Joint Degree in Law and History (J.D./Ph.D)

Overview

 

Stanford offers two joint degree programs in Law and History: (1) a JD/PhD program and (2) a JD/MA program. Both programs afford substantial savings in time and money as compared with the separate pursuit of each degree.

 

The programs are 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. 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

Joint J.D./Ph.D in Law & History

The basic structure of the JD/PhD program is outlined below. The program has been purposefully designed to ensure flexibility that addresses individual student’s needs and interests.

  • Timing of Applications
    Interested students must separately apply and receive admission to the Stanford Law School and the History Department. Students are encouraged to begin their course of study by spending the first year in the Stanford Law School (SLS), followed by taking courses from both SLS and History Department. This facilitates a truly integrated, joint program; it also maximizes potential savings in financial cost and time-to-degree. Student, 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 History Department’s Student Services Manager.

     

    Applications for the PhD program in History are typically due in early December. By contrast, applications to 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). Applicants must separately apply and obtain admission to the Stanford Law School and the Stanford History Department.

     

    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).

  • Course of Study 
    Joint degree students are encouraged to begin their course of study by spending their first year at Stanford in the SLS, followed by a full year in the History Department. This sequencing is essential to complete the required History PhD colloquia sequence without any disruption. After their first year in SLS, students may choose courses from either program. 

     

    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 (as detailed 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 JD studies, and full time in the History Department during the first year of their PhD program.

     

    Joint degree students are expected to take their History PhD oral examinations no later than the spring of their fourth year at Stanford.

  • Cross-Crediting of Units
    The 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. But students may save about a year of coursework (or somewhat more) 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 it will credit toward the PhD So, 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.

  • Tuition and Financial Aid
    PhD Students, who are simultaneously accepted to the SLS and the History Department for a JD/PhD program, spend their first year at Stanford as a full-time graduate student in SLS. The Department of History does not fund the JD/PhD student during this first year. After finishing their first year with SLS, the 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 financial aid arrangements made available by the Law School and the University. The funding is awarded on a competitive basis. For more information, please see https://law.stanford.edu/education/degrees/

     

    Applicants are also encouraged to consider applying to the Knight-Hennessy Scholars Program. 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 11, 2023 at 1:00pm PST. Joint-degree applicants who choose to submit applications for the Knight-Hennessy Scholars Program must still submit separate applications to the Law school and the History department (as described above). Details can be found at: https://knight- hennessy.stanford.edu/

  • Tuition for Students in Multiple Programs
    Graduate students who are eligible to 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).

    The Enrollment Agreement for Students with Multiple Programs is not required if the programs all charge identical amounts of tuition (e.g., MA and PhD programs that are both in the School of Humanities and Sciences).

    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.

    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.

J.D. / M.A. Program in Law & History

  • Timing of Applications
    Students interested in the joint JD/MA degree program in Law & History must separately apply and receive admission to the Stanford Law School and the History Department. To maximize potential savings in financial cost and time-to-degree, students are encouraged to apply to both the Law School and the History Department either (1) at the same time or (2) during their first year as a law student. Students in their second year of Stanford Law School may also apply to the MA program in History, but they are less likely to be able to complete both degrees in a total of three years and at the cost of their law degree.

     

    Applications for the MA program in History are due in early December. Applications to the Law School’s JD program are accepted on a rolling basis, generally between September 1 and February 1. Applicants must separately apply and obtain admission to the Stanford Law School and the Stanford History Department.

     

    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 in SLS and are seeking to pursue a JD/MA in History).

  • Course of Study
    Students pursuing the joint JD/MA must begin their course of study by spending the first year in the Stanford Law School. Starting in their second year, they will begin to take classes offered by the History Department, as well as by the Law School, and should be able to complete both degrees by the end of the third year. 
  • Cross-Crediting of Units
    The Law School requires students to earn 111 units in order to obtain the JD The History Department requires students to earn 45 units to obtain the MA This is a combined total of 156 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 MA up to 10 units earned in the Law School. The Department makes case-by-case decisions about which courses earned in the Law School it will credit toward the MA So, if there are courses in the Law School that you believe are relevant to your MA studies, you should discuss with your History-Department advisor whether these are appropriate for cross-crediting.

  • Tuition and Financial Aid
    The Law School requires students to earn 111 units in order to obtain the JD The History Department requires students to earn 45 units to obtain the MA This is a combined total of 156 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 MA up to 10 units earned in the Law School. The Department makes case-by-case decisions about which courses earned in the Law School it will credit toward the MA So, if there are courses in the Law School that you believe are relevant to your MA studies, you should discuss with your History-Department advisor whether these are appropriate for cross-crediting.

  • Tuition for Students in Multiple Programs
    Graduate students who are eligible to 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).

    The Enrollment Agreement for Students with Multiple Programs is not required if the programs all charge identical amounts of tuition (e.g., MA and PhD. programs that are both in the School of Humanities and Sciences).

    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.

    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.

Further Information

Students have access to the full range of resources on campus, ranging from courses and conferences to lectures and workshops. For an overview of many law-and-history-related activities on campus, please visit the Stanford Center for Law and History website.

Questions?

Please contact Arthur Palmon  (Assistant Director of Student Services).