Program Description
Cornell University's dual J.D./Ph.D. 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 Ph.D. students with the legal education that is necessary to conduct research and teach in this field at the highest level and will provide J.D. students with the research training that is necessary to practice and teach scientifically based law.
Program Information
- Instruction Mode: In Person
- Location: Ithaca, NY
Program Requirements
The Cornell dual Ph.D./J.D. in Psychology and Law is a 6-year (12-semester) program, for a total of approximately 167 credits. The program is divided into three years of full-time Ph.D. study, two years of full-time J.D. study, and a blended year of Ph.D./J.D. study. Up to 12 semester credits from Graduate Field of Psychological Sciences and Human Development (PSYHD) work may be counted as electives toward the 84 credits that are required for the J.D.
Students must spend their first, second, and fifth summers conducting master’s and doctoral thesis research. All Ph.D. required core courses must be completed, and a research-based master’s thesis must be completed and defended in PSYHD, by the end of the second year. Upon completion of the fourth year, all J.D. core courses must be completed, and the “A” exam for the Graduate Field of Psychological Sciences and Human Development must be taken. During the sixth year, students complete and defend a research-based dissertation, and complete their remaining requirements for the J.D.
