phd law and policy online

Doctor of Law and Policy

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Doctor of Law and Policy (DLP)

Influence public policy and legislative bodies with liberty’s doctor of law and policy.

If you currently work in public policy and are searching for advanced training that can help you improve the lives of others through policy and law, Liberty University’s 100% online Doctor of Law and Policy degree can help. This degree program has been designed to equip you with the training you need to take your career to the next level.

Our Doctor of Law and Policy (DLP) degree offers advanced training in public policy that can be used to interpret the full scope of current laws, lobby government officials, write legislation for proposed laws, or run for elected office. This degree program’s overview of both law and policy can help make you a more informed, effective statesman or stateswoman.

What Will You Learn in Liberty University’s Doctor of Law and Policy?

• Contemporary challenges to the Constitution
• Foundations of statesmanship
• Human rights law
• Public policy lawyering skills
• The role of the state in protecting civil liberties

This degree program features courses in law, public policy, and research as well as a 5-course capstone sequence that allows you to apply learned skills to a final research project.

Potential Careers for Doctor of Law and Policy Graduates

• Elected official
• Journalist/reporter
• Legislative aide
• Policy analyst
• Research fellow

Benefits of Pursuing Your Doctor of Law and Policy with Liberty University

As a leader in distance education since 1985, we understand what it takes to create a flexible and affordable education for busy people. Since we have been investing in distance and online learning for decades, our experience has taught us how to streamline our degree options so you can focus on what really matters to you. While many schools offer online degrees, we believe Liberty stands out.

Here’s what sets us apart:

• We are recognized by multiple institutions for our academic quality, affordability, and accessibility . Our commitment to excellence also helped us rank in the top 10% of Niche.com’s best online schools in America . Earning your online Doctor of Law and Policy from a nonprofit university with this kind of recognition can help set you apart from others in your field.
• Your success is our success, which is why we are committed to providing quality academics at an affordable tuition rate. While other colleges are increasing their tuition, we have frozen tuition rates for our undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs for the past 9 years — and counting.
• You can complete this Doctor of Law and Policy program in as little as 3 years!

Military Tuition Discount

We want to help you find the doctoral degree you want — at a price you’ve earned. As a thank-you for your military service, Liberty University offers eligible current and former service members like you or your spouse multiple pathways to earn a doctoral degree for only  $300/credit hour . Here’s how:

• If you’re earning or have earned a master’s degree through Liberty, you automatically qualify for the low price (when you begin within 2 years of your master’s completion).
• If you haven’t earned a graduate degree through Liberty, our Executive Certificate program allows you to pay only $300/credit hour for a postgraduate certificate that can stand alone or potentially count as the first 21 hours of a related doctoral degree. Then pay just $300/credit hour for your doctorate.  Learn more !

Credit Hours

100% online, 8-week courses

Interested in studying on campus?

Transfer Credits

Transfer in up to 50% of the degree total

Next Start Date

Jan 13, 2025

Accreditation

Liberty University is accredited by SACSCOC

600+ Online Degrees

With over 600 online degrees, we have something that will accommodate your dreams and calling.

Ranked in the top 10% of Niche.com’s 2024 best online schools in America

Recognized by multiple institutions for academic quality, affordability, and accessibility.

No tuition increase for 9 years

We want to help you pursue your goals – so while tuition rates at most universities have continued to increase over the years, the majority of our rates haven’t.

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Hear from our Graduates

Megan Schultz, EdD School Administration & Supervision

Morgan Schlesselman, Master’s in Public Policy

James, Master of Divinity

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Ph.D. Program

The ph.d. in law degree.

The Ph.D. in Law degree program is designed to prepare J.D. graduates for careers as legal scholars and teachers through a doctoral program aimed at the production of a substantial body of academic research and writing under the close supervision of a three-member faculty dissertation committee. Unlike programs designed for students who wish to learn about law from the disciplinary perspectives of the social sciences or the humanities, the Ph.D. in Law is directed at students who wish to pursue advanced studies in law from the perspective of the law. This program offers emerging scholars an opportunity to contribute to the development of law as an academic field, and it provides an alternate pathway into law teaching alongside existing routes such as fellowships, advanced degrees in cognate fields, legal practice, and clerkships.

Because our entering Ph.D. students will have already completed their J.D. degrees, the anticipated course of study toward the Ph.D. in Law degree is three academic years and two summers in residence. In their first two semesters, Ph.D. students will enroll in courses designed to help them acquire the background and research skills needed to complete a dissertation in their field of interest and to prepare them for qualifying examinations that test the depth and breadth of the literacies and skills they have acquired. During their second year, students will prepare a dissertation prospectus and begin work on a dissertation. The dissertation may take the form of either three law review articles or a book-length manuscript and will make up a portfolio of writing that will be essential for success in the job market. Ph.D. students will also gain experience in the classroom, and receive the full support of Yale Law School’s Law Teaching Program , which has had remarkable success in placing graduates in tenure-track positions at leading law schools.

Ph.D. students receive a full-tuition waiver, a health award for health insurance coverage, and a stipend to cover their year-round living expenses, as well as support for participation in national and international conferences.

Applications for admission to the Ph.D. in Law program are available starting on August 15. The deadline for submission of all materials is December 15. Applicants to the Ph.D. in Law program must complete a J.D. degree at a U.S. law school before they matriculate and begin the Ph.D. program. Any questions about the program may be directed to Gordon Silverstein, Assistant Dean for Graduate Programs, at [email protected] .

Watch Gordon Silverstein, Assistant Dean for Graduate Programs, describe the Ph.D. program at Yale Law School.

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Graduate Student Life

2020 and 2021 Graduate Programs alumni celebrate in the YLS Courtyard with Assistant Dean Gordon Silverstein before their in-person ceremony in May 2022

2022 Graduate Program degree candidates with Dean Heather K. Gerken in April 2022

We are uniquely positioned to help shape the next 200 years of legal education by opening the gates to the profession, expanding our wide-ranging curriculum, and doing everything we can to prepare our graduates for a complex and rapidly changing world.