Graduate Program Admissions and Financial Aid
Take your legal education to the next level
- LL.M. students 180
- LL.M. students are international 98%
- countries represented 65
- S.J.D. students annually 60
When you commence graduate studies at Harvard Law School, you will join dynamic leaders from around the world pursuing their highest academic aspirations.
The Master of Laws (LL.M) and Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D.) programs emphasize U.S. approaches to legal education (which emphasize thinking and self-inquiry) as well as substantive law. Our preeminent faculty of scholars and practitioners are committed to enhancing your knowledge and skills, and your ability to achieve excellence in advanced scholarly work. You’ll also join a global network of peers dedicated to advancing legal knowledge and pursuing justice.
The Graduate Program also hosts the Visiting Scholar/Visiting Research program, which accommodates a small number of legal scholars and researchers from around the world who are engaged in major research projects for which the Law School’s outstanding library resources may be of assistance.
HLS Graduate Program Opportunities
Ll.m. admissions.
This one-year degree program offers students from around the world a broad platform for advanced legal studies.
S.J.D. Admissions
Our most advanced law degree is designed for aspiring legal academics seeking to make contributions to their chosen field through scholarship.
Visiting Scholar / Visiting Researcher Admissions
The HLS Graduate Program hosts the VS/VR, attracting academics from around the world who benefit from Harvard Law School’s exceptional legal library resources and Harvard University’s unmatched offerings.
Graduate Program Application
All LL.M., S.J.D., and Visiting Scholar/Visiting Researcher (“VS/VR”) applicants to the HLS Graduate Program must use this online application.
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The Juris Doctor (J.D.) is a three-year program that first gives students the intellectual foundations for legal study, and then gives them the opportunity to focus their studies on areas of particular interest through advanced classes, clinics, and writing projects.
The Master of Laws (LL.M.) is a one-year advanced degree program for students who have already received their first law degrees. It attracts intellectually curious candidates of diverse backgrounds from 65+ countries, including lawyers working at firms or NGOs, government officials, law teachers, judges, activists, doctoral students, entrepreneurs, diplomats, and others.
Harvard Law School’s most advanced law degree, the Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D.) is modeled on the very best Ph.D. programs in other disciplines, and is designed for aspiring legal academics who, through sustained independent study, research and writing, work to produce a dissertation that constitutes a substantial and valuable contribution to legal scholarship.
Students interested in combining legal education with advanced training in a field not covered by one of the Law School’s formal joint degree programs can consider completing the J.D. program concurrently with another graduate degree program at Harvard University or another institution. In the past, students have arranged concurrent degree programs with the Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the Harvard Divinity School, the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
PhD Program Requirements
- Introduction
Harvard Griffin GSAS strives to provide students with timely, accurate, and clear information. If you need help understanding a specific policy, please contact the office that administers that policy.
- Application for Degree
- Credit for Completed Graduate Work
- Ad Hoc Degree Programs
- Dissertations
- English Language Proficiency
- African and African American Studies
- American Studies
- Anthropology
- Architecture, Landscape Architecture, and Urban Planning
- Molecular and Cellular Biology
- Organismic and Evolutionary Biology
- Biological Sciences in Public Health
- Biostatistics
- Business Administration
- Business Economics
- Byzantine Studies
- Celtic Languages and Literatures
- Chemical Biology
- Chemical Physics
- Chemistry and Chemical Biology
- Comparative Literature
- Division of Medical Sciences
- Earth and Planetary Sciences
- East Asian Languages and Civilizations
- Engineering and Applied Sciences
- Film and Visual Studies
- Germanic Languages and Literatures
- Health Policy
- History of Art and Architecture
- History of Science
- Human Evolutionary Biology
- Inner Asian and Altaic Studies
- Linguistics
- Mathematics
- Middle Eastern Studies
- Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations
- Organizational Behavior
- Political Economy and Government
- Population Health Sciences
- Public Policy
- Quantum Science and Engineering
- Religion, The Study of
- Romance Languages and Literatures
- Slavic Languages and Literatures
- Social Policy
- South Asian Studies
- Systems, Synthetic, and Quantitative Biology
- Secondary Fields
- Year of Graduate Study (G-Year)
- Master's Degrees
- Grade and Examination Requirements
- Conduct and Safety
- Financial Aid
- Non-Resident Students
- Registration
- Residence Halls
- Student Groups
In addition to the common degree requirements expected of Harvard Griffin GSAS students, students must meet additional requirements specified by their department or program. This section provides additional degree requirements by academic program.
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Overview The Coordinated JD/PhD Program is designed for students interested in completing interdisciplinary work at Harvard University and is founded on the belief that students’ legal studies and their arts and sciences graduate studies can be mutually enriched through this pursuit. Students completing the coordinated program receive a JD from Harvard Law School (HLS) and […]
The Graduate Program attracts lawyers of demonstrated intellectual and academic excellence from all over the world. The LL.M. and S.J.D. programs expose students to American modes of legal education (which emphasize critical thinking and self-inquiry) as well as to substantive law, and enhance our students’ ability to do advanced scholarly work.
All LL.M., S.J.D., and Visiting Researcher/Visiting Scholar (“VS/VR”) applicants must use the Harvard Law School Graduate Program’s online application available below. Application Status Application Opens Application Deadline VS/VR Program (Spring 2025) Closed mid-August 2024 September 15, 2024 LL.M. Program (2025-26) Closed early September 2024 December 1, 2024 VS/VR Program (Fall 2025 ...
Harvard Law School home. Harvard Law School provides unparalleled opportunities to study law with extraordinary colleagues in a rigorous, vibrant, and collaborative environment.
Coordinated JD/PhD program The Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences is a leading institution of graduate study, offering PhD and select master’s degrees as well as opportunities to study without pursuing a degree as a visiting student .
Harvard Law School (HLS) and a PhD from the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS). It is expected that these students will be strong candidates for teaching posts at law schools and in arts and sciences programs, as well as for other positions in law and academia. Students interested in the Coordinated Program, are encouraged to contact
When you commence graduate studies at Harvard Law School, you will join dynamic leaders from around the world pursuing their highest academic aspirations. The Master of Laws (LL.M) and Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D.) programs emphasize U.S. approaches to legal education (which emphasize thinking and self-inquiry) as well as substantive law. Our preeminent faculty of […]
Harvard Law School’s most advanced law degree, the Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D.) is modeled on the very best Ph.D. programs in other disciplines, and is designed for aspiring legal academics who, through sustained independent study, research and writing, work to produce a dissertation that constitutes a substantial and valuable ...
The Harvard Law School Graduate Program requires a score of at least 100 on the internet-based test (IBT), with at least 25 in each of the four subsections. We will accept scores from the TOEFL iBT® Home Edition, but reserve the right to condition admission on an in-person test.
Aug 5, 2024 · The Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences is a leading institution of graduate study, offering PhD and select master’s degrees as well as opportunities to study without pursuing a degree as a visiting student.