DUAL JURIS DOCTOR AND DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
Students with a special interest in law may wish to pursue
the dual degree program leading to the J.D. and Ph.D. degrees. Students who
wish to enroll in the dual degree program must apply separately to the School of Law and to the Graduate School of Arts
and Science (GSAS). Students may apply to both schools simultaneously or to one
school while in the first year of study at the other. There are no specific
admission standards or applications for dual degree applicants at either
school. Once admitted to both schools, the student qualifies for the dual
degree program.
General Degree Requirements: The School of Law
requires the completion of 82 credits in six semesters of full-time study for
the J.D. degree. Full-time study is defined as 12 or more credit hours per
semester, primarily in courses commencing prior to 6 p.m. One semester of
full-time graduate study, or up to 12 credits, from the Graduate School of Arts
and Science is counted toward the J.D. degree. Thus, at least one of the
student’s semesters in GSAS must be full time and consist of a majority of
credits in daytime courses. For a complete description of courses required for
the J.D. degree, consult the School
of Law Bulletin. The
Ph.D. degree requires 72 credits of graduate study with a cumulative GPA of B
(3.0) or better, of which 12 credits are accepted from the School of Law.
The two degrees therefore require a total of 130 credits (70 at the School of Law and 60 at the Graduate School of
Arts and Science). Because some of the credits earned in each program are
counted toward the other degree, it is possible to complete the course
requirements for both degrees in five years of full-time study. Students
pursuing the dual degree program typically spend their first year in the
Graduate School of Arts and Science, the second year in the School of Law,
alternating years until the requirements for both schools are satisfied.
Students may also take up to a maximum of 24 credits in reading and research.
Students may petition for a limited number of law and society graduate courses
taken elsewhere to be transferred and credited toward the Ph.D. degree requirements,
but only after completing three courses at New York University.
Only relevant law and society courses approved by the director of graduate
studies and GSAS may be transferred.
Foreign Language Requirement: Proficiency in at least one
language other than English is required of all doctoral candidates. Foreign
language proficiency examinations are at once an examination of both the
foreign language and English. Currently, a student may choose to demonstrate
proficiency in ancient Greek, Chinese, French, German, Hebrew, Italian,
Japanese, Latin, Portuguese, Russian, or Spanish. Students who use a foreign
language other than the above as an integral part of their dissertation
research may petition for a substitution. Language proficiency may be demonstrated
by any of the following: (1) passing the foreign language proficiency
examination given by the Graduate School of Arts and Science (GSAS); (2)
passing the departmental examination, if one is regularly scheduled by the
department in which the student is registered; or (3) completing, or having
completed, not more than two years before matriculation, with a grade of B or
better, a full or final intermediate-level college course in the language.
Students who have met the foreign language requirement in another graduate
school not more than two years before matriculation in GSAS may request that
such credentials be accepted, with the approval of the dean. The foreign
language requirement may be waived with approval by the director of graduate
studies and GSAS.
Basic Law and Society Course Requirement: This requirement
ensures that students receive a comprehensive knowledge of the social science
theories and research in the interdisciplinary field of law and society. To
meet this requirement, students must take the two basic law and society courses
with a minimum grade of B in their first year of study: Sociolegal Seminar
(G62.1001), offered each fall semester, and Law and Social Policy (G62.1002),
offered each spring. Students should complete this requirement by the end of
the first year of Ph.D. studies.
Methods Course Requirement: To ensure that they receive
adequate methodological training for conducting research, students are required
to take one quantitative methods course in statistics and one qualitative
methods course in historical, interviewing, or ethnographic methods. While not
required, it is highly recommended that students take one advanced course in
either quantitative or qualitative methods. The advanced methods course
typically focuses on the methods used for the dissertation research. Students
should complete this requirement by the end of the second year of Ph.D.
studies.
Disciplinary Minor Course Requirement: All students are
required to acquire a basic knowledge of one of the social science disciplines
engaged in disciplinary research in law and society. After selecting a
discipline, each student is required to take three non-methods courses offered
by the selected disciplinary department. A grade of B is the minimum grade
required for each of the three courses.
Law and Society Colloquium and Workshop Requirement: Law and
society Ph.D. students are required to attend the law and society colloquium
and workshops during their first year of Ph.D. studies.
Law and Society Written Field Exam: The law and society
field exam requires that students demonstrate a comprehensive knowledge of the
interdisciplinary field of law and society. The examination covers material
from the two basic law and society courses and supplemental readings from the law
and society reading list. The law and society written field exam committee is
composed of the faculty teaching the two required basic law and society
courses. The exam is a written 24-hour take-home exam that is graded as pass or
fail; it is given twice a year. If students fail, they may take it again but
are not permitted to retake it more than once. Students should complete this
exam by the end of the second year of Ph.D. work.
Law and Society Oral Subfield Exam: Each student is required
to demonstrate an in-depth knowledge of one of the subfields of law and
society. Each student selects three NYU law and society faculty to serve as the
law and society oral subfield exam committee. Two of the three oral exam
committee members must be NYU GSAS faculty or NYU School of Law faculty with a
Ph.D. These faculty assist the student in developing an appropriate reading
list for the exam. The law and society subfield exam is given twice a year. If
students fail, they make take it again but are not permitted to retake it more
than once. The exam is a two-hour oral exam graded as a pass or fail by the
three selected faculty. A pass requires that two of the three selected faculty
pass the exam. Students should complete this exam by the end of the third year
of Ph.D. work.
Dissertation: After the dissertation chair and two readers
approve a dissertation proposal and the chair submits a dissertation proposal
acceptance form signed by the director of graduate studies, the dissertation
may be undertaken. Once the completed dissertation is approved by the
dissertation chair and two readers, an oral defense form is filed, and the oral
dissertation defense is scheduled. Of the chair and two readers, two must be
GSAS full-time faculty. The completed dissertation is defended in a two-hour
oral defense before a five-member committee consisting of the dissertation
chair, the two readers, and two additional members. Of the five members, three
must be full-time GSAS faculty. Any dissertation members that are not full-time
GSAS faculty must be approved by the vice dean at least four months prior to
the defense. A successful defense requires that four of the five members of the
dissertation committee vote to approve the dissertation. For rules concerning
time to degree, refer to the GSAS Policies and Procedures Manual.
DUAL JURIS DOCTOR AND MASTER OF ARTS
Students who wish to enroll in the J.D.-M.A. dual degree program must apply separately to the School of Law and to the Graduate School of Arts and Science. Students may apply to both schools simultaneously or to the Graduate School of Arts and Science when in the first or second year of study at the School of Law. Once admitted to both schools, the student qualifies for the dual degree program. There are no specific admission standards or applications for dual degree applicants at either school. Students are advised by the director of graduate studies during their first year. After the first year of study, students select one of the law and society core or affiliated faculty as an adviser. Students pursuing the dual degree program typically spend their first year in the Graduate School of Arts and Science.
General Degree Requirements: The School of Law
requires 82 credits of study for the J.D. degree; however, in the dual degree
program, 8 credits for courses taken in the Graduate School of Arts and Science
are applied to the J.D. degree. For a complete description of courses required
for the J.D. degree, consult the School
of Law Bulletin. The Graduate School requires 32 credits of study for
the M.A. degree with a cumulative GPA of B (3.0) or better; however, in the
dual degree program, 8 credits for courses taken in the School of Law
are applied to the M.A. degree. Students in this program are required to take a
total of 98 credits for the two degrees (74 and 24 credits, respectively, for
the J.D. and the M.A.).
Law and Society Course Requirements: This requirement
ensures that students receive a comprehensive knowledge of the social science
theories and research in the interdisciplinary field of law and society. To
meet this requirement, students must take the two basic law and society courses
with a minimum grade of B in their first year of study: Sociolegal Seminar
(G62.1001), offered each fall semester, and Law and Social Policy (G62.1002),
offered each spring. The remaining courses are elective and selected from the
law and society course offerings. Students may also take up to a maximum of 24
credits in reading and research. There is no foreign language requirement for
the J.D.-M.A. dual degree.
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