The Doctor of the Science of Law (J.S.D.) program is a select program open only to graduates of the LL.M. program at Yale Law School. Students who have earned an LL.M. degree from another institution are admitted rarely and only under extraordinary circumstances.

Successful candidates for Yale Law School’s J.S.D. program 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 the award of Yale’s LL.M. degree, but rests entirely on the graduate committee's independent judgment of the applicant's qualifications.

 For more information, visit J.S.D. Admissions.