项目介绍

2022年4月25日

The Juris Doctor Program

Yale Law School is an extraordinary community in which to study law. Our world-renowned faculty teach a wide array of courses and there are countless opportunities for independent research, writing, and student-organized seminars. 

Students are encouraged to learn deeply and investigate their own ideas about the law. Every student works closely with the faculty to complete two major research papers, and many students go on to publish their work. 

Outside of the classroom, students have the opportunity to work with faculty members as research and teaching assistants. Yale Law School students leave law school with personal and professional connections that last throughout their careers.

In addition, Yale Law School fosters an environment of collaboration rather than competition. In the first term, all classes are ungraded. After that, classes are graded on an honors/pass/low pass basis with the option to take classes credit/fail. There is no curve and no class rank.

The Degree of Doctor of the Science of Law

The Doctor of the Science of Law (J.S.D.) program at Yale Law School is a select doctoral program for graduates of Yale’s LL.M. program who aspire to careers in law teaching and scholarship.

The J.S.D. program is a vibrant community of academics from around the world, and many of its graduates have gone on to secure teaching and administrative positions at leading universities in their home and other countries, including in the United States.

Successful candidates for the J.S.D. program must have achieved high standing in earning the LL.M. degree at Yale Law School and demonstrate strong aptitude for performing superior scholarly research. If admitted, J.S.D. candidates at Yale Law School are required to complete a dissertation that makes a substantial, original contribution to legal scholarship. Whether in the form of a book-length manuscript or comprised of three law review articles, the dissertation contributes to a portfolio of writing that is essential for success on the job market.

While at Yale, J.S.D. candidates benefit from Yale Law School’s unrivalled academic resources, including the Law School’s diverse centers, programs, colloquia, and workshops; the Law Teaching Program; and the mentorship of Yale’s faculty and the members of their respective dissertation committees. J.S.D. candidates play an active role within the Yale Law School community and often serve as teaching and research assistants, student organizers, and consultants. Founded by a group of J.S.D. students, Yale Law School’s Annual Doctoral Scholarship Conference brings peers from other doctoral programs in the United States and abroad to New Haven every year.

The Ph.D. in Law Degree

The Ph.D. in Law degree program is designed to prepare J.D. graduates for careers as legal scholars and teachers through a doctoral program aimed at the production of a substantial body of academic research and writing under the close supervision of a three-member faculty dissertation committee. Unlike programs designed for students who wish to learn about law from the disciplinary perspectives of the social sciences or the humanities, the Ph.D. in Law is directed at students who wish to pursue advanced studies in law from the perspective of the law. This program offers emerging scholars an opportunity to contribute to the development of law as an academic field, and it provides an alternate pathway into law teaching alongside existing routes such as fellowships, advanced degrees in cognate fields, legal practice, and clerkships.

Because our entering Ph.D. students will have already completed their J.D. degrees, the anticipated course of study toward the Ph.D. in Law degree is three academic years and two summers in residence. In their first two semesters, Ph.D. students will enroll in courses designed to help them acquire the background and research skills needed to complete a dissertation in their field of interest and to prepare them for qualifying examinations that test the depth and breadth of the literacies and skills they have acquired. During their second year, students will prepare a dissertation prospectus and begin work on a dissertation. The dissertation may take the form of either three law review articles or a book-length manuscript and will make up a portfolio of writing that will be essential for success in the job market. Ph.D. students will also gain experience in the classroom, and receive the full support of Yale Law School’s Law Teaching Program, which has had remarkable success in placing graduates in tenure-track positions at leading law schools.

Ph.D. students receive a full-tuition waiver, a health award for health insurance coverage, and a stipend to cover their year-round living expenses, as well as support for participation in national and international conferences.

Applications for admission to the Ph.D. in Law program are available starting on August 15. The deadline for submission of all materials is December 15. Applicants to the Ph.D. in Law program must complete a J.D. degree at a U.S. law school before they matriculate and begin the Ph.D. program. Any questions about the program may be directed to Gordon Silverstein, Assistant Dean for Graduate Programs, at gordon.silverstein@yale.edu.