JD/PhD application

To enter the joint degree program, you must be admitted separately to both the Department of Sociology and to the Law School. You can opt to apply at any time: 

  • Concurrently with your initial application for admission to Stanford Law School, or
  • After your first or second year in the Law School or the Department of Sociology.

Applying concurrently

For students not yet enrolled in any program at Stanford

If you have not yet enrolled in any program at Stanford, you may apply for admission to both the Department of Sociology and Stanford Law School simultaneously. 

Be sure to note your interest in a joint degree on applications to both related programs. 

Once you have been admitted to both programs, you may petition for joint degree status.

Applying after enrollment in a program

For students who have already enrolled in the Law School or the Department of Sociology

If you have already enrolled in the Law School or the Department of Sociology, you may apply to earn a joint degree at virtually any time. For example, you may decide during your first or second year in law school to pursue a joint degree in law and sociology. At that time, you may apply for admission to the Department of Sociology and inform both programs (law and sociology) of your intent to pursue a joint degree. 

You may begin your studies in either department—Law or Sociology. However, if you start in the Department of Sociology, the length of your joint degree program may be affected.

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