Religious Legal Studies (C.E.J.D.)

Program Overview

The Corporate Executive Juris Doctor (C.E.J.D.) in Religious Legal Studies prepares executives for markets in which religious law is part of the business. Islamic finance is a global industry with its own contracts, standards, and supervisory boards. Kosher and halal certification governs supply chains worth billions. Religious law shapes employment practice, product design, and investment policy in companies that serve faith communities or operate in states where religious law is part of the legal order. The corporate core covers organizational form and limited liability, fiduciary duties and board governance, and compliance, risk, and internal investigations. The specialization covers the principles of Islamic commercial law — the prohibitions of riba, gharar, and maysir and the contracts of murabaha, ijara, mudarabah, musharakah, and sukuk; Shari‘ah supervisory boards and the AAOIFI standards; Jewish law in commerce, including the heter iska and kashrut supervision; halal certification and supply-chain compliance; and faith-based investment screening. Graduates manage Islamic finance operations, certification programs, supply chains, and faith-based investment, and advise companies entering markets shaped by religious law. The capstone designs a religious-law compliance framework for a real product, transaction, or supply chain. The C.E.J.D. is a professional credential for executives; it does not qualify graduates for bar admission or the practice of law.

Core Courses

• CEJD 501 — Corporate Law and Organizational Form (6 credits)
• CEJD 510 — Fiduciary Duties and Board Governance (6 credits)
• CEJD 520 — Compliance, Risk, and Internal Investigations (6 credits)
• CEJD 614 — Islamic Commercial Law and Finance (6 credits)
• CEJD 624 — Certification and Religious Supply Chains (6 credits)
• CEJD 634 — Shari‘ah Governance and Faith-Based Investment (6 credits)
• CEJD 690 — Corporate Executive Capstone in Religious Legal Studies (12 credits)

Admission Requirements

• Bachelor's degree from a recognized institution
• Management, board, compliance, or executive experience in a company or nonprofit organization
• Statement describing the governance or legal challenges of the applicant’s organization
• Current résumé
• Official transcripts from prior institutions when available
• Signed acknowledgment that the degree does not qualify the holder for bar admission or the practice of law