Earn an SJD degree from Golden Gate University School of Law. As one of the oldest universities in California and the first evening law school for working professionals in the Western U.S., Golden Gate University is a top global destination for the prestigious terminal legal degree.
EligibilityBachelor's degree in Law(LLB) or equivalent degree in Law. A masters' degree in law is preferable however, not compulsory.
Mode of Teaching & Exams
Medium of InstructionEnglish
FeesApproximately $10,000 Post Scholarship with EMI Options
Scholarship AvailabilityYes—70% of program fee for qualified applicants
Duration36 Months
Total Credits56
$100 Million in Scholarship Opportunities
Golden Gate University (GGU) is partnering with upGrad to help you achieve your educational goals. Our high-quality, practice-based degree programs, taught by teacher practitioners from the heart of San Francisco’s financial and high-tech district, are now affordable and accessible to students around the world. Up to 5,000 eligible students may receive a 70% scholarship toward their tuition.
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Program Benefits
Establish credibility by adding a prefix of 'Dr' post successful completion of the program.
Mentorship & supervision by GGU Faculty & Subject Matter Experts for the entire duration of the program.
21+ Hours of Live sessions
Access to GGU's e-library
Access to GGU's online resources: Lexis Nexis, Hein Online, Westlaw.
Earn the same U.S. Degree awarded on campus.
Syllabus
SJD Residency - First Semester
Basics of Legal ResearchTools & Methodology - Coverage with recorded and live sessions
Overview: the Process and Purpose of Writing a Doctoral Dissertation
Introduction to Legal Scholarship and Methods
Legal Research Methodology: Identification and Explanation of Reliable Sources
Legal Research Basics: Tools and Strategies
How to Work With Your Dissertation Committee Members
Researching International and Comparative Law
Ethical Use of Research Materials
Choice of Dissertation Topic
Topic Choice
Dissertation Development
Outline and Writing Process
Dissertation Format
Approach to Comparative Legal Analysis
Researching and Writing about IP law
Researching and Writing about International Human Rights
Researching and Writing about Law and Anthropology
Researching and Writing about Legal History
Completing the SJD program at GGU
Researching and Writing on an Interdisciplinary Topic
Revising and Polishing the Dissertation
Dissertation Defense
SJD Residency - Second Semester
Learners will select the topic of their dissertation, fine-tune their subject matter, draft and submit the first chapter of their dissertation and prepare for their first oral examination.
Oral Examination
A 3-member committee will supervise the students, evaluate the written material of the first chapter and give a go-ahead for the oral examination. This comes after the second semester and at the end of the first year.
This first oral examination would be where the learners have decided on a clear topic and have written the first chapter introducing their dissertation.
The evaluation of the learner shall be based on the clarity of the topic selected(along with the resources used) and the ability of the student to conduct independent research.
The learner shall be taken into the next phase of the program once they pass the oral examination.
Second Year - SJD Candidacy
For the next 2 years, the learners will individually work on the subsequent chapters in the second phase.
The learners can reach out to their supervisor at any point in time for guidance throughout this phase. It is recommended that learners connect with the supervisors at least once a month. The aim is to have 3 committee members
Live sessions shall be conducted during the first semester and subsequently a few master classes during the second semester
The ideal timeline for submitting the draft would be within 2 years after reaching the candidacy stage.
21+Hours of Live sessions
56Credits in total
Placement Support
- Access to upGrad’s career center and GGU’s student account
- High performance career coaching
- Resume and profile building tools enabled
- Interview preparation support provided
- 1:1 mentorship sessions and personalized industry group sessions
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