Doctor of the Science of Law

All JSD candidates must pass an oral examination at the end of the first academic year of the JSD program (normally before the University’s commencement date) and must successfully defend their dissertation orally at the completion of the program.

The first-year oral exam is intended to determine the candidate’s readiness to embark on doctoral research. Normally, the candidate will be asked to present plans for doctoral research (i.e., the research proposal) and will be expected to demonstrate mastery of the research literature and theoretical concepts relevant to the dissertation topic, and competence to deploy the required research methods. The candidate’s dissertation adviser will determine the exact content and format of the exam. First-year JSD candidates are encouraged to discuss with their dissertation advisers how best to prepare for the oral examination.

First year oral examinations will be given under the supervision of the faculty dissertation adviser. At least one additional Stanford faculty member will also participate in the oral examination. Candidates are encouraged to form their dissertation committee during their first year in residence and request that all members of the committee participate in the oral exam. If the candidate does not pass the oral examination, the candidate must retake the exam at a later time. Any such candidate should meet with their adviser to receive guidance concerning why their performance on the oral examination was insufficient to pass and how those deficiencies can be corrected with further preparation in advance of the second oral examination. In the event that the candidate needs to retake the oral examination, the second exam will be before a panel including at least three faculty examiners. A second failure to pass an oral examination will disqualify the student from the JSD program.

The oral dissertation defense is given under the supervision of the doctoral dissertation adviser and all members of dissertation committee. At the discretion of the dissertation chair, one member of the committee (but only one) may participate by videoconference. Oral dissertation defenses are not open to the public.

In the year when JSD students are required to take 3 courses of at least 3 units each (i.e., the first year of the JSD program for students who earned the master’s degree at Stanford, and the second year for those who earned the master’s degree elsewhere), the following course-selection requirements apply. At least one of these three courses must provide either advanced methodological training and the remaining courses must provide further study in a substantive field related to the student’s doctoral research and all three must be approved by the student’s dissertation chair or by the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies. Generally, directed research will not satisfy the coursework requirement units unless it is intended to provide the student with new or enhanced methodological, theoretical knowledge or substantive knowledge that is essential to carrying out that student’s dissertation research and that is not offered by any regularly scheduled courses or seminars at Stanford during the candidate’s first year in the JSD program. Candidates seeking credit for directed research while in residence must petition and receive the approval of their dissertation adviser and the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies as well as the Petitions Committee.