Graduate Programs

The Master of Laws (LL.M.) program encompasses one year of full-time study. Admission is generally open only to those committed to a career in teaching law.

The Master of Studies in Law (M.S.L.) program is for a small number of non-lawyers who wish to obtain a basic familiarity with legal thought and to explore how law relates to their discipline. It is a one-year terminal program designed for those who do not desire a professional law degree.

The Doctor of the Science of Law (J.S.D.) program is a select doctoral program open only to graduates of the LL.M. program at Yale Law School.

The Ph.D. in Law is a doctoral program offered in conjunction with Yale University’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. It is designed to prepare J.D. graduates for careers as legal scholars and teachers through coursework and the production of a substantial body of original academic research and writing.

Each year, Yale Law School welcomes a few visiting researchers — usually faculty or fellows at other universities — to engage in nondegree research.

In cooperation with other schools and departments of Yale University, the Law School offers programs leading to a master’s degree and a J.D. or to a doctorate and a J.D.