Why a Ph.D. in Law?

In addition to the opportunity to study and contribute to the evolution of law as an academic field of study, a  PhD in Law will provide an excellent pathway to a career in legal scholarship and law teaching. Whether it is right for any individual candidate will depend on a variety of factors. If you are trying to decide between the Ph.D. in Law and a fellowship or a visiting assistant professorship, you should keep in mind a number of considerations, including that the Ph.D. in Law takes three years and that it provides a more formalized process of preparation for scholarship than most fellowships or VAPs. You should also consider the availability of appropriate mentors in different programs, as well as differences in stipends, teaching burdens, and eligibility for loan repayment assistance programs.

Is a Ph.D. right for me?

If you are trying to decide between the Ph.D. in Law and a Ph.D. in another discipline, many of the same considerations come into play. Also keep in mind that Ph.D. programs in economics, political science, history and other disciplines train scholars to produce research responsive to the questions of those disciplines. The scholarship produced by law faculties, and expected of candidates for teaching positions at law schools, is largely motivated by different sets of questions. While many students are able to apply their training in other disciplines to the study of law, a significant advantage of the Ph.D. in Law is that it is designed specifically to prepare students for careers in legal scholarship, rather than scholarship in another discipline. We should also stress that the Ph.D. in Law program welcomes applications from candidates with interdisciplinary research interests and it will be possible to receive significant advanced training in other disciplines as part of the Ph.D. in Law.