An international agreement PhD is the highest level of education in international law, and it is awarded after a candidate has completed a dissertation that makes an original contribution to the field. After earning the J.D., or Juris Doctor, and the LL.M., or Master of Laws, the candidate can pursue an international law PhD. Depending on the required coursework and the amount of research and writing, a PhD in international law will likely take three to five years to complete.
A J.D. and an LL.M. are required for a PhD candidate in international law. The J.D. is a three-year professional graduate degree in law. A student can apply to law school after completing his or her undergraduate education.
A law school applicant must have a bachelor’s degree, a high grade point average, and a high LSAT (Law School Admissions Test) score. A typical law school student will take core courses such as criminal law, civil procedure, and legal research and writing after being admitted. Students interested in pursuing a PhD in international law should take several courses in the field or work on a scholarly legal journal dedicated to the subject while in law school.
Beyond the J.D., there is the LL.M., a graduate degree that requires students to specialize in international law and conduct extensive research in this area. The LL.M. requirements vary program, but most programs take at least a year to complete. The LL.M. usually necessitates the completion of advanced coursework as well as a research thesis that can later be used as a springboard for a PhD dissertation.
In addition to the four years required for the J.D. and LL.M., an international law PhD can take up to three years to complete. PhD programs have a wide range of requirements, and the majority are extremely selective. The majority of law PhD recipients go on to become legal scholars or professors.
A candidate for this legal degree will typically need to take advanced international law courses. Another common requirement is a written or oral exam. After completing all of the required coursework, a student will begin writing a dissertation under the guidance of a committee of law professors or an adviser.
The PhD program requires a dissertation that makes a significant contribution to the field of international law. Under the supervision of his or her adviser or committee, a student will develop a research project. When the project is finished, the dissertation is presented to the committee, which has the option of accepting or rejecting it. A typical part of the submission process is an oral defense of the project.
In different countries and at different universities, a law PhD is known different names. The term postdoctoral degree, or the acronym S.J.D. for Scientiae Juridicae Doctor, is used Stanford University in the United States. This degree is also known as the LL.D., or Legum Doctor; J.S.D., or Doctor of Juridical Science; or Dr. iur, or Doctor of Law, in other countries and universities.