Doctoral Degree Programs in Law

Book excerpt: This book offers a critical and insightful study of various doctoral programs in law, focusing on the English-speaking world. That the structures of doctoral degree programs in law differ between the United States and much of the Commonwealth are an issue that requires no debate. What is missing in the discourse, however, is a narrative on how these programs are structured and how they compare. This book attempts to fill that gap. A key objective of the study is to provide an international and comparative analysis of the efficacy of the American- and British-styled models of law doctorates. In so doing, it provides a conceptual and theoretical framework for the development of effective doctoral programs in law, contending that the defining characteristic of a doctorate is that it recognizes an independent contribution to the subject rather than the completion of taught coursework, however, advanced. The book goes on to examine the concept of a higher doctorate in law as a possible means of strengthening the concept of a law doctorate in legal academia. This book was written against the backdrop of the recently adopted Global Convention on the Recognition of Qualifications concerning higher education. It was adopted by the UNESCO General Conference in Paris on November 25, 2019, making it the first United Nations treaty on higher education with a global scope. The target audience of the book includes scholars in higher education; scholars in legal education; law school deans and administrators; law professors and students; Ministries of Higher Education in countries around the globe; accrediting agencies for doctoral studies; bar admission and legal education societies; and UNESCO and other international organizations.