Overview

About the program

The Doctor of Juridical Science Program (SJD) is the highest law degree offered by the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School. The SJD program focuses on research and the production of original scholarship. The degree is granted upon the successful completion and defense of a dissertation.

Programme Structure

Structure:

The principal requirement for the Doctor of the Science of Law (SJD) is a dissertation that makes an original and substantive contribution to legal scholarship and an oral defense of that dissertation before the dissertation committee.
This requirement can be 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.
All SJD candidates are required to be in residence at Penn for the first year of the program.

Key information

Duration

Full-time
- 36 months

Start dates & application deadlines

Starting 2027-08-31 00:00:00
- Apply before 2026-12-15 00:00:00

Language

English

TOEFL^® IBT

100

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Delivered

On Campus

Campus Location

Philadelphia, United States

Disciplines

Civil & Private Law Legal Studies View 59 other PhDs in Legal Studies in United States

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Academic requirements

We are not aware of any specific GRE, GMAT or GPA grading score requirements for this programme.

English requirements

TOEFL^® IBT

100

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IELTS

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Other requirements

General requirements

Applicants to the SJD program must have already earned a JD, LLM or equivalent degree from Penn Carey Law or another comparable U.S. law school.

application form
personal statement
two letters of recommendation
resume/CV
transcripts from each degree-granting, post-secondary school attended, including study-abroad
TOEFL or IELTS scores (or a waiver)
application fee of $85; $150 for the SJD
SJD candidates only: Please also submit a dissertation proposal and a writing sample.

Tuition Fees

Tuition fees are shown in and the most likely applicable fee is shown based on your nationality.

International Applies to you

Applies to you

Non-residents

44792 USD / year

≈ 44792 USD / year
Out-of-State

44792 USD / year

≈ 44792 USD / year
Domestic

Applies to you

In-State

44792 USD / year

≈ 44792 USD / year

Additional Details

Most of our PhD programs are fully funded, meaning the program will pay for your tuition and fees, as well as provide you with a minimum stipend of $39,425.

Living costs

Philadelphia

United States

1313 - 2284 USD / month

The living costs include the total expenses per month, covering accommodation, public transportation, utilities (electricity, internet), books and groceries.

Funding

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Scholarships Information

Below you will find PhD's scholarship opportunities for Law.

Available Scholarships

You are eligible to apply for these scholarships but a selection process will still be applied by the provider.

About

Overview

About the program

Programme Structure

Key information

Duration

Start dates & application deadlines

Language

Prepare for Your English Test

Delivered

Campus Location

Disciplines

What students do after studying

Academic requirements

English requirements

Prepare for Your English Test

Other requirements

General requirements

Tuition Fees

International Applies to you

Domestic

Additional Details

Living costs

Philadelphia

Funding

Scholarships Information

Available Scholarships

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