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4.4.1 Professional Degrees: Policy

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Last updated on:
Tuesday, September 6, 2016

Summary

Details all university requirements for the Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) and the Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D.).

Rationale

Stanford University has authorized the granting of several professional degrees, including the Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) and the Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D.).  Specific policies and procedures governing admissions requirements and other academic matters are established by the schools of Medicine and Law.  For discussion of the Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) and the Master of Public Policy (M.P.P.) degrees, see GAP 4.1 Master’s Degrees.  

Policy

Candidates for professional degrees must satisfy the general requirements for advanced degrees, the requirements specified by their degree programs, and the degree-specific requirements described below.

Authority: 

Applicability: 

Students pursuing and programs granting these professional degrees.

1. Doctor of Medicine

Candidates for the degree of Doctor of Medicine (M.D.) must satisfactorily complete the required curriculum in medicine specified by the School of Medicine.

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2. Doctor of Jurisprudence

The degree of Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D.) is conferred on candidates who satisfactorily complete courses in law totaling the number of units required under the current regulations of the Stanford School of Law over a period of not less than three academic years and who otherwise have satisfied the requirements of Stanford University and of the Stanford School of Law.

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3. Residency

Each type of graduate degree offered at Stanford has a residency requirement based on the number of academic units required for the degree. The university minimum requirement for the M.D. degree is 235 unduplicated quarter units of work done at Stanford and for the J.D. degree is 109 quarter units. See GAP 3.2 Residency Policy for Graduate Students.

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