The J.D./ Ph.D. program in Law & History is designed to provide students interested in the study of law and history with top-level training in each field, as well as in the complex and fascinating intersections between the two. The program has been purposefully designed to ensure flexibility that addresses individual student’s needs and interests. It offers substantial savings in time and money as compared with the separate pursuit of each degree. Students have access to the full range of resources on campus—including not only courses, but also conferences, lectures, and workshops—devoted to law and history. For an overview of many law-and-history-related activities on campus, please visit the website for the Stanford Center for Law and History.
Course of Study
J.D./ Ph.D. students are encouraged to start their first year at Stanford Law School and then spend a full year in the History Department. This sequencing is essential to complete the required History Ph.D. colloquia sequence without any disruption. After their first year in SLS, students may choose courses from either program. Students are expected to take their History PhD oral examinations no later than the spring of their fourth year at Stanford.
- Students, who wish to commence JD/PhD program in the History Department, should discuss their plans in advance with their advisors in the Law School and in the History Department. Such requests are reviewed by both units and are accepted only if there is a compelling justification.
- If the student chooses to begin their coursework in the History Department, it is vital that they complete the paperwork required to matriculate at the Law School at the beginning of their very first year of coursework. Otherwise, they may not be able to cross-credit this first-year of history coursework toward their JD degree (see below).
- Whichever academic unit that the student begins their JD/PhD program, they must be enrolled full time in the Law School during the first year of their J.D. studies, and full time in the History Department during the first year of their PhD program.
Cross-Crediting of Units
The Stanford Law School requires students to earn 111 units in order to obtain the JD. The History Department requires students to earn 135 units to obtain the PhD. This is a combined total of 246 units. Students may save about a year of coursework through cross-crediting some of these units.
- The Law School cross-credits toward the JD up to 31 units earned in the History Department.
- The History Department has the flexibility to cross-credit toward the PhD up to 23 units earned in the Law School. The Department makes case-by-case decisions about which courses earned in the Law School may be credited toward the Ph.D. If there are courses in the Law School that you believe are relevant to your PhD studies and doctoral dissertation, you should discuss with your doctoral advisor whether these are appropriate for cross-crediting.
Financial Aid
The Department of History does not fund the JD/PhD students during this first year with Stanford Law School (SLS). After their first year with SLS, JD/PhD student matriculates in the Department of History as a 1st year PhD student and start receiving their 5-Year Departmental Fellowship, which provides five years of guaranteed funding as described in the Finance Section of this Handbook (pg.75).
- For their year in the SLS, JD/PhD students are eligible for the full range of need-based aid available by the Law School and the University. The funding is awarded on a competitive basis. Please see https://law.stanford.edu/education/degrees/ for more information.
- KHS admits up to 100 applicants each year including among Stanford School of Humanities and Sciences students. The program focuses on training visionary, courageous, and collaborative leaders ready to address complex global challenges. The KHS application deadline is October 8, 2025 (1:00pm PST). Learn more about KHS admission.
- Applicants are also encouraged to apply to Stanford's Knight-Hennessy Scholars (KHS) Program which offers 3 years of graduate funding in connection with other Stanford units. The program focuses on training visionary, courageous, and collaborative leaders ready to address complex global challenges.
- The deadline for applying to this program is much earlier than the deadline for applying to pursue either the JD or the PhD in History—namely, October 8, 2025 at 1:00pm PST.
- Joint-degree applicants who choose to apply to KHS must still submit separate applications to the Law school and the History department (see below).
Tuition
Graduate students who pursue more than one degree at Stanford, where each program charges a different tuition (other than concurrent enrollment in a coterminal bachelor’s and master’s program), must document a tuition payment agreement by means of the Tuition Agreement for Students with Multiple Programs (see GAP 5.1 Changes and Additions of Degree Programs).
- Each Joint Degree Program (JDP) has a pre-approved tuition agreement detailing which graduate tuition level is paid at which point in a student’s career (see GAP 4.9 Joint Degree Programs). JDP tuition agreements approved for each JDP reside with the Office of the Registrar. All students enrolled in a JDP must submit the Tuition Agreement for Students with Multiple Programs to document the tuition agreement and ensure that correct charges are applied each quarter.
- The student filing this enrollment agreement indicates the degree program to be used for tuition assessment in each quarter and academic year. The student must obtain the necessary signatures from the dean or associate dean representing each graduate or professional school program listed.
- The Enrollment Agreement for Students with Multiple Programs is not required if the programs all charge identical amounts of tuition.
How to Apply
Interested students must separately apply and obtain admission to the Stanford Law School and the Stanford History Department.
- Timing of Applications: Applications for the PhD program in History are due in early December. The Law School’s JD program are accepted on a rolling basis, usually between September 1 and February 1. To be considered as a joint applicant, applicants should submit their law-school application around the same time as your PhD application (and definitely no later than the December deadline for a PhD in History).
- Application Process:
- In completing the online Law School Admission Council [LSAC] application form, the applicant will be directed to a set of questions unique to Stanford Law School—including a page inquiring whether they are applying to “Other Stanford Programs.” Please select “History” from the drop-down menu.
- The History Department application does not include a separate box to indicate application to Stanford Law School. Instead, the applicant should note in their required “Statement of Purpose” that they are also applying for admission into the Law School’s JD program (or that they are already enrolled in a JD program at SLS and are seeking to pursue a JD/PhD in History).
- Students, who are already enrolled in SLS or the History Department, may apply for admission to joint degree status in the other unit. If you are interested in this option, please check with Art Palmon (History, Assistant Director of Student Services Manager)
Questions?
Please contact Arthur Palmon (Assistant Director of Student Services).
