Admissions Standards
Admissions decisions will be made by the Law School’s S.J.D. Committee, in consultation with the faculty member who has agreed to serve as the candidate’s dissertation adviser.
Applicants to the S.J.D. degree program must have earned a JD degree or an LLM from a U.S. law school or an LLM from another common law country. The S.J.D. Committee may also consider applicants with graduate degrees from institutions outside the common law world and from experienced members of the judiciary, universities, or public service organizations if the applicant’s experience indicates likely success in the S.J.D. program.
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Admissions Requirements
1. Curriculum vitae
2. All undergraduate, graduate, law degree, and LLM transcripts
3. Academic or professional letters of recommendation (at least two)
4. Preliminary dissertation proposal (5 to 15 pages)
5. Published work or writing sample of publishable quality
6. Personal statement describing the applicant’s background, goals, and reasons for applying to Miami Law
7. TOEFL or IELTS score (or waiver request)
English Proficiency
Applicants must also demonstrate excellent English writing skills and a thorough understanding of the subject matter discussed in the dissertation proposal. In most cases, an interview by phone or web conferencing will be required of applicants, depending on their experience and training.
Current LLM Students Interested in the SJD Program
Subject to approval of the S.J.D. Director, Miami Law’s LL.M. students may be eligible to apply to the S.J.D. during their first semester at Miami Law. If admitted, students may be able to reduce by one semester the duration of their S.J.D. residency period and graduate a semester earlier if all other graduation requirements have been satisfied.
Non-Discrimination Policy
It is the policy of the University of Miami that no person within the jurisdiction thereof shall, on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information or any other protected factor be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination or harassment (including all forms of sexual harassment and sexual violence) under any program or activity of the University, regardless of whether such program or activity occurs on-campus or off-campus. Retaliation against an individual who files a complaint of discrimination, opposes a policy/procedure/practice because he/she believes it to be discriminatory, or who participates in the investigation of a discrimination complaint, is prohibited.
