SJD Program

Minimum Admission Requirements

• Applicants are admitted under the General Regulations of the School of Graduate Studies. Applicants must also satisfy the Faculty of Law's additional admission requirements stated below.

• Applicants must have obtained a Bachelor of Laws or Juris Doctor degree and a Master of Laws, or the equivalent of each degree, from a recognized university. Applicants must have a minimum B+ average in their Master of Laws. Preference will be given to applicants who maintain this average throughout their legal studies.

• Applicants whose primary language is not English and who obtained their admitting degree (Bachelor of Laws, Juris Doctor, or equivalent) from a university where the language of instruction and examination was not English must show evidence of English proficiency by submitting English-language test scores. Several English-language testing services are acceptable. The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and International English Language Testing System (IELTS) are the most common tests:

• The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with the following minimum scores:

  • Paper-based TOEFL: minimum overall score of 600, and 5 on the Test of Written English (TWE)

  • Internet-based TOEFL: minimum overall score of 100/120, and 24/30 on each section.

• IELTS, Academic module: overall score of 7.5 with at least 7.0 in each component.

• The University of Toronto Academic English preparation course: overall grade of A in Level 60.

• Canadian Academic English Language (CAEL) Online: overall score of 70 with at least 70 in each component.

• Cambridge English Qualifications: overall score of 191 with at least 185 on each section.

• No conditional offers of admission will be given based on successful completion of an English language test.

Completion Requirements

• Coursework. Students must complete the mandatory graduate seminar LAW1000H Alternative Approaches to Legal Scholarship.

  • Other coursework requirements are optional and shall be determined upon consultation with the supervisor. All coursework shall be subject to the approval of the Associate Dean, Graduate Studies, Law.

• Area requirement. Before being allowed to proceed with formal research on a thesis topic, a student must demonstrate competence in a broader area within which the topic falls. The student's supervisory committee (established by the student and approved by the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies at the Faculty of Law) assists in framing that area and compiling an appropriate plan for carrying out the research. The research undertaken by the student either culminates in a written exam, based on the reading list, or a research project, which is either a draft of a chapter of the thesis or an overview of the general argument. Both paths lead to an oral exam based on the written work and the reading list (the "area exam"). Unless approved by the Associate Dean of Graduate of Graduate Studies, a student must satisfy the area requirement by the end of Year 1 of registration.

• Research and writing. A student will not be allowed to continue in the doctoral program, where, in the opinion of the Area Committee, the student is not capable of demonstrating the capacity for independent legal research and writing at an advanced level, including through the satisfaction of the area exam.

• Year 2 presentation. At the end of Year 2 of registration, students must present an abstract of their work in progress or a draft chapter to an audience of their peers and interested faculty. The purpose of the meeting is to provide the student with a forum to collect feedback from a broad audience.

• Annual meetings. Students must meet with their entire supervisory committee at least once a year.

• Thesis. Following completion of the requirements above, a thesis must be prepared which, in the opinion of the Faculty of Law, constitutes a distinct contribution to legal research or scholarship, and the student must pass a Doctoral Final Oral Examination based on the thesis.

  • The thesis must be completed within five years from the date of enrolment in the program.

  • No candidate will be recommended for the degree until the thesis has been approved by the Faculty of Law and is presented in publishable form, as described in the PhD regulations in this calendar.

• Residence. Students must be in full-time attendance for at least two academic sessions (eight months):

  • September to April for those starting the program in September; or

  • January to April and September to December for those starting the program in January.

Mode of Delivery: In person
Program Length: 3 years full-time (typical registration sequence: Continuous)
Time Limit: 5 years full-time

 

SJD Program (Direct-Entry)

Minimum Admission Requirements

• Applicants are admitted under the General Regulations of the School of Graduate Studies. Applicants must also satisfy the Faculty of Law's additional admission requirements stated below.

• Applicants must have obtained a Bachelor of Laws or Juris Doctor degree, or the equivalent of a law degree, from a recognized university. A minimum A– average is required in the final year of their legal studies. Preference will be given to applicants who maintain this average throughout their legal studies, i.e., during the course of their entire law degree.

• The Associate Dean, Graduate Studies at the Faculty of Law has the discretion to permit direct entry into the SJD following completion of the Bachelor of Laws or Juris Doctor degree where the Graduate Admissions Committee is satisfied that the applicant demonstrates excellent potential for independent legal research and writing at an advanced level.

• Applicants whose primary language is not English and who obtained their admitting degree (Bachelor of Laws, Juris Doctor, or equivalent) from a university where the language of instruction and examination was not English must show evidence of English proficiency by submitting English-language test scores. Several English-language testing services are acceptable. The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and International English Language Testing System (IELTS) are the most common tests:

• The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with the following minimum scores:

  • Paper-based TOEFL: minimum overall score of 600, and 5 on the Test of Written English (TWE)

  • Internet-based TOEFL: minimum overall score of 100/120, and 24/30 on each section.

• IELTS, Academic module: overall score of 7.5 with at least 7.0 in each component.

• The University of Toronto Academic English preparation course: overall grade of A in Level 60.

• Canadian Academic English Language (CAEL) Online: overall score of 70 with at least 70 in each component.

• Cambridge English Qualifications: overall score of 191 with at least 185 on each section.

• No conditional offers of admission will be given based on successful completion of an English language test.

Completion Requirements

• Coursework. Students must complete at least 8 credit hours (2.0 full-course equivalents [FCEs]) including the mandatory graduate seminar: LAW1000H Alternative Approaches to Legal Scholarship.

  • All coursework shall be subject to the approval of the Associate Dean, Graduate Studies at the Faculty of Law.

• Area requirement. Before being allowed to proceed with formal research on a thesis topic, a student must demonstrate competence in a broader area within which the topic falls. The student's supervisory committee (established by the student and approved by the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies at the Faculty of Law) assists in framing that area and compiling an appropriate plan for carrying out the research. The research undertaken by the student either culminates in a written exam, based on the reading list, or a research project, which is either a draft of a chapter of the thesis or an overview of the general argument. Both paths lead to an oral exam based on the written work and the reading list (the "area exam"). Unless approved by the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies, a student must satisfy the area requirement by the end of Year 1 of registration.

• Research and writing. A student will not be allowed to continue in the doctoral program, where, in the opinion of the Area Committee, the student is not capable of demonstrating the capacity for independent legal research and writing at an advanced level, including through the satisfaction of the area exam.

• Year 2 presentation. At the end of Year 2 of registration, students must present an abstract of their work in progress or a draft chapter to an audience of their peers and interested faculty. The purpose of the meeting is to provide the student with a forum to collect feedback from a broad audience.

• Annual meetings. Students must meet with their entire supervisory committee at least once a year.

• Thesis. Following completion of the area requirements, a thesis must be prepared which, in the opinion of the Faculty of Law, constitutes a distinct contribution to legal research or scholarship, and the student must pass a Doctoral Final Oral Examination based on the thesis.

  • The thesis must be completed within six years from the date of enrolment in the program.

  • No candidate will be recommended for the degree until the thesis has been approved by the Faculty of Law and is presented in publishable form, as described in the PhD regulations in this calendar.

• Residence. Students must be in full-time attendance for at least two academic sessions (eight months):

  • September to April for those starting the program in September; or

  • January to April and September to December for those starting the program in January.

Mode of Delivery: In person
Program Length: 5 years full-time (typical registration sequence: Continuous)
Time Limit: 6 years full-time