Dual Ph.D./J.D. Program in Psychology and Law

Ph.D. Concentration and Dual Ph.D. and J.D. in Law

Nearly every aspect of the justice system involves the field of psychology. As the study of human behavior, psychology is at the heart of crime, investigations, and trials: What do witnesses remember?  What is their testimony and what influences it? Why do youth commit crimes and how can this be prevented? How do investigators decide whom to investigate? How do juries reason? How do judges judge? A just legal system is based upon scientific answers to these questions.

To meet the need for highly trained researchers who can answer these fundamental questions, we launched a Ph.D. Concentration in Law, Psychology, and Human Development (LPHD) in 2007, followed by a dual-degree program in 2011.  Cornell University's dual Ph.D./J.D. program in Psychology and Law prepares the next generation of researchers by integrating basic science and theory with the study of law and human behavior. Graduate students work closely with faculty on research throughout their program of study.

Education at the Law School combines inspired teaching with cutting-edge scholarship in a close-knit and collegial intellectual community. The cross-college Department of Psychology in Cornell Human Ecology and the College of Arts and Sciences provides graduate students with world-class training in the general discipline of psychology, with focused training in one or more of its four broadly defined areas: Cognition, Development, Neuroscience, and Social and Personality. The dual degree provides Ph.D. students with the legal education that is necessary to conduct research and teach in this field at the highest level, and provides J.D. students with the research training that is necessary to inform practice and teach scientifically-based law. 

The Value of Cornell's Dual Ph.D./J.D.

• Experimental focus: The rare dual Ph.D./J.D. 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 Ph.D./J.D. 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 that draws on psychology and law faculty, 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 Ph.D. graduate studies, a history of high bar-passage and employment rates, and nationally recognized scholars and faculty to help students prepare for success in academic job markets. 

Training the Next Generation of Scholars

Cornell’s Psychology and Law program is unique among Ivy League institutions.  It boasts a significant percentage of the interdisciplinary field’s leading scholars, and has become widely considered the best and most influential program of its kind in the United States. The dual Ph.D./J.D. is an advanced collaboration among disciplines and colleges: Cornell Human Ecology (CHE), the College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) and the Law School. Highly motivated students who enter the program emerge as legal scholars with extensive, doctoral-level training in experimental psychology, and psychologists with a deep knowledge of the law.  It is anticipated that this program and the scholarship produced by its faculty, students, and graduates will continue to shape the understanding of human behavior and to influence the course of legal reform and legal education that depend on that understanding for generations to come.  

Program Details

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.

Tuition and Funding 

For the 3½ years of the program spent in the Graduate Field of Psychological Sciences and Human Development (PSYHD), full support will be provided. Students are expected to pay Law School tuition in years 3 and 4, and the Spring semester of year 6.  During the 2½ years the student is in the Law School, it is possible, but not guaranteed, that they will have some grant funding. 

Please note that students interested in the possibility of receiving funding for their time in the Law School must apply directly to the Law School for financial aid.  

Please read more about funding in the Graduate Field of Psychological Sciences and Human Development and Law School Tuition and Expenses

Applying 

To participate in the dual degree program, students must initially apply to and be accepted by both the Graduate Field of Psychological Sciences and Human Development and the Law School. Admission to one program does not guarantee admission to the other. Note that applications to the Ph.D./J.D. program will be reviewed continuously. It is strongly recommended, however, that prospective students apply as early as possible to both schools.

Questions regarding applications, program information and other queries should be directed to Marianne Arcangeli, Graduate Field Administrator, Department of Psychology, ma84@cornell.edu

After submitting their applications, students should contact the Director of the Psychology and Law Program, Professor Charles Brainerd (cb299@cornell.edu), to facilitate review.

Application information

The Graduate School and the Law School each have comprehensive checklists for all the documents and materials that prospective students should prepare for their applications. 

Cornell Graduate School
Apply to Developmental Psychology in the Field of Psychological Sciences and Human Development
Final Application Deadline: December 1st

Cornell Law School
Apply to the Law School
Final Application Deadline: February 1st

Alexander G. Ophir, Director of Graduate Studies
Uris Hall, Room 218
E-mail: Psych-DGS@cornell.edu
Phone: 607-255-3714

Marianne Arcangeli, Graduate Field Administrator
Martha Van Rensselaer Hall, Room G201B
E-mail: ma84@cornell.edu
Phone: 607-255-4661

Questions regarding admissions to the Law School may be directed to
lawadmit@lawschool.cornell.edu.