10.01 S.J.D. Degree

The degree of Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D.) provides an opportunity and environment for scholarly research mainly for persons who are either in or preparing for academic or comparable scholarly legal careers.

1. Admission. The conditions of admission to the S.J.D. program are:
   
   
   1. A J.D. or equivalent American or foreign first law degree, as well as work satisfying the following , below;
      
      
   2. outstanding academic performance as evidenced by the quality of program, written work, recommendations from teachers, and grades;
      
      
   3. submission of a substantial written research project demonstrating a high capacity for the legal research and writing in English necessary for a successful S.J.D. dissertation. Evidence of such capacity is a good quality LL.M. thesis, monograph, or law review article in English; or equivalent work; 
      
      
   4. in the case of holders of law degrees from universities where the greater part of their instruction was not in English, proof of high proficiency in English for advanced study of law; high proficiency will ordinarily be demonstrated by a score of at least 625/263 (computer-based) on the TOEFL examination;
      
      
   5. a detailed research proposal of at least six (6) double-spaced typed pages specifying the objectives, methodology, required materials and timetable;
      
      
   6. consent of a faculty member of the Law School to act as the candidate's principal academic adviser as assigned by the Graduuate & International Programs Committee;
      
      
   7. acceptance by the Graduate & International Programs Committee.
      
      
2. Program. The S.J.D. program shall adhere to the following guidelines:
   
   
   1. Research toward a doctoral dissertation is the core of the program. The dissertation should be equivalent in quality and substance to a substantial monograph.
      
      
   2. Ordinarily, students seeking the S.J.D. may not take courses for credit. Exceptions may be made on the advice of the adviser and with the consent of the chair of the Graduate & International Programs Committee when the course is a seminar involving substantial writing obligations consistent with the thesis topic.
      
      
   3. Full-time S.J.D. candidates shall register for 12 credits for each of the first two semesters of residency.  Except where a course is authorized, those credits shall be in directed research. A minimum of 24 credit hours is required for completion of the S.J.D. degree. To qualify for the S.J.D. degree, the candidate must also prepare an acceptable thesis (see 5 below).
      
      
3. Residence. Registration and physical presence as a full-time student for one academic year with satisfactory completion of at least 24 credits is required. S.J.D. candidates who have completed their residence requirement must maintain full-time law school status during subsequent years by registering for 3 credits each semester.
   
   
4. Term for completion of program. The program is to be completed no later than three calendar years after the residence period. Students who are unable to complete the program no later than three calendar years after the residence period may petition the Graduate & International Programs Committee for an extension.
   
   
5. Award of degree.
   
   
   1. The granting of a degree shall be recommended to the Law School faculty on the completion of the following: approval of the thesis by the principal academic adviser and the Reading Committee and approval of the completed program by the Graduate & International Programs Committee.
      
      
   2. Prior to the recommendation of a degree to the faculty, the candidate shall deposit two suitable copies of the thesis with the Law Library and pay the library's filing expense charge.

10.02 LL.M. Degree

A Master of Laws (LL.M.) provides an opportunity and an environment for the further study of law for individuals holding a previous law degree or equivalent, particularly those trained in the law of a foreign country. The LL.M. degree is offered with 2 options: LL.M.: Course-Based and LL.M.: Thesis.

     1. Admission. The conditions of admission are:

        a. A degree or diploma representing the study of law. This is usually shown by a bachelor's degree in law (LL.B.), but also may be shown by a master's or other graduate degree in law. The Graduate & International Programs Committee may also consider an undergraduate major, such as in political science, that includes a significant number of law courses;

        b. Generally, a Grade Point Average (GPA) of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, or a B average, from undergraduate work;

        c. A TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or comparable examination score showing high proficiency in English if the prior study in law was not conducted in English. High proficiency will ordinarily be demonstrated by a TOEFL score of 100 (Internet-Based Test) or higher. Applicants with lower English competency scores may be required to satisfactorily complete an intensive English program before beginning the LL.M. program. Those with lower scores are normally required to take an English assessment test on campus before the beginning of their first semester, with a recommendation for a supplemental English language class, where appropriate;

        d. A personal statement that includes a statement of objectives and a description of the likely courses to be taken and research to be pursued at the Law School;

        e. Acceptance by the Graduate & International Programs Committee.

        f. Applicants for the LL.M.: Thesis option, must submit a research proposal outlining the proposed research project and receive the consent of a faculty member of the Law School to act as the candidate’s adviser as assigned by the Graduate & International Programs Committee.

2. Program. The LL.M. program shall adhere to the following guidelines:

     a. A candidate's program may be flexibly designed in consultation with the Graduate Programs Office, but shall provide for at least 24 credits, including

        i. satisfactory completion of Law 601, Introduction to American Law (3 credits)

        ii. satisfactory completion of Law 602, Legal Sources (3 credits)

        iii. At least 18 credits in elective course work in law, including directed research (Law 990) if appropriate, or other departments approved by the Graduate Programs Office as related to the student’s LL.M. program. To count towards the LL.M. degree, courses taken in other University departments must be numbered 300 or higher. English classes do not count towards the LL.M. degree.

        iv. satisfactory completion of at least 13 credits in residence while enrolled as an LL.M. student 

        v. Students who are participating in an approved reciprocal exchange of credits agreement between their home university and the Law School at the master's level may apply up to 6 credits in law classes earned at their home university at the master's level towards the LL.M. degree. When an approved reciprocal exchange of credits agreement is not in place, students may petition the Graduate & International Programs Committee to apply up to 6 credits in law classes earned at their home university at the master’s level towards the LL.M. degree.

        vi. Students may apply up to 11 credits in law classes earned through a Law School approved exchange program, the Visiting International Student Program Law Thematic Track, and University of Wisconsin Law School LL.M. Pathway Courses towards the LL.M. Degree.

        vii. Students admitted into the LL.M.: Thesis option, must complete 6 credits of Law 990, Directed Research

        viii. Programs may include up to 36 credits, but no candidate for the LL.M. shall be permitted to continue after the semester in which the candidate earns 36 credits.

     b. Any credits earned at the Law School or in any collaborative program must have been earned within 6 years of the completion of the LL.M. program at the Law School.

     c. Students in the LL.M. program are graded using the Law School's grade scale, provided in Rule 2.01. A grade of C- or higher in a Law School course or seminar will be deemed satisfactory completion of a course and will satisfy program standards. The grades for courses taken outside the Law School in other University departments must be BC or better to count towards the program. Rule 2.01 should be relied on to determine the overall GPA of the student in the LL.M program. An overall C (2.0) average is needed for satisfactory completion of the LL.M. program. A course grade of D+ or below will be averaged into the GPA, but the course will not count towards the 24 credit course requirement. Directed research (Law 990) and directed reading (Law 991) are graded Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory (not by letter grades) and therefore are not used in calculating the GPA. The pass/fail option is not available to LL.M. students unless the course is offered only on a pass/fail basis.

     d. The candidate's program, including courses dropped or added after the initial consultation with the Graduate Programs Office, is subject to the approval of the Graduate Programs Office

     3. Residence. Registration and physical presence as a student at the University of Wisconsin Law School for one academic year is required. The residence requirement may be reduced to one semester for students who have earned at least 11 credits through one or more of the following: a Law School approved exchange program, the Visiting International Student Program Law Thematic Track, University of Wisconsin Law School LL.M. Pathway courses, a reciprocal exchange of credits agreement between their home university and the Law School at the 
master’s level. 

4. Term for completion of program. The program is normally to be completed within the residence period. An extension for up to two semesters can be granted with the approval of the Graduate & International Programs Committee. 

5. Award of degree. The granting of the degree shall be recommended to the Law School Dean on the approval of the satisfactorily completed program by the Graduate Programs Office and the Graduate & International Programs Committee.

10.03 Law Minors

1. The credit requirement is 10 credits for Ph.D. candidates with minors in law. In grading the work of such candidates in law courses they will not be differentiated from professional law students.
2. The grade requirement for Ph.D. candidates with minors in law shall be a weighted average of 77 (on the 65-95 scale) or 2.0 (on the 4.3 scale).
3. A student taking a law minor is privileged to rewrite any one or more courses once subject to the same maximum grade limitation applied to other law students, or to replace any course previously taken with another equally advanced course.