The Bulletin - George Washington University Law School

40 THE GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY LAW SCHOOLtional circumstances.) Applicants must submit copies of their master’s thesis or one ormore papers or articles they have written. Applicants must include a research proposaland dissertation topic approved by a full-time member of the Law School faculty whohas agreed to serve as the faculty adviser if the applicant is admitted.Non-U.S. Law School GraduatesFor S.J.D. applicants who earned their first law degree at a non-U.S. law school, thefollowing entrance requirements pertain. Applicants must have graduated with an excellentacademic record from a non-U.S. law school known for high academic standards;such a determination will be made by the Graduate Programs Office or by a qualifiedfaculty member. As outlined above for U.S. law school graduates, additional requirementsinclude an LL.M. (which may be waived in exceptional circumstances), copies ofthe master’s thesis or one or more papers or articles written by the applicant, and a researchproposal and dissertation topic approved by a full-time member of the LawSchool faculty who has agreed to serve as the faculty adviser if the applicant is admitted.Consideration for admission requires proficiency in the English language, both oral andwritten, as determined by the Graduate Programs Office or by a faculty member designatedby the dean.Degree RequirementsCandidates for the Doctor of Juridical Science degree must complete the following requirementsto be awarded the degree: an enrollment period of not less than one academicyear; a course of study and research, designated by the dissertation committee, ofno less than 8 credit hours; and completion and acceptance of a dissertation (see below).The course work for the S.J.D. degree will normally be completed during the firsttwo years of study. During this period, tuition is paid in four equal payments and nolimit is placed on the number of credit hours for which a degree candidate may enrollwith his or her adviser’s approval. After the first two years from the date of matriculation,tuition will be charged by the credit hour for any additional courses taken by the degreecandidate, either for credit or as an auditor.The DissertationThe dissertation must be submitted no later than three years from the date of admissionto candidacy for the S.J.D. degree. The applicant who proposes to write on a comparativelaw topic must have a reading knowledge of the language in which the relevant materialsare to be found. When the dissertation is submitted, the consultative committeewill set the date for oral examination. This examination is conducted by the consultativecommittee and such other members of the faculty and qualified experts as are selected bythe appropriate program director in consultation with the dean.No later than one month before the expected date of graduation, the candidate mustsubmit to the senior associate dean for academic affairs two complete copies of the dissertationand two copies of an abstract of the dissertation.To be acceptable, the dissertation must, in the opinion of the examining committee,constitute a substantial contribution to the field of law concerned and be suitable for publication.Additional information can be obtained from the senior associate dean for academicaffairs. Dissertations are submitted to the University through Proquest/UMI as elec-