FAQs
Our students and graduates report many benefits. Some simply want to be better judges. Others want additional credentials to support appointment or election efforts. Some aspire to write or teach as a "next career" or as they move into retirement. Others are lifelong learners. However, most report the biggest benefit is the intimate and peer-intensive learning experience and being able to network and develop lasting relationships with faculty and judicial colleagues from all over the world. Many students describe the experience as "rejuvenating."
As of Spring 2017, the program has graduated over 100 judges with the Master's of Judicial Studies and 16 with the Ph.D. in Judicial Studies. Several students have even completed both types of the Master's and the Ph.D.
Time to completion will vary according to your availability to attend classes and the number of classes you take each year. Typically, students can expect to spend three-to-four years to earn their Master's.
The Ph.D. requires a substantial amount of work and is a very serious personal, professional and educational commitment. Students can expect to spend five-to-six years beyond their Master's to complete additional coursework and their dissertation.
Yes. Students taking Βι¶ΉΣ³» courses (i.e., 700 level courses) are required to attend them on campus (with few potential exceptions for advanced Ph.D. students). They are offered in two-week blocks in the Summer (July-August) and Winter (January). NJC courses or NCJFCJ courses that qualify for credit (i.e., 600 level courses) are usually four days in length and offered in Reno, but occasionally offered "on the road" as well. Regardless, in-person attendance is mandatory.
Aside from tuition and fees charged by the University, students not living in the Reno area should also budget for housing, travel, meals, etc. for when they are completing residency courses. Overall, most students report costs to complete the program are very reasonable.
We are happy to provide suggestions for hotels close to campus that are within walking distance. Reno now also offers several non-smoking/non-gaming hotel options as well.
Depending on enrollment and student need, we do have several sources of funding for limited scholarships. Please contact program faculty/staff for more information.
In some instances, the National Judicial College and the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges might have scholarship money to support attendance of their programs. Please contact them directly about that option. Also, the has funded students in the past. Lastly, some judges have arranged funding support through their court training funds, administrative office of the courts, court improvement programs, etc.
They are completely separate entities with their own administration, funding sources, mission, vision, faculty/staff, etc. The Judicial Studies Program lives within the University, which grants the MJS/Ph.D. degrees and is operated by University faculty/staff. The National Judicial College (NJC) is a not-for-profit organization that is headquartered on the University campus and typically focuses on educational opportunities for judges hearing criminal and civil cases. Until recently, the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (NCJFCJ) was also headquartered on campus, but relocated to downtown Reno for additional space. The NCJFCJ is also a not-for-profit and focuses on training, technical assistance, research and policy development in the area of juvenile and family law (e.g., dependency, juvenile justice, domestic violence, etc.). Both the NJC and NCJFCJ are affiliates of the University and are instrumental partners and collaborators with the University in the areas of judicial education and justice research. Together, the presence of these three unique but allied institutions in one locale contribute to the University/Northern Βι¶ΉΣ³» being considered by many to be the judicial education epicenter of the nation.
Yes, please review the list of thesis and dissertation titles. You can request full copies of these works via the library or through our program office.
The Judicial Studies Program Handbook is your primary source for information about all aspects of the program and it is updated each calendar year. If for some reason you have a question not answered in the handbook, please contact program faculty/staff. We are here to help.