Program Overview
Degree abbreviation
S.J.D. in Faith-Based Juridical Science
Total program length
120 semester credit hours
Maximum approved transfer credit
Up to 40 semester credit hours
Minimum credits completed through the University after maximum transfer
80 semester credit hours
Normal completion time
Three to six academic years, depending on approved transfer credit, enrollment status, academic progress, and completion of the doctoral project
Advanced juridical science and non-profit specialization courses
30 credit hours
Leadership, administration, and professional practice
21 credit hours
Research methods and program evaluation
18 credit hours
Professional application and doctoral residency
15 credit hours
Advanced electives or concentration courses
12 credit hours
Comprehensive examination and doctoral candidacy
6 credit hours
Applied doctoral project and defense
18 credit hours
Total
120 semester credit hours
The Doctorate of Science in Faith-Based Juridical Science (SJD) with a specialization in Non-Profit Laws is a rigorous post-graduate program designed for professionals seeking to advance their expertise in the legal and administrative governance of charitable and social-service institutions. The curriculum combines high-level legal analysis with the practical requirements of managing tax-exempt entities, focusing on compliance, organizational ethics, and policy development within a framework of stewardship. By exploring the intersection of jurisprudence and mission-driven leadership, candidates develop a sophisticated understanding of how legal structures facilitate or inhibit the social impact of nonprofit organizations.
Students in this program engage with complex regulatory landscapes, exploring how fiduciary duties and legal standards align with the commitment to service-oriented organizational cultures. The program emphasizes the integration of academic inquiry and professional practice, ensuring that graduates are equipped to navigate the nuanced challenges of the nonprofit sector. Through systematic research and theoretical application, the SJD provides an advanced educational foundation for those committed to serving the common good through excellence in legal and administrative practice.
The Doctor of Science in Faith-Based Juridical Science (SJD), Specialization in Non-Profit Laws is an applied professional doctorate emphasizing advanced faith-based juridical science knowledge, organizational leadership, ethical stewardship, program development, community-care systems, higher-education instruction, and evidence-informed professional practice.
Students may receive up to 40 semester credit hours of approved graduate or doctoral transfer credit. Accepted transfer credits are applied toward the 120-credit graduation requirement and may reduce the number of courses and the amount of time required to complete the degree. A student receiving the maximum transfer-credit award must complete at least 80 semester credit hours through the University.
The applied doctoral project must address a documented faith-based juridical science-support, educational, organizational, or community-care need. The project must include scholarly research, an implementation model, measurable outcomes, ethical safeguards, an evaluation plan, and a successful oral defense.
DOCTORAL TRANSFER-CREDIT POLICY: The Doctor of Education and Doctor of Philosophy programs each require 120 semester credit hours. Students may transfer up to 40 semester credit hours of eligible graduate or doctoral coursework toward either degree. Transfer credit is not automatically awarded. Each request is evaluated individually according to: The academic level of the previous coursework; The relevance of the coursework to the doctoral curriculum; Course content and learning outcomes; Credit-hour equivalency; Grades earned; The age of the coursework; Official institutional documentation; The University's residency and transfer-credit policies. Accepted transfer credit may reduce the number of courses and the amount of time required to complete the degree. Students awarded the maximum 40 transfer credits will have 80 semester credit hours remaining in the 120-credit doctoral program. Comprehensive examinations, doctoral candidacy, doctoral residency, the applied doctoral project, dissertation research, and the final oral defense must ordinarily be completed through the University. These requirements may not be satisfied through transfer credit unless expressly permitted under a published University policy.