Candidates interested in the J.S.D. degree must first spend a year in the Law School's LL.M. Program. Thus, only Chicago LL.M. graduates may participate in the J.S.D. degree program.

In order to qualify for admission to the J.S.D. Program, candidates must ordinarily have maintained at least a 178 average in their LL.M. coursework, must identify one or more faculty members who are willing to supervise a dissertation, and must submit a dissertation proposal that in the opinion of the Graduate Studies Committee promises to result in a creditable contribution to legal scholarship.

In a typical year about two to four current LL.M. students or graduates apply to the J.S.D. Program and most of them are offered admission. The J.S.D. application will include a transcript of the LL.M. coursework (students currently in the LL.M. Program should wait until their Autumn and Winter Quarter grades are available), a copy of the J.S.D. dissertation proposal and a letter of support from the Law School faculty member or members who will supervise the dissertation. Since the letters from faculty play a very important role in the J.S.D. application review, candidates should thoroughly discuss their proposed dissertations with their sponsors. The application documents should be submitted to the Admissions Office with a cover letter indicating that the candidate is applying for the J.S.D. Program. There is no J.S.D. application form.

Once students have been admitted to the J.S.D. Program, they may work on their dissertations in Chicago or anywhere else in the world. They are expected to keep in close contact with their faculty sponsors. The J.S.D. degree will be awarded to students who have submitted a dissertation that is accepted by the faculty within five years of the start of the Program. Tuition in the J.S.D. Program is substantially lower than the LL.M. tuition. For the current academic year, the tuition is $1,354 per quarter ($4,062 for the academic year.)