Dual PhD and JD Program
The 6-year Dual PhD/JD Developmental Psychology and Law
Cornell University’s dual PhD/JD program in Developmental Psychology and Law will prepare the next generation of scholars who work on the interface between the law, psychology, and human development. Education at the Law School combines inspired teaching with cutting-edge scholarship in a close-knit and collegial intellectual community. Located in the College of Human Ecology, the Department of Human Development provides graduate students with world-class training in the general discipline of psychology, as well as focused training in one or more of its sub-areas of research: cognitive, social-personality, biological, infancy, childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. The dual degree will provide PhD students with the legal education that is necessary to conduct research and teach in this field at the highest level, and will provide JD students with the research training that is necessary to practice and teach scientifically-based law.
The Value of Cornell's Dual PhD/JD
Experimental focus: The rare dual PhD/JD program with a strong focus on empirical research.
Academic excellence: The intellectual rigor of a top-tier law school and ground-breaking research with leading scholars in the field of psychology and law exemplify the strength of Cornell's collaborative culture.
Favorable timeline: A fully-blended PhD/JD allows students to complete both degrees in six years, a more efficient pace than pursuing both degrees consecutively.
Intellectual support: Students benefit from a three-member supervisory committee composed of Human Development and Law faculty from the start of their studies, a tight-knit community, and a legal education that boasts small class sizes and low student-to-faculty ratios.
Financial and professional resources: Full funding for PhD graduate studies in Human Development, a history of high bar-passage and employment rates, and nationally recognized scholars and faculty to help students prepare for success in the legal and academic job markets.
Dual PhD/JD Degree in the News
The Daily Record: December 20th, 2011
New York Law Journal: December 16th, 2011
Cornell Daily Sun: September 13th, 2011
Cornell Chronicle: September 6th, 2011