Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Law Program
The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Law program is designed to prepare candidates for careers as legal scholars and teachers.
This is the terminal degree in law program. Moreover, this program offers emergent scholars an opportunity to contribute to the development of law as an academic field, as well as an alternate pathway to teaching law in addition to other existing routes, such as fellowships, advanced degrees in cognate fields and legal practice.
Charisma University offers three areas of specialization from which the candidate must choose. These are International Law, Comparative Legal Studies and Terrorism and Counterterrorism.
To earn a Ph.D. in any of the specialized areas, students will complete 37 units course work during their first year at the university. The curriculum as stated below include Ph.D. core courses, the two required courses for the area of specialization, and any other four courses from the elective under the area of specialization.
At the successful completion of the qualifying oral examination, the student will be advanced to candidacy. The candidate will continue to write his/her dissertation valued as 15 Credits and will be required to attend a colloquium before the final oral examination. He / she is expected to finish the dissertation and be ready for the final oral examination on or before the end of 4 years after advancement to candidacy. The candidate is required to maintain active registration with the University at every academic session and work closely with his/her dissertation committee members approved by the Faculty.
The Program includes opportunities for independent/directed study and research under the guidance of a law faculty advisor.
In collaboration with the advisor, a student shall tailor the remainder of the Program to meet individual research goals and career aspirations, including the number of credits devoted to specialization courses and dissertation study topic.
Program Learning Outcomes
- Develop the background and research skills needed to complete a dissertation in their field of interest.
- Apply the knowledge and skills to new and complex law situations with solutions.
- Develop the ability to write a publishable legal paper.
This program duration is minimum of 3 years and maximum of 5 years.
Course Requirements
Students must complete all the required core courses (13 Credits).
LAW 938 Doctoral Dissertation Seminar I (6 Credits)
LAW 938 Doctoral Dissertation Seminar II (6 Credits)
LAW 961 Qualifying Oral Examination (1 Credit)
International Law has a deep concentration in light of the variety of core and specialized topics relative to international law, such as International trade law, international business transactions, international human rights law, laws of combat, immigration law, international criminal law, international environmental law, health law, International Criminal Law and so on. Students are expected to complete a well-researched paper, through personalized guidance and supervision of the dissertation committee, who are experts in that area of law, set up for them.
International Law Specialization Core Courses (8 Credits)
International Law specialization students must complete all the two courses from this section.
LAW 801 International Law (4 Credits)
LAW 811 International Criminal law (4 Credits)
Electives (16 Credits)
International Law specialization students must complete four courses from the electives section
LAW 803 Comparative Law (4 Credits)
LAW 805 International Human rights (4 Credits)
LAW 807 International Humanitarian Law (4 Credits)
LAW 809 Terrorism and Counterterrorism (4 Credits)
LAW 815 Environmental Law (4 Credits)
LAW 817 Intellectual Property (4 Credits)
LAW 821 Introduction to US Legal System (4 Credits)
LAW 829 Arbitration (4 Credits)
LAW 833 Directed Study (4 Credits)
Comparative Legal Studies concentration is based on comparisons of law and norms of one or more Countries. This is to provide students with the opportunity to understand various legal contexts in comparison to what they have known under the American common law system. Students will have to analyze and compare laws of one or more Countries.
This concentration focuses on Comparative Legal Studies with an emphasis on opportunities for students to utilize the methodology of comparative law relative to the laws of a particular country or region. Therefore, students can choose two or more countries of their choice, which they want to carry out their legal research on.
Comparative Legal Studies Specialization Core Courses (8 Credits)
Comparative Law specialization students must complete all the two courses from this section.
LAW 803 Comparative Law (4 Credits)
LAW 801 International Law (4 Credits)
Electives (16 Credits)
Comparative Law specialization students must complete four courses from the electives section
LAW 805 International Human Rights (4 Credits)
LAW 807 International Humanitarian Law (4 Credits)
LAW 809 Terrorism and Counterterrorism (4 Credits)
LAW 811 International Criminal law (4 Credits)
LAW 815 Environmental Law (4 Credits)
LAW 817 Intellectual Property (4 Credits)
LAW 821 Introduction to US Legal System (4 Credits)
LAW 826 Immigration Law (4 Credits)
LAW 829 Arbitration (4 Credits)
LAW 833 Directed Study (4 Credits)
Specialization on terrorism and counterterrorism provides a deep understanding of the threats of terrorism and how best to respond to it in proper ways. Students are pursuing this concentration to gain insights to differences between terrorism, insurgency and armed conflict. They will also learn about State actors, Non state actors as well as counter-terrorism measures. In the Terrorism and Counterterrorism concentration, students investigate the nature and history of terrorism, how terrorist groups succeed and fail, how terrorism is combated, and how to respond to domestic and/or international terrorist campaigns. Thus, students learn a broad range of security methods and techniques, as well as develop the requisite analytical and policy skills.
Terrorism and Counterterrorism Specialization Core Courses (8 Credits)
Terrorism and Counterterrorism specialization students must complete all the two courses from this section.
LAW 809 Terrorism and Counterterrorism (4 Credits)
LAW 811 International Criminal law (4 Credits)
Electives (16 Credits)
Terrorism and Counterterrorism specialization students must complete four courses from the electives section
LAW 801 International Law (4 Credits)
LAW 803 Comparative Law (4 Credits)
LAW 805 International Human rights (4 Credits)
LAW 807 International Humanitarian Law (4 Credits)
LAW 826 Immigration Law (4 Credits)
LAW 829 Arbitration (4 Credits)
LAW 833 Directed Study (4 Credits)
Total Credits required for Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Law is 52. This includes the 15 credits in dissertation.
Please refer to the University Catalog or website for admissions requirements; transfer credits policy; and tuition fees.