A Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD; Latin: Scientiae Juridicae Doctor),^[1] or a Doctor of the Science of Law (JSD; Latin: Juridicae Scientiae Doctor)_,^[2] is a research doctorate degree that is equivalent to a Doctor of Philosophy degree in law.^[3][4][5]

Australia

The SJD is offered by the Australian National University,^[6] Bond University,^[7] La Trobe University,^[8] the University of Canberra,^[9] the University of New South Wales,^[10] the University of Sydney,^[11] the University of Technology Sydney,^[12] and the University of Western Australia.^[13]

Canada

In Canada, the JSD or SJD is only offered at University of Toronto Faculty of Law. Other law schools in Canada still offer a PhD in law as the terminal degree.

United States

The JSD, or SJD is a research doctorate, and as such, in contrast to the JD, it is equivalent to the more commonly awarded research doctorate, the PhD.^[14] It is considered the "most advanced law degree" by American University Washington College of Law,^[15] Georgetown Law Center, Cornell Law School,^[16] Harvard Law School,^[17] Columbia Law School,^[18] Yale Law School,^[19] NYU Law,^[20] Penn Law,^[21] Stanford Law,^[22] UVA Law,^[23] Duke Law School,^[24] Berkeley Law,^[25] UCLA School of Law,^[26] Washington University School of Law,^[27] George Washington University Law School,^[28] James E. Rogers College of Law,^[29] Golden Gate University,^[30] and University of Illinois College of Law.^[31] According to Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law^[32] it is the "terminal degree in law designed for individuals interested in academia." The National Association of Legal Professionals states that the JSD/SJD is "the most advanced (or terminal) law degree that would follow the earning of the JD and LLM degrees".^[33]

Applicants for the program must have outstanding academic credentials.^[34] A first degree in law (such as a JD) is required, as well as an LLM.^[35] Exceptions as to the latter condition (i.e. holding an LLM) are seldom—if ever—granted.^[36]

The JSD/SJD typically requires three to five years to complete.^[36][37] The program begins with a combination of required and elective coursework. Then, upon passage of the oral exam, the student advances to doctoral candidacy. Completion of the program requires a dissertation, which serves as an original contribution to the scholarly field of law.^[38]

Despite its terminal status, the JSD/SJD is rarely earned by American scholars. The American Bar Association considers the first-level JD a sufficient academic credential for the instruction of the law. This has been adopted by virtually all American law schools, though outstanding academic performance and an extensive record of legal publications are usually required for tenure-track employment at most universities. Most scholars who complete the JSD/SJD at American universities are either international students seeking academic employment in their home countries (where a research doctorate may be required) or American scholars already employed, and who wish to further their legal education at the highest level.

Notable recipients of the degree of Doctor of Juridical Science include:

• Sang-Hyun Song (Cornell Law School, 1970), President of the International Criminal Court (ICC)
• Lobsang Sangay (Harvard, 2004), former President of the Central Tibetan Administration and professor of law at Harvard University
• Charles Hamilton Houston (Harvard, 1923), prominent civil rights attorney^[39]
• Pauli Murray (Yale, 1965), prominent civil rights advocate^[40]
• Ayala Procaccia (University of Pennsylvania, 1972), Israel Supreme Court Justice
• Dionysia-Theodora Avgerinopoulou (Columbia, 2011), member of the Hellenic Parliament
• Christos Rozakis (University of Illinois, 1973) (President of the Administrative Tribunal of the Council of Europe and former vice-president of the European Court of Human Rights)
• Ma Ying-jeou (Harvard, 1980), President of the Republic of China
• Theodor Meron (Harvard), professor of law (New York University School of Law) and president of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia
• Dhananjaya Y. Chandrachud (Harvard, 1986), Justice of the Supreme Court of India
• Katherine Franke (Yale Law School, 1998), Sulzbacher Professor of Law, Gender, and Sexuality Studies, Columbia University; Director, Center for Gender and Sexuality Law at Columbia Law School; Faculty Director, The Law, Rights, and Religion Project at Columbia Law School^[41]
• Lucian Bebchuk (Harvard, 1984), William J. Friedman and Alicia Townsend Friedman Professor of Law, Economics, and Finance Director, Program on Corporate Governance, Harvard Law School.^[42]
• Xue Hanqin (Columbia, 1995), U.N. International Court of Justice judge

See also

• Doctor of Law
• Legum Doctor (Doctor of Laws; LLD)
• Juris Doctor (JD)
• Master of Laws (LLM)
• Bachelor of Laws (LLB)
• Doctor of Canon Law, Catholic Church (JCD)

Notes and references