- Three letters of recommendation, with a fourth letter optional (recommenders upload this to the application system)
- Unofficial transcripts
- Academic Statement of Purpose
- Personal Statement
- Indicate your interest in working with at least two field faculty in application
Additional requirements for International applicants:
- English Language Proficiency requirement (TOEFL or IELTS)
- International Degree Equivalencies
Contacts
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 Assistant, Psychology - Human Development
Martha Van Rensselaer Hall, Room G201B
E-mail: ma84@cornell.edu
Phone: 607-255-4661
Dual Ph.D and JD in Law
This program also offers a PhD Concentration in Law, Psychology, and Human Development, in addition to the Dual-Degree Program.
Cornell University’s dual PhD/JD program in Developmental Psychology and Law prepares 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 provides PhD students with the legal education that is necessary to conduct research and teach in this field at the highest level, and provides JD students with the research training that is necessary to practice and teach scientifically-based law.
The Value of Cornell's Dual PhD/JD
- Experimental focus: The rare dual PhD/JD 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 PhD/JD 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 composed of Human Development and Law faculty from the start of their studies, 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 PhD graduate studies in Human Development, a history of high bar-passage and employment rates, and nationally recognized scholars and faculty to help students prepare for success in the legal and academic job markets.
Leading the Way
Cornell’s Law, Psychology and Human Development program, established in 2007, is unique among Ivy League institutions. It boasts a significant percentage of the interdisciplinary field’s leading scholars, and has quickly become widely considered the best and most influential program of its kind in the United States. The dual PhD/JD is an advanced collaboration between the College of Human Ecology and the Law School. Although the dual PhD/JD degree was recently approved in 2011, it builds on over 220 years of academic excellence in Human Ecology and the Law School. Highly motivated students who enter the program emerge as lawyers with extensive, doctoral-level training in experimental psychology, and psychologists with a complete legal education. It is anticipated that this program and the scholarship produced by its faculty, students, and graduates will influence the course of legal reform and legal education for generations to come.
Program Details
The Cornell dual PhD/JD in Developmental 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 PhD study, two years of full-time JD study, and a blended year of PhD/JD study. Up to 12 HD semester credits may be counted as electives towards the 84 credits that are required for the JD.
Students must spend their first, second, and fifth summers conducting master’s and doctoral thesis research. All PhD required core courses must be completed, and a research-based master’s thesis must be completed and defended in Human Development, by the end of the second year. Upon completion of the fourth year, all JD core courses must be completed, and the “A” exam for the Graduate Field of Human Development must be taken. During the sixth year, students complete and defend a research-based dissertation, and complete their remaining requirements for the JD.
Tuition and Funding
For the 3½ years of the program spent in Human Ecology, 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 receiving possible funding for the time in the law school must apply directly to the law school for financial aid.
| YEAR 1: | FALL CHE FULL SUPPORT | SPRING CHE FULL SUPPORT |
|---|---|---|
| Year 2: | Fall CHE Full Support | Spring CHE Full Support |
| Year 3: | Fall Law Tuition | Spring Law Tuition |
| Year 4: | Fall Law Tuition | Spring Law Tuition |
| Year 5: | Fall CHE Full Support | Spring CHE Full Support |
| Year 6: | Fall CHE Full Support | Spring Law Tuition |
Applying
To participate in the dual degree program, students must initially apply to and be accepted by both the Graduate Field of Human Development and the Law School. Admission to one program does not guarantee admission to the other. Note that applications to the PhD/JD program in Developmental Psychology/ Law will be reviewed continuously. However, it is strongly recommended 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 Assistant, Cornell Human Ecology, ma84@cornell.edu
After submitting their applications, students should contact the Director of the Law, Psychology and Human Development Program, Professor Charles Brainerd (cb299@cornell.edu), in order 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 Human Development
Final Application Deadline: December 1st
More information about admissions to Human Development
Cornell Law School
Apply to the Law School
Final Application Deadline: February 1st
Contacts
Students who are interested in applying for Dual Degree studies should contact Marianne Arcangeli:
Marianne Arcangeli
G201B Martha Van Rensselaer Hall
Email: ma84@cornell.edu
Phone: 607-255-4661
Questions regarding admissions to the Law School may be directed to lawadmit@lawschool.cornell.edu.
Dual Degree Faculty
Cornell University’s LPHD faculty spans three colleges—Human Ecology, the Law School, and Arts and Sciences —and includes some of the leading scholars in topics ranging from memory and eye-witness testimony to decision-making, jury psychology, and cognition in children and adults. Their work aims to shed light on topics intrinsic to the law and justice, with the hope that advancements in our knowledge of people, crime, memory and testimony, motivation and culpability can lead, ultimately, to a more just legal system.
John Blume
JD, Professor of Law
Director of Cornell Death Penalty Project
Charles Brainerd
Ph.D., Developmental and Experimental Psychology
Human Development
Director of Law, Psychology and Human Development Program
Memory and Neuroscience Laboratory
Stephen J. Ceci
Ph.D., Developmental Psychology
Helen L. Carr Chaired Professor of Psychology
SUNY Distinguished Professor
Valerie P. Hans
Ph.D., Social Psychology
Professor of Law
Sheri L. Johnson
JD, Professor of Law
Assistant Director of Cornell Death Penalty Project
Laura Niemi
Ph.D., Social Psychology & Social Neuroscience
Department of Psychology
David Pizarro
Ph.D., Social Psychology
Associate Professor of Psychology
Valerie F. Reyna
Ph.D., Developmental and Experimental Psychology
Department of Human Development
Laboratory for Rational Decision Making
Robert Sternberg
Ph.D., Psychology
Professor of Human Development
Qi Wang
Ph.D., Psychology
Professor of Human Development
Wendy M. Williams
Ph.D., Experimental Psychology
Human Development
Contacts
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 Assistant, Psychology - Human Development
Martha Van Rensselaer Hall, Room G201B
E-mail: ma84@cornell.edu
Phone: 607-255-4661
- Overview
- M.A. Program
- Ph.D. Program
- Dual Ph.D and JD in Law
- Contacts
