59 PhD programmes in Legal Studies in United States

At the University of Missouri - Kansas City School of Law, the Juris Doctor (J.D.) program is designed to prepare well-rounded lawyers who appreciate the relationships among legal, social and political aspects of the human experience.

For students looking to pursue the academic side of the law through prolonged research and writing, Suffolk University offers a Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD) degree. The equivalent of a PhD in other fields, an SJD is the most advanced law degree available and requires sustained academic excellence as well as the prior completion of a JD and LLM.

Our Law faculty at the University of California, Irvine (UCI) has developed a cutting-edge curriculum that ensures students receive an education that is comparable to or exceeds that found at any top law school, and also that addresses the changing demands of the legal profession.

The Wharton Ethics and Legal Studies Doctoral Program at the University of Pennsylvania focuses on the study of ethics and law in business. It is designed to prepare graduates for tenure-track careers in university teaching and research at leading business schools, and law schools.

The Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D.) programme from PennState Dickinson Law  is designed for both domestic and internationally trained legal scholars, and is suited for those who already have an advanced legal degree and want to pursue a career focused on legal research and scholarship.

The University of Pennsylvania offers a full-time program leading to the JD, the first professional degree in Law. Applicants have completed their undergraduate degrees and, oftentimes, advanced degrees in a broad array of disciplines; many have work experience prior to attending law school.

The PhD program in Law and Psychology at Arizona State University takes a broad interdisciplinary approach to train a new generation of scholars.

​​This Ph.D. program in Criminology, Law and Society is offered at the University of California, Irvine (UCI). UCI offers graduate students the opportunity to earn emphases in several substantive areas.

Our JD Law program at Boston College is prestigious and cutting edge, combining traditional methods with experiential learning to graduate practice-ready lawyers.

The Juridical Science programme offered by Wake Forest University investigates specialised areas of law through advanced independent research, producing original scholarship that contributes to legal knowledge, theory, and practice.

The joint Law and Communication JD/Ph.D. degree program at Stanford University offers students the opportunity to pursue academic, public policy, and private practice careers at the intersection of a variety of cutting edge debates in theory and policy.

Discover an accredited, respected and affordable Law program at the University of North Dakota. We value you as an individual and invest in both your professional and personal growth in a close-knit and supportive community.

The Doctor of the Science of Law (J.S.D.) from Columbia University is the most advanced law degree program, prepares students with exceptional academic aptitude for careers in legal scholarship. 

Our juris doctor (JD) Law program at the University of Pittsburgh offers a solid foundation in legal education and a multitude of specializations applied to contemporary issues, including international conflict resolution, environmental and energy law, health law, and intellectual property, technology and innovation law.

The Juris Doctor/Doctor of Philosophy (JD/PhD) is administered by Emory Law and the Graduate Division of Religion, a unit of the Laney Graduate School of Arts and Sciences at Emory University.

Study in an environment that's driven by curiosity. Where excellence is the standard and inclusion is valued by all. Our JD Law curriculum at Emory University balances hands-on learning with practical doctrinal education so you enter the real world ready and able to make a difference.

The Juris Doctor programme offered by University of Cincinnati develops advanced expertise in legal advocacy, judicial reasoning, and client representation.

Mastering legal doctrine is just the beginning of a proper legal education. Lawyers play countless roles in our society—as advocates, as advisors, as leaders in their own right. This Law JD program is offered at Stanford University.

The PhD in Justice Studies at Arizona State University at the nation's first School of Social Transformation invites all qualified applicants.