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Bulletin Archive

This archived information is dated to the 2008-09 academic year only and may no longer be current.

For currently applicable policies and information, see the current Stanford Bulletin.

Joint Programs in Sociology with the School of Law

Up one level:

Graduate Programs in Sociology

The School of Law and Department of Sociology conduct joint programs leading to either a combined J.D. degree with an M.A. degree in Sociology or to a combined J.D. degree with a Ph.D. in Sociology.

Law students interested in pursuing an M.A. in Sociology apply for admission to the Department of Sociology during the first year of Law school. Once admitted to the Department of Sociology, the student must complete standard departmental master's degree requirements as specified in this bulletin. Applications for the joint J.D./M.A. degree program must be approved by both the department and the Law school. Faculty advisers from each program participate in the planning and supervising of the student's academic program.

The J.D./Ph.D. degree program is designed for students who wish to prepare themselves for research or teaching careers in areas relating to both legal and sociological concerns. Students interested in the joint degree program must be admitted to both the School of Law and the Department of Sociology. Interest in the joint degree program must be noted on each of the student's applications. Alternatively, an enrolled student in either the Law School or the Sociology department may apply to the other program, preferably during their first year of study.

Upon admission, students are assigned a joint program faculty adviser who assists the student in planning an appropriate program and ensuring that all requirements for both degrees are satisfied. The faculty adviser serves in this capacity during the student's course of study regardless of whether the student is enrolled in the School of Law or the Sociology department.

J.D./Ph.D. students may elect to begin their course of study in either the School of Law or the Department of Sociology. Students must be enrolled full-time in the Law school for the first year of Law school, and must enroll full time in the graduate school for the first year of the sociology program. After that time, enrollment may be in the graduate school or the Law school, and students may choose courses from either program regardless of where enrolled. Students must satisfy the requirements for both the J.D. and the Ph.D. degrees. Up to 54 semester (81 quarter) hours of approved courses may be counted toward both degrees, but no more than 24 semester (36 quarter) hours of courses that originate outside the Law school may count toward the Law degree. To the extent that courses under this joint degree program originate outside of the Law school but count toward the Law degree, the Law school credits permitted under Section 17(1) of the Law School Regulations for cross-registration in other schools or departments of Stanford University are reduced on a unit-per-unit basis, but not below zero. Students must complete the equivalent of 183 quarter units to complete both degrees. Tuition and financial aid arrangements normally are through the school in which the student is currently enrolled.

For more information, see the Sociology web site at http://sociology.stanford.edu, and the Law School web site on the J.D./Ph.D. at http://www.law.stanford.edu/program/degrees/joint/sociology.

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