哈佛法学院专业及课程设置

　　与多数美国法学院一样，哈佛法学院提供三个主要的学位学程，JD( Doctor of Jurisprudence )、LL.M.( Master of Laws )以及 S.J.D. ( Doctor of Juridical Science ) 。此三学程虽各有不同的入学资格及学位条件，但在法学院每年提供的250门左右的课程 ( course)或小班讨论(seminar)课中，不同学程的学生混杂一起上课。至于非学位的部分，除了来自全球各地的访问研究 ( visiting research )之外，尚有例行短期课程，包括人权研究( Human Rights Program )、回教法研究( Islamic Legal Studies )、国际税法研究(International Tax Program)、协商研究( Program on Negotiation)、律师实务课程( Program of Instruction for Lawyers )等。

　　LL.M.(Master of Law)

　　The one-year LL.M. (Master of Laws) program provides students who already have excellent legal training and experience – many have served as practicing lawyers, judges, diplomats, community leaders, most outside the U.S. – with broad latitude to design a course of study that will give them an expanded understanding of law and legal theory.

　　The philosophy of the LL.M. program is to offer our students a broad platform to design their own course of study within parameters set by the Harvard Law School faculty. Most of a student's program will be drawn from the regular Harvard Law School curriculum - some 250 courses and seminars each year, offered to J.D. and graduate students alike. Students also have the opportunity to pursue a limited number of credits at other faculties within Harvard and other area schools and a variety of writing projects. About half of the LL.M. class each year writes a 75- to 100-page paper (called the "LL.M. paper") on a topic the student develops in consultation with his or her faculty supervisor. We also offer the more extensive LL.M. thesis, an option designed for students who already have significant research and writing experience and plan careers in law teaching. Other students write shorter papers, whether independently or in conjunction with a course or seminar.

　　LL.M.每年只收秋季班学生，招生在年底截止，除了填写申请表、提供二封推荐信、自传(personal statement)及学校成绩单外，非英语系国家学生必须提供至少六百分以上的托福(TOEFL )测验成绩，但取得入学资格真正的关键，乃系个人的学术背景、研究计划、实务经验或社会参与等各种条件。虽非申请条件，但许多人都另行提供了能凸显个人特色的其它数据(profile)，诸如摘要曾经发表的学术论文等等。

　　LL.M.一年内必须完成22至26个学分，必修的课程包括：(1 )至少修习一门美国法课程，其中一门必须是以 JD 学生为主的基本课程(Fundamental Courses)，诸如宪法、行政法、公司法、税法、契约法、侵权行为法、刑法、民事诉讼法、财产法等。(但如果有意考纽约州律师的话，依照纽约律师考试的规定，必须修至少两门以上的基础课程，其中一门可以是针对外国学生开设的美国法导读。(2)论文撰写，其中包括三种选择：第一，撰写六学分，150页以上的长篇论文( LL.M. Thesis )，第二，撰写三学分，七十五页以上的中型论文( LLM Paper)，第三，撰写一学分，二十五页以上的小篇论文(essay)。如果该论文并非独立研究( independent research)，而系以某课程( course )或讨论课( seminar )要求的期末报告，所得之学分数则另有不同，诸如：若仅撰写廿五页小篇论文，则除该课程或讨论课之学分外，虽已满足毕业条件，但并无额外学分;若以撰写七十五页的中型论文为某课程或讨论课的期末报告，则除了该课程或讨论课之学分外，仅可另得两个学分。学生可就自己对该研究问题的兴趣、涉猎程度及写作野心来进行选择，必须及早选定指导教授决定论文题目并签具指导同意书。 LL.M.毕业的条件是，论文成绩必须在 B-以上，论文以外的学科平均成绩亦必须在B-以上。

　　S.J.D.(Doctor of Juridical Science)

　　The S.J.D. (Doctor of Juridical Science) is still a more advanced degree, intended for students who wish to pursue a career in legal education. Graduates of the S.J.D. program are teaching in the world’s finest law schools and producing scholarship at the highest levels.

　　There are five stages to the S.J.D. program:

　　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

　　Successful oral dense of the dissertation

　　S.J.D.申请者必须具有美国法学院 LL.M. 学位，且录取者以哈佛毕业生为绝大多数。与 LL.M. 学程相同，S.J.D.只收秋季班，招生多在每年四月一日截止，平均每年录取十二至十五人，以外国学生居绝大多数。

　　申请成败最大的关键，乃系论文计划( Dissertation Proposal )，除包括论文主题及研究方向外，尚须指明该论文所涵括的三至四法学或其它相关领域，并列明适当的指导教授(经常亦系撰写推荐信者)，因此，申请者的论文计划至少要得到三名以上的教授支持，才有被录取的可能。为凸显研究潜力，申请者应该在其 LL.M. 学程中修习与论文计划方向有关的科目，虽然并非明文条件，但几乎所有的录取者在哈佛的LL.M.平均成绩至少在A-或B+之间，同时亦已撰写至少七十五页以上、三学分、与论文计划方向相关的 LL.M. 论文，以展现现有的初步研究成果。换言之，如果有意申请S.J.D.，则在LL.M.学期一开始，即必须决定博士论文计划的方向，然后依此规划如何选课、如何撰写 LL.M. 论文，并尽速与主要指导教授(通常即为 LL.M. 论文指导教授)讨论，以决定相关法学领域及其支持教授;俟论文计划完成后，立即请主要指导教授及其它二或三位相关领域支持教授过目并建议修改。因此，这是一个至为辛苦紧凑的过程，绝大多数的录取者早在赴美前已有相当清楚的研究方向甚或初步研究成果，或者在LL.M.毕业后先申请留校研究(visiting research)一年再次申请。

　　S.J.D通常为三至四年的学程，第一年必须完成论文计划(Study Plan)，并组成三至四位教授的口试委员会，该论文计划必须定期与指导教授讨论，经过口试委员们的认可。一般而言，第一年大致上修习与论文领域有关的、八学分左右的课程。在第一年至第二年间，必须在论文写作前完成资格考( General Examination )，得以口试或笔试之形式进行。通过资格考后，必须在 S.J.D. 候选人及应邀教授所组成的学术讨论会中发表两次( Presentations at the S.J.D. Colloquium )，第一次不得晚于第二年，第二次必须在毕业前。资格考后三年内必须完成平均为三至四百页的博士论文，然后提交口试委员会进行口试(Oral Dense)

　　J.D.(Doctor of Jurisprudence)

　　The J.D. (Juris Doctor) is a three-year program that first gives students the intellectual foundations for legal study, and then gives them the opportunity to focus their studies on areas of particular interest through advanced classes, clinics, and writing projects.

　　The first-year class is divided into seven sections of seventy-five students each. Faculty Section Leaders, generally senior faculty members who teach one of the section’s basic courses, provide guidance and support to the students in their sections and develop a program of extra-curricular activities related to the law.

　　In the second and third years of law school, Harvard students shape their own courses of study, selecting among a wide offering of electives. Students generally take a mix of classroom, clinical, writing and cross-registration credits, selecting courses at the Law School and throughout the University that align with their interests. Five optional Programs of Study – Law and Government; Law and Social Change; Law and Business; International and Comparative Law; and Law, Science and Technology

　　The five programs of study are:

　　Law and Government

　　Law and Business

　　International and Comparative Law