Doctor of Juridical Science in Environmental Law

The SJD at Pace prepares legal scholars to teach environmental law in the United States and abroad. Admission is highly competitive and requires completion of an LLM in Environmental Law with distinction either at Pace or at a comparable program at another law school.

A candidate's SJD application is thoroughly reviewed and one or more interviews are required with members of the environmental law faculty. Only one or two applicants are admitted annually. Admitted candidates are expected to begin residency in late-August at the onset of the fall semester.

SJD Course of Study
Candidates enroll in an SJD tutorial. The tutorial comprises a thorough introduction to design and theory of the environmental law curriculum, its bibliography and research tools, methods of teaching and applications in the field. A seminar in Advanced Legal Research is also required. It is strongly recommended that candidates who have not taken an advanced seminar in the history of jurisprudence of environmental law or in comparative environmental law in their LLM studies do so for the SJD.

The primary focus of the SJD is preparation of an original research thesis of publishable quality. The thesis is prepared under the direct guidance of Pace environmental law professors who engage candidates in a close collegial relationship. SJD candidates are expected to be in full-time residence at Pace for at least one year.