II. Requirements for Graduate Degrees

• Master of Laws
• Doctor of Juridical Science

The following section provides information on the requirements for the LL.M. and S.J.D. degrees at Harvard Law School.

A. Master of Laws (LL.M.)

1. LL.M. Residence and Credit Requirements

a) To qualify for the LL.M. Degree, candidates must fulfill the following requirements:

b) One academic year in full-time residence;

c) A course of study consisting of a minimum of 22 credits and a maximum of 26 credits;

d) For LL.M. candidates who do not hold a J.D. degree from a law school in the United States, at least one of the following “primary” courses in U.S. law: Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Corporations, Criminal Law, Family Law, Legislation and Regulation, Property, Taxation, or Torts;

e) For LL.M. candidates who hold a J.D. degree from a law school in the United States (including law schools in Puerto Rico), at least one course in legal theory or jurisprudence; and

f) LL.M. Written Work Requirement: See Section II.A.4.  Further information is available from the Graduate Program Office.

2. Class Attendance and Participation; Overlapping Courses, Seminars, or Reading Groups

Class work is essential to the educational program at the Law School. Regular attendance at classes and participation in class work are expected of all students. In cases of substantial delinquency in attendance, the Law School may, after appropriate procedures, treat students as having withdrawn from the course, seminar, or reading group in question. Students who believe they need to miss classes for an extended period of time must speak with the Assistant Dean for the Graduate Program and International Legal Studies, or the Director of Administration and Student Affairs for the Graduate Program, who can assist with such situations and can ensure that students comply with the Law School’s attendance policy and related academic policies. In no event may students receive credit for courses or seminars with meeting times that overlap in whole or in part.

Pursuant to the requirements of the law set forth in Chapter 151C, Section 2B of the General Laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, a copy of this section is printed in full:

3. Grades for LL.M. Students

This grading system is under review and may be revised during this academic year.

a) Honors, Pass, Low Pass, or Fail Grades

i. All Harvard Law School courses—with the exception of those offered Credit/Fail (see Section II.A.c.3) will be graded Honors, Pass, Low Pass, or Fail (“H, P, LP or F”).

ii. In classes with over 30 J.D. and LL.M. students enrolled, the recommended distribution of grades is: 37 percent Honors; 55 percent Pass; and 8 percent Low Pass.

b) Dean’s Scholar Prizes: Up to two Dean’s Scholar Prizes per class may be awarded in recognition of outstanding work, provided there are more than 30 J.D. and LL.M. students in the course following the add/drop period.

i. The Dean’s Scholar Prizes will be included on the transcript and will bear the title of the course, e.g., “Dean’s Scholar in Evidence.”

ii. Cross-registrants and special students do not count toward the required 30 students.

c) Credit/Fail Grades: All courses previously designated pass/fail will be graded on a Credit/Fail basis.

d) Minimum Grades

i. In order to be eligible for the LL.M. degree, LL.M. candidates must complete a total of at least 22 credits (including course work and written work), of which no fewer than 19 must be graded LP or higher and no fewer than 3 must be graded P or higher.

ii. LL.M. candidates must earn a minimum grade of LP on the paper submitted to satisfy the LL.M. Written Work Requirement, assuming they have met the minimum grade requirements stated in II.A.3.d.i.

iii. Students failing to meet minimum grade requirements may be allowed, by decision of the Graduate Committee, to undertake substitute work, take a a different examination in the same course, or retake courses within the next academic year following the end of the LL.M. year. All additional work must be completed no later than 12 months after the end of the LL.M. year.

e) Student Work “In Progress”

In order to track the progress of student course or written work for which extensions have been given (see Section VIII), the Law School uses an “In Progress” (IP) transcript notation. Students who have an approved extension will receive an IP notation on the transcript until the work is completed and graded. In the absence of an authorized IP notation, a "Withdrew after Deadline" (WD) notation will be entered on the transcript. IP notations must be resolved by no later than the last day of classes of the semester (fall or spring) that follows the scheduled completion of the course or written work. Failure of the student to complete work by that date, or to receive an additional extension from the instructor and file it with the Registrar’s Office, will result in the student’s being withdrawn from the course and receiving a WD on the transcript. 

[back to top]

4. LL.M. Written Work Requirement

All LL.M. candidates must satisfy the Written Work Requirement for the LL.M. degree. Methods of satisfying that requirement are described below. Further guidance on the writing requirement is available from the Graduate Program Office.

a) The 25-Page Paper is the minimum writing requirement for LL.M. students whose primary law degrees are from schools other than those in the United States or Puerto Rico. Students who do not write the LL.M. Long Paper must complete a paper of 25 or more pages that involves independent reflection, formulation of sustained argument, and, in many cases, outside research. The requirement may be fulfilled through a Law School course or seminar in which a 25-page paper is required, or through an independent paper of one or more credits supervised by a member of the Law School faculty. A series of shorter papers or journal entries does not satisfy the requirement.

b) The LL.M. Long Paper is a substantial written work of approximately 75 pages, undertaken under the supervision of a Law School faculty member. An LL.M. Long Paper may be written in conjunction with a course or seminar for two credits (in addition to the credits for the course or seminar) or may be written independently under the guidance of a faculty member for three credits. Where there is no course or seminar in the field in which a student wants to work, normally a faculty member will be available to guide research in the particular field. Students who hold a J.D. degree from a law school in the U.S. or Puerto Rico must write the LL.M. Long Paper. International LL.M. students may write the LL.M. Long Paper, but are not required to do so.

c) The LL.M. Thesis is an option open to only a small number of students who have significant research and writing experience, prior publications in English, extensive experience in U.S. law classes, and who plan careers in law teaching. The Thesis option entails a sacrifice of the classroom experience, and requires the support of a faculty supervisor and prior approval of the Committee on Graduate Studies.

Further information about the LL.M. Thesis option, including the academic standards required for the Thesis and the number of credits that a student may earn by writing the Thesis, is available in the Graduate Program Handbook. LL.M. students interested in the LL.M. Thesis option should contact the Assistant Dean or the Director of Administration and Student Affairs of the Graduate Program prior to arrival at the Law School and by no later than August 24, 2009.

d) Registration deadlines: Students writing the LL.M. Long Paper or the 25-Page Paper in the fall term must register for the paper at the Graduate Program Office by October 2, 2009, as set forth below in VII(D). Students writing the 25-Page Paper in the spring term must register for the paper by January 29, 2010. LL.M. students who fail to register for the LL.M. Written Work Requirement by January 29, 2010, as set forth below in VII(D), may be removed from the May 2010 degree list.

5. Additional Rules Relating to the LL.M. Written Work Requirement

The mandatory schedule for registering for completing and submitting the LL.M. Written Work Requirement is set forth in Sections VII.D and VIII.B of the Handbook. The following rules and guidelines also apply to the LL.M. Written Work Requirement:

a) Supervision: Students should feel free to ask any faculty member to supervise written work. Faculty on certain types of leave may not be available in a given term. Faculty have indicated availability to supervise written work in particular fields in 2009-10.

b) Supervision by Visiting Faculty: Writing credits under the supervision of visiting faculty ordinarily must be registered for and completed during the term(s) of the visitor’s appointment. Note that many visitors have Law School appointments for only one term. Students with questions about visiting faculty supervision outside of the faculty member's term of appointment should contact Andy Kaufman, Vice Dean for Academic Programming.

c) Prohibition against Compensation
A student may not receive academic credit for written work for which he or she also receives compensation.

d) Registration for Written Work: A student must register for the LL.M. Written Work Requirement in advance by submitting a LL.M. Written Work Requirement Registration and Proposal form to the proposed faculty advisor for signature; details for the proposal will be provided by the Graduate Program. Faculty members may require additional preliminary information, such as a discussion of the subject matter, an outline, or a longer description. A student should submit the Registration and Proposal form to the faculty member, as well as any other material requested, well in advance of the published dates set forth in the Section VII.D since faculty members may require additional preliminary work before accepting a proposal.

e) Awarding of Additional Credit: On rare occasions an LL.M. student writing the 25-Page Paper may seek one additional credit where the paper significantly exceeds the original parameters in form (at least 25 additional pages) and in substance. Under the above conditions, the student may earn such credit only through advance arrangements with the student’s faculty supervisor and with the approval of the Graduate Program and notice given to the Registrar's Office. Students writing the LL.M. Long Paper or the LL.M. Thesis are not eligible for additional credit even if the paper significantly exceeds the original parameters in form and substance.

f) Additional writing opportunities for LL.M. students include Optional Written Work and the Winter Term Writing Program (see Section III.A).

 [back to top]

B. Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D.)

To qualify for the S.J.D. degree, candidates must fulfill the following requirements, discussed at length in Appendix A, “Detailed Specifications for the S.J.D. Degree”:

1. Study Plan

Each S.J.D. candidate must submit an approved study plan, including arrangements for course work and reading lists, in the first year of candidacy. Candidates must submit drafts of their study plans to their faculty supervisors and orals committee members early in September of the first year of the program and should discuss with them the desirability of pursuing specific courses, selected readings, interdisciplinary study, skills enhancement (e.g., languages, mathematics, statistics), and other academic projects in their specific fields of study. On the basis of these discussions, candidates should put their study plans in final form, have them approved by their faculty supervisors, and submit the plans for approval by the Committee on Graduate Studies by no later than September 30; and, if revised, for final approval by no later than October 31 of the first year of study.

2. First Year in Residence

Candidates must complete the first year of study in residence at the Law School, under the supervision of a faculty supervisor and an orals committee, reading for fields and completing, ordinarily, at least eight credits of course work (typically on an audit basis).

a) S.J.D. candidates in the first year must normally complete course work carrying a minimum of eight credit hours at the Law School or, if appropriate, at other departments of the University. Arrangements for fulfilling the course work must be set forth in the Study Plan. Any S.J.D. candidate who does not hold a primary degree in law from a U.S. law school must complete, during the first year of S.J.D. studies or during the LL.M. year, at least two courses in U.S. law and one course in legal history, legal process, or legal thought

b) Attendance Policy: S.J.D. candidates taking classes on a for-credit basis must adhere to the class attendance policy set forth above are subject to the protections of the Massachusetts law set forth therein.

c) Minimum Grades: S.J.D. students must receive a minimum grade of P in any course taken for credit.  Grades of LP or F are not passing grades for the S.J.D. degree.

3. Oral Examination

Candidates must successfully complete an oral (general) examination in each of the fields of study outlined in the study plan. Candidates must sit for the S.J.D. oral (general) examination in their fields of study during the first or second year of study. The examination must be completed before starting work on the dissertation. Each student and his or her faculty supervisor will agree on a target month (no later than the 19th month from the beginning of S.J.D. studies, typically March of the second year) for completion of the oral (general) examination at the time the student develops his or her study plan.

4. Two presentations at the S.J.D. Colloquium

Twice during the program, S.J.D. candidates are required to present their dissertation work at the S.J.D. Colloquium. The first presentation must take place after completion of the oral examination, and by no later than the 28th month from the beginning of S.J.D. studies (typically, by December of the third year). If the first presentation is not completed by this date, the candidate must make his or her presentation at the next dissertation prospectus conference, typically held in January each year. The second presentation must be completed prior to graduation, and may, though it need not, take place in the last year of study

5. Submission and acceptance of the doctoral dissertation

Within 36 months of successful completion of the oral examination, the S.J.D. candidate must complete and submit a dissertation on a subject previously approved by the Committee on Graduate Studies and the candidate’s faculty supervisor. Commissioned studies, committee reports, and writings of joint authorship will not be accepted in fulfillment of the dissertation requirement. A dissertation in the form of a series of related essays will be acceptable only in exceptional cases and only when the Committee on Graduate Studies grants prior approval. Where the Committee grants such approval and the faculty supervisor permits the dissertation to take this form, the candidate must also submit a concluding essay that draws on the other essays and establishes a general thesis supported by the essays.

6. Oral Defense Examination

Upon completion of the dissertation, each candidate must pass an oral defense examination in his or her principal field of research (not limited to but including the subject of the dissertation). The examination is to be given by a dissertation defense committee, consisting of the faculty supervisor, the second reader and, if necessary, a representative of the Committee on Graduate Studies. The examination is customarily held within two months of the submission of the dissertation.

7. Submission of Dissertation to the Library

Once the supervisor and second reader approve the dissertation and corrections, if any, are made, two copies printed on acid-free paper must be submitted (unbound) to the Graduate Program for deposit with the Law School Library. At this time, a Library Authorization form must also be signed.

Detailed specifications for each of the preceding requirements and for other relevant information, including dissertation deadline parameters, are provided in Appendix A to these rules. Candidates should also refer to the Graduate Program Handbook available in the Graduate Program Office.

 [back to top]