The International Legal Studies Program offers a S.J.D. for selected outstanding students to write a doctoral-level thesis on topics relating to international law. The Environmental Law Program encourages candidates with thesis proposals dealing on international or comparative environmental law to apply for to the S.J.D program. Prospective candidates wishing to write on environmental subjects are advised to contact the Environmental Law Program before applying.
Candidates should have a strong intellectual commitment to advanced legal study. To this end, the thesis should make original contributions to the legal literature. Candidates are expected to hold an advanced law degree (LL.M. or equivalent) and should have at a minimum a B+ average (at WCL, 3.3 on a 4-point scale) in prior legal courses such as LL.M. courses. In exceptional cases, the S.J.D. Committee may consider candidates who do not hold an advanced law degree, but have an impressive publication record and significant legal teaching experience. As discussed below, candidates are to present a well-researched thesis proposal, and they are to secure the approval of a faculty member who will serve as primary thesis advisor.
Each S.J.D. candidate shall spend the first year of his/her S.J.D. program in residence at WCL. During this year the candidate will be required to participate in a special S.J.D. seminar that is designed for all S.J.D. candidates and in any other colloquia and conferences organized at WCL that are relevant to the candidates thesis topic. The candidate is expected to hold regular meetings with the thesis advisor during the year of residency. A study plan form must be filed with the S.J.D. committee at the start of each semester. Students are to be full-time students during their first year of study. They may work part-time (up to 20 hours per week, as provided in the ABA guidelines for JD programs) during the first year. Off campus employment is not encouraged, as the student is meant to demonstrate a full-time commitment to legal scholarship at WCL. Suitable employment should be discussed with the thesis advisor. After the year in residence, S.J.D. candidates may decide to continue their program by remaining in residence at WCL, or they may decide to become "non-resident" S.J.D. candidates. International students in F-1 or J-1 visa status must maintain residency in the program while in the U.S. to maintain their visa status. Students who wish to maintain their S.J.D. candidacy beyond five years, will require permission of the S.J.D. committee. It is expected that students will normally complete the degree within three years.
Based on the recommendations of the thesis advisor, an S.J.D. candidate who already has an LL.M. from WCL may be required to audit additional courses. Candidates who do not have a WCL LL.M. shall be required to complete coursework during their year in residence at WCL. The number of courses required will be determined by the thesis advisor in consultation with the S.J.D. Committee. The completion of these courses shall be a condition of the candidates admission into the S.J.D. Program. The latter group of candidates should be aware that the course requirements may result in an increase in the total cost for the first year of the S.J.D. program.
The S.J.D. thesis is comparable to a Ph.D. dissertation in the humanities or social sciences. It is to be an original, scholarly treatment of the chosen topic of publishable quality. It should advance knowledge in the field, not just rehash or describe existing knowledge. An acceptable S.J.D. thesis is not just a long paper such as one might write in an LLM program.
Since an S.J.D. thesis is a special scholarly undertaking, there is no rigid length requirement. Nevertheless, it is expected that S.J.D. theses generally will be more than 150 pages in length, ranging between 150 and 300 pages.
As indicated above, each S.J.D. candidate is to have a primary thesis advisor who is a member of the law school faculty. The thesis advisor will be available to provide counsel during the research and writing of the S.J.D. thesis, and also will serve on the candidates Examination Committee, which is to consist of at least three professors. The S.J.D. Committee, in consultation with the primary thesis advisor, will approve the other members who will serve on the Examination Committee. The operative standard to be applied by the Examination Committee in deciding whether to recommend that the faculty award an S.J.D. degree is whether the thesis represents scholarship that makes an original contribution to the field.
The Examination Committee will schedule a thesis defense at which the S.J.D. candidate will provide an oral defense of the thesis. The defense will be a public academic event publicized at the law school for anyone to attend. Before or after the defense, the committee is empowered, if it so decides, to call for rewriting or other further work on the thesis. If the committee approves a thesis, the Committee will make a recommendation to the faculty as a whole as to whether the S.J.D. degree should be awarded.
For Academic Year 2000-2001, the cost of the first year of the S.J.D. program is $14,000. The cost for S.J.D. candidates who have completed their first year but wish to remain in residence at WCL is $4,000 per year. The cost for S.J.D. candidates who have completed their first year and wish to continue as Anon-resident@ S.J.D. candidates is $1,000 per year.
To seek admission, each candidate should prepare a portfolio consisting of the following materials. These materials should be submitted to:
S.J.D. Committee
c/o Christina Krieg
Admissions Coordinator
The International Legal Studies Program Office
American University Washington College of Law
4801 Massachusetts Ave., N.W.
Washington, DC 20016
(202) 274-4114
ckrieg@wcl.american.edu
If you have any questions about the requirements, please contact the S.J.D. Committee.
1. First, a 7 to 10-page thesis proposal containing the following four subparts and using the following headings. A thesis proposal lacking these four subparts will not be considered.
- The topic of the proposed thesis;
- A preliminary literature search, which discusses the existing writing on the topic, assesses its contribution, and compares what others already have done with what the S.J.D. candidate proposes to do. Ultimately, a literature search usually comprises an early chapter of a thesis. It should explain what the existing body of writing has said in the area and how the thesis will differ from and add to the existing literature;
- A clear statement of the proposed hypothesis to be explored in the thesis. This involves the identification of a thesis statement to be developed in the course of research and writing. It is generally not adequate simply to say that one wishes to investigate a topic, or study an area, or summarize some field, for a thesis requires a developed perspective that takes a particular approach or analyzes a specific theme in the field under consideration;
- A statement of the methodology to be followed in developing the thesis. What is the plan of research? What bodies of writing will be consulted? Will there be empirical work to do? Will the thesis be primarily theoretical in nature? Is the study to be comparative in perspective? Is it to be policy-oriented? In short, what kind of investigations will the candidate undertake to research the chosen topic and develop the thesis?
2. Second, a transcript of law grades and a resume listing educational background and other achievements.
3. Third, a statement of purpose explaining why the candidate is seeking the S.J.D. degree and how it will advance his or her professional objectives. The S.J.D. is not primarily a course-based degree but is a thesis degree, and the S.J.D. thesis should add to the existing legal literature in the chosen field. Why do you wish to write such a thesis?
4. Fourth, the names of faculty members as references (or written references), and the name of a proposed primary thesis advisor. If an applicant has completed a WCL LL.M. degree, he or she should submit the names of two members of the WCL faculty as references, and the names of the faculty member(s) the applicant plans to ask to serve as a thesis advisor. If a candidate has not completed a WCL LL.M. degree, he or she should submit two academic letters of reference from faculty members at his or her institution, and the names of any WCL faculty members that the applicant plans to ask to serve as thesis advisor.
After the Committee reviews the proposal, it may seek additional information. In addition, before a candidate is admitted to the S.J.D. Program, it will be necessary for the candidate to submit a form signed by a member of the law school faculty who agrees, by so signing, to be the candidates primary thesis advisor. Each candidate should know that admission by the S.J.D. Committee signals potential to complete the degree, but the decision whether to recommend that the faculty award the degree will be made by the Examination Committee. S.J.D. candidates who are not making sufficient progress towards the degree may be terminated at any time by the S.J.D. Committee, in consultation with the thesis advisor and the general faculty.
