J.S.D. Degree

The College of Law offers an advanced graduate program leading to the J.S.D. degree. This program provides students who primarily intend to pursue an academic career an opportunity for extended study, research, and scholarly writing. Those few admitted to the program must have demonstrated analytic and research ability, possess outstanding academic credentials, and have completed the LL.M. at an accredited American law school. All candidates must provide evidence of excellent reading and writing skills in English.

The J.S.D. program normally takes a minimum of three years, including up to four semesters of course work. J.S.D. candidates are assigned a primary faculty advisor with expertise in the student's research area and an additional three faculty members, who form the student's doctoral committee. Each student must successfully pass a preliminary examination in the general field of study. The student's faculty committee then will assess the student's thesis research and writing progress, make recommendations, and conduct an oral examination on the final draft of the dissertation. The final dissertation will then be completed and deposited with the Graduate College.

Applicants should submit to the address below by March 1, 2009 a 5-10 page description of the research interest, a personal statement indicating career plans and interest, a proposed research timetable, a current resume, three letters of reference and copies of academic transcripts. All applicants from countries where English is not the official language are required to submit the results of the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS) scores. The minimum TOEFL score is 79 internet-based and must be taken within 2 years of program term of entry (August). The minimum IELTS score is 6.5 with subscores of at least 6 on all four modules (Speaking, Listening, Writing and Reading). Initial admission to the J.S.D. program is only for the fall semester. There is no financial assistance available for the first year of the J.S.D. program.

Office of Graduate and International Legal Studies
University of Illinois College of Law
215 Law Building
504 E. Pennsylvania Avenue
Champaign, IL 61820