3 Interdisciplinary Law SJD Degree Programs

The Doctor of Laws (SJD) Program is intended for individuals who have demonstrated superior scholarly potential and who are engaged in, or plan to pursue, careers in academia, government service, or the judiciary. In rendering admissions decisions, strong preference is given to the Law School's own LLM graduates, although external candidates' applications are welcome.

The Penn State Law S.J.D. (Doctor of Juridical Science) is intended for lawyers practising outside of the U.S. who seek advanced and specialized knowledge in a particular area of law.

The degree of Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D.) is the highest post-graduate law degree offered by the Dedman School of Law. The S.J.D is primarily a research and writing degree (as opposed to a course-oriented degree such as the LL.M. degree) during which the S.J.D. candidate conducts extensive postgraduate-level legal research with a view toward submitting an acceptable doctoral dissertation of publishable quality within a five-year period. This program is intended for highly qualified candidates seeking a legal academic career or a high level, policy-oriented governmental or inter-governmental position.