J.S.D. Program
Candidacy for the J.S.D. degree is very restricted. It is normally open only to those who have completed the requirements for the LL.M. degree and are engaged in or planning careers in academic or other work that emphasizes legal scholarship. The candidate works closely with a faculty adviser who specializes in a field of law related to the candidate's research.
J.S.D. candidates must:
- complete a minimum of 24 units of approved courses, and
- present a dissertation in the form of a monograph or series of related essays suitable for publication and constituting, in the opinion of the Committee on Advanced Law Degree Programs, a substantial contribution to learning in the field.
The academic year at Berkeley Law begins in early August. Classes are conducted on the semester system: typically, fall semester runs from August to December and spring semester runs from January to May.