Ecclesiastical Law (Dr. utr. iur.)

Program Overview

The Doctor Utriusque Iuris (Dr. utr. iur.) in Ecclesiastical Law is a research doctorate in the law that governs churches, studied across both of the West's legal traditions. Ecclesiastical law sits where canon law — the internal law of the churches — meets the civil law of states, which recognize, regulate, and sometimes establish them. A doctor of both laws can read the canons and the statutes, the church tribunal's sentence and the civil court's judgment, and explain how each bears on the other. Doctoral students study Roman law and the civil-law tradition; the sources and method of canon law from Gratian to the present codes; the ecclesiastical law of established and separated churches, including the Church of England's Measures and canons and the church–state law of Germany, France, Italy, and Spain; concordats between the Holy See and states; and the legal personality, property, and autonomy of churches in civil law. Seminars compare how different legal orders resolve the same problems — church property, clergy discipline, religious marriage, and the jurisdiction of church courts. Graduates teach ecclesiastical and canon law, advise churches and governments on church–state matters, and serve ecclesiastical tribunals and international bodies. The dissertation makes an original contribution to ecclesiastical law across the canonical and civil traditions. The Dr. utr. iur. is a research doctorate; it is not a professional qualification for admission to the bar or for the practice of law in any jurisdiction.

Core Courses

• IUR 801 — Roman Law and the Civil-Law Tradition (6 credits)
• IUR 812 — Canon Law: Sources, Codes, and Method (6 credits)
• IUR 825 — Ecclesiastical Law of Established and Separated Churches (6 credits)
• IUR 837 — Concordats and the Holy See in International Law (6 credits)
• IUR 849 — Seminar in Comparative Ecclesiastical Law (5 credits)
• IUR 860 — Doctoral Research Design in Both Laws (4 credits)
• IUR 899 — Doctoral Dissertation in Ecclesiastical Law (24 credits)

Admission Requirements

• Master's degree, licentiate, or professional degree in law, canon law, theology, or a related field
• Reading knowledge of Latin, or willingness to develop it during the first year of study
• Research proposal identifying a question in civil law, canon law, or both
• Scholarly writing sample
• Current curriculum vitae
• Official transcripts from prior institutions when available
• Signed acknowledgment that the degree is a research doctorate and not a qualification for bar admission