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The JD/PhD
Program is open to a small number of students who intend to
pursue an academic career and whose teaching and research
will be enriched by both the JD and PhD degrees. The program
is designed to allow students to complete both degrees more
efficiently than they would through consecutive degree programs.
Coursework requirements for both degrees typically take five
years to complete. Additional time is usually required to
complete the doctoral dissertation. Students should consult
the specific degree requirements of the Law School and their
graduate programs.
To
apply, applicants are required to submit one application (which
mirrors the Graduate School’s application) only.
Applicants must meet the admission requirements of both the
Law School and the participating department of The Graduate
School and must have written approval of the Law School, The
Graduate School, and the graduate department for participation
in the program.
Students
admitted to the program typically will be granted full funding
(including tuition and all living expenses) for six academic
years and three summers. This funding will be contingent upon
the student entering an academic position within four years
of graduation from the program.
Technically,
no PhD programs are excluded from participation in the JD/PhD
program. However, for a student to be admitted to the joint
program, there must be clear evidence of the student's ability
to incorporate interest in legal studies with his or her graduate
research, and the student must be able to complete a dissertation
that integrates both. For this reason, most applicants for
JD/PhD degrees come from the social sciences. In the past,
JD/PhD students have been admitted into the following doctoral
programs: African-American Studies, Finance, Psychology, History,
and Sociology.
For more
information, please review the JD/PhD Program Brochure:
Also,
please click here for a more detailed description on the
admissions process. You may also need to contact specific
Graduate School departments to learn about program-specific
requirements for admission. If you have any further questions,
you can contact the following people:
Simon
Greenwold
Senior Associate Dean, The Graduate School
s-greenwold@northwestern.edu
Donald
Rebstock
Associate Dean for Enrollment Management and Career Strategy,
Law School
d-rebstock@law.northwestern.edu
Visiting
Teacher Appointments Now Available:
The JD/PhD
program is excellent preparation for careers in academia.
In addition to qualifying for admission to the bar, upon successful
completion of the JD/PhD program, graduates also have an opportunity
to become a Visiting Assistant Professor at Northwestern Law.
Similar to a post-doctoral program, the Visiting Assistant
Professor Program (VAP) permits scholars to conduct research
and gain experience teaching prior to seeking a tenure-track
position at an institution of higher education. Former Northwestern
Law VAPs are now in tenure track positions at Yale, University
of Michigan, Washington University in St. Louis, and Northwestern.
For more information, please feel free to contact any of the
committee members above.
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