JD-PhD Joint Degree
Contact
Program Co-Director: Kyle Rozema
Program Co-Director: Nadav Shoked
Program Overview
Northwestern's JD-PhD program is open to students who intend to pursue an academic or research career and whose teaching and research will be enriched by both degrees. The program is designed to allow students to complete both degrees more effectively than they would through consecutive degree programs.
Graduation Requirements
The JD and PhD degrees are awarded concurrently after all degree requirements are satisfied for both programs, including completion of:
- Two years of Law School credit (at least 59 credit hours) in addition to the 14 credit hours awarded for law-related interdisciplinary graduate course work,
- All Law School JD requirements (apart from course hours), and
- All course work and other requirements, including the dissertation, that are necessary for the PhD (as prescribed by TGS).
- 12 credit hours will be awarded toward the JD upon completion of the dissertation
- JD-PhD students are required to have a member of the Northwestern Law faculty on their dissertation committee.
Typical Program Structure1
| Year | Course |
|---|---|
| Year One | Graduate School course work |
| Summer - Graduate School research | |
| Year Two | Graduate School course work |
| Summer - Graduate School research | |
| Year Three | Law School course work |
| Summer - Graduate School and/or Law School research | |
| Advancement to PhD candidacy before start of year four | |
| Year Four | Law School course work and Graduate Assistantship or TA |
| Summer - Submission of prospectus before start of year five | |
| Year Five | Research at the Law School or Graduate School |
| Summer - Submission of prospectus before start of year six | |
| Year Six | Writing and completion of dissertation |
- 1
Subject to PhD departmental requirements.