7 Best Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD) Degree Programs for 2024

The Doctor of Juridical Sciences (SJD) in International Legal Studies is designed to give students the opportunity to acquire specialized knowledge in a particular area of international law, with an emphasis on the legal, cultural, sociological, and business activities of the Pacific Rim, the European Community, and other regions of the world as they interact with one another and with the United States.

The Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D.; in Latin, Scientiae Juridical Doctor) Program, modeled on the Ph.D. programs in other disciplines, is designed for those seeking to pursue academic careers as teachers and scholars of law. This highly selective program is open only to applicants who possess a distinguished prior academic record in law, show promise of outstanding scholarship and demonstrate a high potential for completing a scholarly dissertation of the required quality.

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.

The LL.M. and S.J.D. Degrees are generally of value to those planning on a career as a legal scholar or researcher. The research-based degree programs do not require any coursework and primarily involve completing research and writing and mandatory attendance at seminars and workshops.

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 University of Florida Levin College of Law – through its Graduate Tax Program – offers the nation’s first Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D.) in Taxation, designed for those interested in tax law teaching and scholarship.

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.