(Students who have earned an LL.M. degree from another institution are admitted rarely and only under extraordinary circumstances. Interested students from outside the Law School should contact the director of graduate programs at (203) 432-1681 to discuss their application plans prior to submitting a formal application.)
A J.S.D. applicant must:
1. Have achieved high standing in taking the LL.M. degree at Yale Law School and demonstrate strong aptitude for performing advanced scholarly research. Admission to candidacy for the J.S.D. is highly selective. It does not follow automatically from admission to the LL.M. program or from the award of the LL.M. degree, but rests entirely on the graduate committee's independent judgment of the applicant's qualifications. Admission to candidacy requires the endorsement of the graduate committee. The Yale LL.M. must have been awarded within the five years preceding the student's application. Similarly, if the dissertation has not been completed in five years from the date of J.S.D. admission, the candidate will be withdrawn. Only under extraordinary circumstances will an extension be granted.
2. Submit:
(a) a completed J.S.D. application form from Yale Law School, plus a letter of application;
(b) a dissertation proposal, including a proposed time frame for the completion of the dissertation;
(c) a statement of the contingent approval of a member of the Yale Law School faculty who is willing to supervise the candidate and of two Yale Law School faculty readers;
(d) any writings that indicate competence in research;
(e) letters of recommendation from two members of the Yale Law School faculty;
(f) an original copy of all college and law school transcripts in English (if applicant does not hold a Yale LL.M. degree);
(g) TOEFL report (if English is not the candidate's primary language).
3. Pay a nonrefundable application fee of $50.
The application and supporting materials should be submitted to the J.S.D. program, Yale Law School, PO Box 208215, New Haven, CT 06520-8215, by March 21, 2007.
If you have any questions, contact the Graduate Programs Office.