International Legal Studies, SJD

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.

Student Learning Outcomes

Students graduating from the Doctor of Juridical Science program will acquire:

Improved Intellectual Skills: Graduates will demonstrate the ability to understand legal concepts, rules, and procedures.
Cognitive Ability: Graduates will demonstrate they possess critical thinking skills and are able to think strategically, organize, and behave professionally.
Pedagogy Skills: Graduates will demonstrate the ability to acquire and advance their pedagogical skills to be able to teach and impact knowledge to other students.
Scholarly Writing: Graduates will demonstrate they possess research and writing skills necessary for writing publishable scholarly works.
Professional and Career Attitude: Graduates will demonstrate they possess the necessary skills for a successful career in whatever career path they choose. They will demonstrate they possess the interpersonal skills and networking abilities to pursue enhanced career options.

Residency - 2 semesters

SJD (Doctoral) students must enroll in SJD 910 SJD Residency for two semesters, which are typically their first two semesters after matriculating into the program. Each student’s program of study must be approved by the SJD Program Director.

Required Units - 8 units

Students must complete a minimum of eight units.

Required Courses - 6 units

Students are expected to take the two courses below in the first fall or spring semester for which they enroll in courses. Note: these courses count toward the eight units that students must complete.

LLM - 366 Public International Law 3 unit(s)
SJD - 931 SJD Dissertation Seminar 3 unit(s)

Dissertation and Candidacy

Each SJD student must work closely with his or her dissertation committee during the residency period. At the end of the second semester in residence, the student must present a detailed outline and draft chapter of the dissertation and must pass a qualifying oral examination. Students who successfully complete these tasks will be advanced to candidacy. The SJD candidate is expected to work closely with the members of the dissertation committee during the candidacy period and must present a final dissertation in publishable form no later than four years after advancing to candidacy. SJD students are required to register for the fall and spring semesters for each year they remain in candidacy. Students who do not register for any given semester may be subject to administrative withdrawal from the program. Certain students will be required to register for the summer term as directed by the SJD Program Director.

Acknowledgment Form

Each SJD student will receive a copy of the SJD Procedural Guidelines.

Report of (Normal Academic) Progress of Work

Prior to registration, all SJD students must receive the approval of the SJD Program Director as to their course schedules. SJD students are required to provide regular quarterly reports to their dissertation committee members as well as to the SJD Program Director. SJD students who are at any stage of residency or candidacy may be withdrawn from the program by the Program Director if the student’s work is not conforming to the high standards of writing and research for Doctoral candidates and fails to make normal academic progress towards their degree.

Withdrawal/Leave of Absence

Students seeking to withdraw from the SJD Program are required to provide written notice to the SJD Program Director. Students seeking a Leave of Absence will need the written permission of the SJD Program Director.

Standards of Student Conduct/Plagiarism

All SJD students must abide by the Standards of Student Conduct as stated in this Handbook. The School of Law maintains a zero tolerance policy for plagiarism. Submitted written research materials will be subjected to rigorous scrutiny for any form of plagiarism, including through the use of anti-plagiarism software (i.e., TurnItIn). Student conduct violations, including plagiarism, will be penalized as set forth in the “Standards of Student Conduct” section of this Handbook.