whose test score(s) falls below the targets set forth above, should feel free to highlight any specific issues in the personal statement portion of their application. An applicant might emphasize time spent in English language environments, work done in English, English language publications, etc. It is also recommended that applicants with scores lower than those set forth above, submit at least one recommendation that addresses, at least in part, their English language ability.

Both the TOEFL and IELTS tests are administered at testing centers throughout the world. Applicants should plan on taking one of them no later than November of the year before which they propose to enroll at Penn’s Law School. Application forms and further information for the TOEFL and IELTS tests may be found on their websites.

Applicants who have a listening or speaking score below 24 on the TOEFL or 7 on the IELTS should consider utilizing “InitialView.” These interviews are not required, and the applicant bears the cost. For further information and to schedule an interview, please contact InitialView directly through their website. Please note that this is in addition to submitting a TOEFL or IELTS score and not a substitute for either