Boston,
MA,
United States
Type
Private
Degrees offered
Bachelor's Degree
Doctor of Juridical Science - Immigration Law in Boston United States | Suffolk University
Suffolk University
|
Boston United States
Visit institution website
for more information
Qualification
Doctor of Philosophy
Languages
English
Delivery Mode
On-Campus
Tuition (2025)
USD
57,192
Attendance
Full-time
Full-time Duration
48 months
For students aiming to explore the scholarly aspects of law through extensive research and writing, Suffolk Law provides a Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD) program. Comparable to a PhD in other disciplines, the SJD represents the highest level of law degree, demanding exceptional academic achievement along with prior completion of both JD and LLM degrees.
Suffolk Law's SJD program is an intellectually demanding course of study that encourages students to broaden their perspectives and innovate within legal scholarship. Participants benefit from guidance by seasoned professionals and interaction with leading experts in the field. Admission to the SJD program requires candidates to produce a comprehensive, publishable dissertation that offers novel insights to legal scholarship as a degree requirement.
Advance your legal education, develop innovative approaches to legal thought, and achieve your professional ambitions in the field of law.
Immigration law practice spans diverse legal settings, ranging from corporate immigration work where attorneys assist businesses hiring foreign nationals to deportation cases involving representation of individuals facing detention and removal proceedings. Immigration attorneys work across various settings including large firms, small practices, non-profit organizations, and government agencies.
The field of immigration law typically falls into two main categories: administrative (affirmative) practice and deportation defense. Administrative practice focuses on submitting petitions to U.S. authorities for immigrant/non-immigrant visas or refugee status, with sub-specialties including business, family-based, and humanitarian immigration. Deportation defense resembles criminal defense practice, involving client interviews, motion filings, brief preparation, witness preparation, courtroom arguments, and appeals - particularly relevant given the prevalence of immigration detention cases.
Destination of Study
Subjects of Study
Language Requirements
English
IELTS 6.0
Qualification Requirements
We require for admission to the SJD program minimum TOEFL scores of 100 for the internet-based test, 250 for the computer-based test or 600 for the paper-based test.
Submit a 10-15 page substantive research proposal that will serve as the basis for beginning the dissertation research. It is very important that this research proposal be carefully written and well-organized.
Submit two letters of recommendation, at least one of which must be from a full-time member of a law school faculty and another of which must be from a professor or faculty advisor of your LL.M. program.
Submit a letter or email from the proposed Committee Chair. The Committee Chair should agree to serve as the Committee Chair for the applicant's dissertation committee, recommend admission, and provide comment on evaluating the research proposal.
Submit undergraduate and graduate transcripts (including your first degree in law and your LL.M. degree or equivalent from a U.S. law school accredited from the ABA, or from a non-U.S. law school with equivalent standards). Applicants who graduated from a non-U.S. law school with equivalent standards must utilize either the Law School Admission Council's Credential Assembly Service (CAS) or World Evaluation Services (WES) at for a credential evaluation.
Provide a curriculum vitae.
Provide TOEFL or IELTS scores (if English is a second language), The TOEFL/IELTS score used in conjunction with your LL.M. application is sufficient. If you did not submit a score with your LL.M. application, please sit for one of these tests.
Submit a 10-15 page substantive research proposal that will serve as the basis for beginning the dissertation research. It is very important that this research proposal be carefully written and well-organized.
Submit two letters of recommendation, at least one of which must be from a full-time member of a law school faculty and another of which must be from a professor or faculty advisor of your LL.M. program.
Submit a letter or email from the proposed Committee Chair. The Committee Chair should agree to serve as the Committee Chair for the applicant's dissertation committee, recommend admission, and provide comment on evaluating the research proposal.
Submit undergraduate and graduate transcripts (including your first degree in law and your LL.M. degree or equivalent from a U.S. law school accredited from the ABA, or from a non-U.S. law school with equivalent standards). Applicants who graduated from a non-U.S. law school with equivalent standards must utilize either the Law School Admission Council's Credential Assembly Service (CAS) or World Evaluation Services (WES) at for a credential evaluation.
Provide a curriculum vitae.
Provide TOEFL or IELTS scores (if English is a second language), The TOEFL/IELTS score used in conjunction with your LL.M. application is sufficient. If you did not submit a score with your LL.M. application, please sit for one of these tests.
Tuition
USD
57,192