Overview

The SJD is intended to be equivalent to a PhD and therefore one of the highest degrees that a university can award. The degree is intended to prepare candidates for an academic career, or for high level research and policy formulation. While exceeding the requirements of most practising lawyers who wish to undertake a higher degree, the SJD is widely accepted by the profession as an indicator of expertise and original contribution to an area of knowledge as is the case in North America and elsewhere overseas. 

The programme

The coursework component of the Juridical Science degree at the University of New South Wales is described under the entry for LLM by Coursework. All coursework units must be completed before the commencement of the dissertation. After completion of at least four coursework units, students intending to enrol in the dissertation may submit an outline of a proposed topic to the Director of Postgraduate Research. 

The topic of the dissertation, which may be a development of one or more coursework units, must be nominated by the candidate and approved by the Higher Degree Committee of the Faculty of Law. The dissertation must amount to an original contribution to a field of study, and be of publishable quality. It will be assessed by not less than two external examiners appointed by the Faculty Higher Degree Committee.