JD/PhD
FAQs: 11 Frequently Asked Questions
1.
What is a JD/PhD
degree?
2.
What is the advantage of a joint degree program?
3.
Can you lay out a timeline for the JD/PhD program
so I can better understand the process?
4.
What are the participating departments at Northwestern
University?
5.
Who usually applies to the JD/PhD Program and how
many JD/PhD students are usually enrolled?
6.
Do you offer a PhD in the study of law?
7.
What do admissions committees look for in JD/PhD
candidates?
8.
I already have or am working on completing an MA,
PhD, or JD. Can I still apply to the JD/PhD program?
9.
How does financial aid work for the JD/PhD program?
10.
What do JD/PhD students do after graduation?
11.
How do I apply to the JD/PhD Program?
1.
What is a JD/PhD degree?
The
JD/PhD program is a joint degree program. The Juris
Doctor is completed at the Northwestern University School
of Law and the PhD is completed within a Northwestern Graduate
School department. Admission to both the Law School and
the Graduate School is required. (See Question 11 for more
information on admission.)
2.
What is the
advantage of a joint degree program?
The
JD/PhD joint degree program is a streamlined process for
attaining both a law and a doctoral degree. The program
is designed to allow students to complete both degrees more
efficiently than they would through consecutive degree programs.
The
efficiency stems in part from recognition of course work
in one school towards the degree requirements of the other
school. Specifically, subject to approval of the Associate
Dean of the Law School, one semester (14 hours) of Law School
credit may be given for graduate school courses with law-related
content; six of the 14 hours may be in methodological courses.
And the Graduate School may, in its discretion, grant up
to 3 quarters of Graduate School credit for course work
completed in the Law School (subject to the condition that
the student does not also receive residency credit for a
master’s degree). This reduces the residency requirement
from 3 years to 2 for the PhD portion of the degree.
The
program also allows students to plan integrated courses
of study at both the Law School and the Graduate School,
a considerable benefit in making maximum use of the resources
available to students at Northwestern University. This
permits students to more effectively choose courses and
research opportunities most beneficial to their particular
interests, and it also facilitates interaction with Law
and Graduate School faculty with similar research interests.
3.
Can you lay
out a timeline for the JD/PhD program so I can better understand
the process?
The
specific timeline will depend on each individual student’s
requirements. However, generally speaking:
A prospective
student applies using a single, unified form which is only
available in electronic format.
Once
admitted to both the Law School and the Graduate School,
the student works with faculty in each school or department
to devise a course of study.
Students
spend at least one year exclusively in the Graduate School
and one year exclusively in Law School. Other years may
be divided between the Schools, but in any given quarter
or semester students must be enrolled in either the Graduate
School or the Law School.
It
takes students a minimum of four and one-half years to complete
the required course work at both the Law School and the
Graduate School, with additional time required for completing
the PhD dissertation.
Three
possible sequences of study follow: (Each of these
three sequences assumes that the student will receive 14
hours of credit in the Law School for law-related Graduate
School courses, and three quarters of residency credit for
the JD.)
| |
Year
1 |
Year
2 |
Year
3 |
Year
4 |
Year
5 |
Year
6 + |
| A |
First
year Law School courses |
First
year Graduate School courses |
Second
year Law School courses |
Second
year Graduate School courses |
Fifth
semester of Law School courses, and Graduate School
departmental requirements: orals; fields; dissertation
proposal. Receive JD from the Law School. |
Finish
dissertation. |
| B |
First
year Law School courses |
Second
year Law School courses |
First
year Graduate School courses |
Fifth
semester Law School courses; receive JD. Second year
Graduate School courses |
Complete
second year Graduate School courses and departmental
requirements: orals, fields, dissertation proposal. |
Finish
dissertation. |
| C |
First
year Graduate School courses |
Second
year Graduate School courses |
First
year Law School courses |
Second
year Law School courses. |
Fifth
semester Law School courses; receive JD. Complete
Graduate School departmental requirements: orals,
fields, dissertation proposal |
Complete
dissertation. |
4.
What are the participating departments at
Northwestern University?
There
are no formal restrictions regarding the Graduate School
department in which the student may complete his or her
PhD. Students should seek out professors in the Graduate
School with research interests similar to their own and
tailor their JD/PhD study to meet their needs. Past JD/PhD
students have had interests in the social sciences (Political
Science, Sociology, Anthropology, Psychology) and many faculty with interests relevant to JD/PhD
students are housed in social science departments. However,
we welcome students in the humanities and sciences, as well.
The
JD/PhD Program also has a strong relationship with the American
Bar Foundation (a research institution dedicated to the
study of law and legal institutions through the lens of
social science). Several ABF researchers teach at Northwestern
University and are eager to work with JD/PhD students.
For more info, see: http://www.abf-sociolegal.org
5.
Who usually applies to the JD/PhD Program
and how many JD/PhD students are usually enrolled?
The
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. In a given
year, the JD/PhD program has a tightly knit body of six
to eight so ambitious students.
6.
Do you offer a PhD in the study of law?
The
Law School admits a small number of students to its SJD
program, which is equivalent to a PhD in Law. This degree
is generally pursued only by students who have earned their
first degree in law from a non-US institution. For information
about the SJD program, contact the law school admissions
office.
For
students in the JD/PhD program, a doctorate in law is not
available.
The PhD component of the JD/PhD must be completed in a Graduate
School department. For a list of Graduate School departments,
consult: http://www.northwestern.edu/graduate/academic/programs.html.
7.
What do admissions committees look for in
JD/PhD candidates?
Admission
to the joint-degree program requires separate admission
by the Law School and the Graduate School. The applicant’s
entire record, including undergraduate and graduate performance,
recommendations, applicant’s interest in field of study,
and standardized test scores are taken into consideration.
Students will need to submit both the LSAT and the GRE scores
for admission to the JD/PhD program.
Admission to the Law School, in particular, is very competitive.
For information about last year's entering class, please
see the admissions web site at http://www.law.northwestern.edu/admissions/profile/.
8.
I already have or am working on completing
an MA, PhD, or JD. Can I still apply to the JD/PhD program?
Yes!
We recommend that you apply for the JD and PhD simultaneously.
This allows students to use credits earned in one program
towards another to the fullest extent possible and this
also permits the Law School more flexibility to assess funding
possibilities. Concurrent application and admission also
allows students to more carefully plan their joint degree
studies.
That
said, it is possible to apply to
the JD/PhD program if you are already enrolled in the Law
School, the Graduate School, or if you have already attained
an MA.
Current
Law students should enroll in the Graduate School no later
than the third year of the JD to take advantage of the credit
options.
Applicants
currently enrolled in another Law or Graduate School may
apply to transfer to Northwestern at the same time that
they apply for admission to the other Northwestern School
or department. For example, if you are currently in your
first year of law studies at another law school, you may
apply to transfer to Northwestern Law School, and simultaneously
apply for admission to the Graduate School department of
your choice. In this way, your application to the JD/PhD
program will be complete.
If
a student has already attained a JD or a PhD in his or her
desired field of study, then it is not necessary to apply
to the JD/PhD program per se; the student may apply to either
the School of Law or the Graduate School, depending on his
or her needs.
9.
How does financial aid work for the JD/PhD
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.
If the student fails to meet this requirement, transfers
to another institution, or withdraws from the joint program
prior to completion in order to only receive the JD, the
student will be required to repay scholarship money received
in an amount equal to the Law School tuition rate during
the terms he or she was in residence at the Law School.
Students will receive their TGS funding in the form of fellowships
and assistantships. In year three, when the student is in
Law School coursework, the student will receive both a stipend
and a tuition scholarship from the Law School. In year four,
students will receive a fellowship or assistantship from
TGS and a tuition scholarship from the Law School. Students
who matriculate after having enrolled in one school or the
other may not qualify for the funding package specified
here.
10.
What do JD/PhD students do after graduation?
Our
graduates have obtained faculty positions in law and graduate
schools, and judicial clerkships.
11.
How do I apply to the JD/PhD Program?
Please go here for more details: http://www.northwestern.edu/legalstudies/JD-PhD/application.html
Dates
| |
JD/PHD |
| Applications
Accepted |
October
1 (online) |
| Deadline
for $70 App Fee |
|
| Application
Deadline |
December
31 |
| FAFSA
Deadline |
After
January 1 |
| Transfer
Student App. Accepted |
|
| Transfer
Student App. Deadline |
|
| |
|
Application
Components and Fees
*Please
Note all updates, which are in bold.
| JD/PhD |
| Application form completed
and submitted electronically |
| One
page statement of purpose |
| |
| Two letters
of recommendation for the Graduate School, submitted
directly to the Graduate School’s Admissions
Office |
| Transcript and one letter of
recommendation sent directly to the Law School Admission
Office by Law School Data Assembly Service |
| GRE scores sent by ITS |
| LSAT scores sent
directly to the Law School Admission Office by Law
School Data Assembly Service |
| one
official transcript from each post-secondary institution
attended, submitted by student and sent directly to
the graduate program you are applying to. |
| We strongly encourage
you to schedule an interview with the Law School |
| 50
for US citizens and permanent residents ($60 after
August 1, 2002) and $55 for international applicants
($75 after August 1, 2002) |
| |
Admissions
Process
| JD/PhD |
| Rolling
admissions |
| |
| Notifications
run from January to April, varies by program |
| |
Transfer
Student Application
This
information varies depending on the Graduate Program. Please
contact the specific department for more information.
Financial
Aid
| Law
School |
Grad
School (Varies by Prog.) |
| FAFSA |
FAFSA |
| University
Aid Application |
|
| Signed
copy of Fed Income Tax Return, including all schedules |
|
| 2002
college grads applying for grants need to enclose
copy of parents’ Federal Income Tax Return, including
all schedules |
|
