Pursue law at Harvard: Achieve your dream to become a world-renowned lawyer, check the degree programs offered
Here are a few degree programs by Harvard Law School that aspirants should know if planning to study at the institution.
I chose to go to law school because I thought that someday, somehow I’d make a difference - this famous quote by American lawyer, author and lecturer Christopher Darden is perhaps relevant to all young individuals who are inclined towards legal studies and aspire to become a successful lawyer.
Legal studies, by common parlance, is not simply about learning about litigation. Rather, it consists of pivotal aspects of our day-to-day lives. Whether it is running a government, buying a product or exercising our fundamental rights, there are legalities in practically everything!
This is one of the main reasons why the demand for good lawyers never ceases to exist. Every sector - be it corporates, education institutions or business firms - all look out for hiring well-educated lawyers with a solid knowledge of legal frameworks who can keep the organization legally relevant.
Why study at Harvard Law School
Now, law aspirants who are looking to move abroad to pursue legal studies must consider applying at the globally renowned Harvard Law School. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Harvard Law School boasts of offering more courses and seminars than any other law school in the world.
As per the institution's website, law students are offered a large numbers of courses, across a huge range of topics and approaches. “The faculty encourages students to build on the foundation of the first year with both sufficient focus to pursue deep knowledge and with sufficient curiosity to explore a broad array of ideas about and approaches to law,” states the law school.
Harvard's ranking across popular frameworks for law and legal studies:
Interestingly, Harvard is among the top ranking universities in globally popular ranking frameworks like QS World University Rankings, Times Higher Education (THE) Rankings or the US News and World Report Rankings.
In QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024, Harvard University has been ranked number one institute in the globe for law and legal studies, with an overall score of 99.7.
Likewise, in THE Rankings 2024, Harvard bagged the third rank among its global peers for law studies.
Again, as per the US News and World Report rankings 2024 for the best law schools, Harvard has been named the fourth-best institute.
Harvard Law School's Degree programs
There are three Degree programs offered by Harvard Law School: These are as follows:
1. J.D. Program:
In the Juris Doctor or J.D. Program, students are provided with a solid intellectual foundation on which to build their legal education in the first year. It covers core principles and concepts, theory, and skills of legal practice. Students can take courses in civil procedure, constitutional law, contracts, criminal law, legislation and regulation, property, and torts.
First-year students also participate in the January Experiential Term to bridge the gap between academic courses and the skills lawyers use in practice. The class is divided into seven sections of eighty students each.
In the upper level years, the curriculum comprises of seven optional Programs of Study developed by the faculty that guides students on structuring an academic program with an aim to give them extensive exposure to the law, policy, theory, and practice.
Read details here.
2. LL.M. (Master of Laws) program
The one-year LL.M. (Master of Laws) program usually includes 180 students from some 65 countries, as informed by the law school. The LL.M. students at Harvard comprise of lawyers working in firms, government officials, law professors, judges, diplomats, human rights activists, doctoral students, and more.
It offers students a broad platform to design their own course of study within parameters set by the Harvard Law School faculty. The degree requirement includes completing a minimum of 23 credits and a maximum of 28 credits in an academic year.
Also read: Want to study in Australia? Check these scholarships to support your study
Furthermore, international LL.M. students are allowed to choose their own courses, however they must take one core course in U.S. law.
Read details here.
3. S.J.D. Program
As per Harvard Law School, the Doctor of Juridical Science (S.J.D.) is touted to be most advanced law degree of the institute that has been designed for aspiring legal academics who wish to pursue sustained independent study, research and writing.
This degree program typically consists of around 60 S.J.D. candidates from 25-30 countries, drawn primarily from among Harvard’s top LL.M. graduates.
Additionally, candidates are expected to produce a dissertation that will constitute a substantial and valuable contribution to legal scholarship.
The law school states that there are five stages to the S.J.D. program. These include - Completion of a study plan which includes course work, Successful completion of an oral examination, Two presentations at the S.J.D. Colloquium, Submission and acceptance of a doctoral dissertation, and Successful oral defense of the dissertation.
Read details here.
Joint degree programs
Apart from these degree programs, Harvard Law School also offers Joint Degrees and Special Programs to students who are interested in combining legal studies with advanced training in another field.
The joint degree programs includeJD/MBA with Harvard Business School, JD/MPP or MPA-ID with Harvard Kennedy School, JD/MPH with Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, JD/MUP with the Harvard Graduate School of Design, and JD/PhD with the Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences.
More information here.
The Programs of Study
Meanwhile as mentioned earlier, the faculty at Harvard Law School has developed 'programs of study' with an aim to aid law students to deepen their knowledge as they move through the three years of law school and to create a tool for better coordination and collaboration between faculty members.
Furthermore, Harvard Law School states that students do not have to sign up for any particular program of study. Rather these programs reflect the best advice from faculty about how to approach particular subjects and potential careers.
As per the law school, the programs of study “provide opportunities to move progressively through more advanced work before graduation.” Currently, there are 7 programs of study. These are as follows:
- Criminal Law and Policy Program of Study
This program of study aims to to bring together, and provide guidance to, students interested in criminal justice, whether from an advocacy, policy-making, or academic perspective. Students interested in a career in criminal justice or as a subject of academic study, can take a broad range of both lecture courses and seminars in criminal law and procedure as well as clinical offerings.
The law school encourages students to engage all perspectives on criminal justice and to learn about both the prosecution and defense functions in the justice process.
More details on Criminal Law and Policy Program of Study.
2. International and Comparative Law Program of Study
This program of study dwells on the increased importance of a basic understanding of international and comparative law principles to legal education and practice. According to HLS, all JD students are required to take a course that satisfies the International and Comparative Law Course Requirement as such courses are not only beneficial for students intending to specialize in the international arena, but even those who seek a career anchored in the legal system of their own nation.
This program focuses primarily on curricular offerings in international legal studies, although there are many other avenues through which students may learn about international, comparative and foreign law, as stated by HLS.
More details on International and Comparative Law Program of Study.
3. Law and Business Program of Study
The foundation of this program of study is that lawyers practicing in business-related areas need to have the skills in three areas, which include basic analytics (accounting, finance, economics), an appreciation of transactions, and relevant fields of law. The study program has been designed to facilitate students in understanding law in the business domain - from corporate law, real estate, tax, business litigation, or areas of government regulation.
More details on Law and Business Program of Study.
4. Law and Government Program of Study
This program of study has been designed for students interested in the workings of government. According to HLS, such students should take courses in government structure and processes and particular regulatory fields at both a foundational and an advanced level. Further, the students are also recommend that they “participate in a clinic that provide hands-on experience working as a government lawyer or in a field of complex government regulation, take a class that focuses on the role of one or another kind of government lawyer, and/or explore the curriculum of the Kennedy School and other campus departments for courses that provide additional insight into governmental decision-making and regulatory policy-making.”
More details on Law and Government Program of Study.
5. Law and History Program of Study
According to HLS, the program of study in Law and History offers students a chance to examine law and its relationship to the larger world of social movements, economic change, politics and government. It is designed to be useful to both students who want to take one or several of its foundational or advanced courses to round out their law school education, as well as for those who are interested in more sustained exposure to academic legal history and interdisciplinary study that will connect them to faculty and students from other parts of the university, as informed by the law school.
More details on Law and History Program of Study.
6. Law and Social Change Program of Study
The Law and Social Change Program of Study is for students who want to know how law can be harnessed for social change, or who wish to pursue careers as social change agents. Through this program of study, HLS seeks to build a community of students and faculty committed to understanding and using law as a means of achieving social change.
Regular events with faculty and students are held as part of the program wherein questions about course selection, summer plans, and career options are answered , as informed by the law school on its website.
More details on Law and Social Change Program of Study.
7. Law, Science, and Technology Program of Study
The Law, Science, and Technology Program of Study is aimed at guiding students on how to take advantage of the law schools extensive resources in the field. As per HLS, the program sponsors substantive talks and study groups, organizes events for faculty and student fellows to answer questions about career options, provides guidance regarding the opportunities in this space at Harvard. Social events are also hosted for students and faculty affiliated with the program.
More details on Law, Science, and Technology Program of Study.
