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 students must enroll in SJD 910 SJD Residency for two semesters as one of the program requirements, which are typically their first two semesters after matriculating into the program. Each student’s dissertation topic and areas of research must be approved by the SJD Program Director.

Required Units - 8 units

SJD students must complete a minimum of eight units to meet the coursework requirements of the SJD degree.

Required Courses - 6 units

SJD students are required to register for two courses below in the first fall or spring semester. 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

At the end of the second semester in residence, each student must submit a detailed research plan that includes a comprehensive bibliography, an introduction, and the first chapter of the dissertation to secure the committee’s approval of the plan and materials. Students are expected to successfully present all documents above at the First Oral Exam before their dissertation committees by the end of the second semester. The dissertation committee decides whether or not to advance the student to the next phase (Candidacy).

During the SJD Candidacy Phase, the SJD candidate should be registered for “SJD Candidacy” during every semester until completion of the program. The candidate should remain in contact with the members of their Committee during this period, and must be able to demonstrate to the satisfaction of the SJD Program Director that the candidate is making progress toward completion of the dissertation. The student must present a final dissertation in publishable form no later than four years after advancing to candidacy. The final step toward completion of the program is the candidate’s successful public defense before the candidate’s dissertation committee.

SJD students are bound by the Continuous Enrollment Policy at the law school and must register for the fall and spring semesters for each year during their study. 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. Please read all applicable rules and policies in Graduate Law Program section of this handbook.

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.

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.