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Columbia University: top law school and philosophy
department, with strong offerings in core political and legal philosophy.
New York University: top law school and philosophy
department, with strong offerings in core moral, political and legal philosophy.
University of California, Berkeley: top law
school and borderline top philosophy department (whose trajectory, however,
seems to be downward, rather than upward). Strong offerings in core moral
and political philosophy, also in philosophy of criminal law. (No formal
JD/PhD program here, though the degrees can be pursued. Graduates from
Berkeley’s special “Jurisprudence & Social Policy Program” by
itself stand no chance of gaining employment in philosophy departments,
though many go on to teach in law schools and political science departments.)
University of Pennsylvania: top law school
and a very solid philosophy department, though one strongly oriented towards
history of philosophy. Strong offerings in core political and legal philosophy,
including both philosophy of criminal law and philosophy of tort law.
University of Texas, Austin: top law school
and borderline top philosophy department. Strong offerings in core political
and legal philosophy, with more attention than some other schools to the
interaction between legal philosophy and cognate philosophical fields:
metaethics, philosophy of language, epistemology, Continental philosophy.
University of Toronto: top law school and
borderline top philosophy department. Strong offerings in core moral, political
and legal philosophy.
Yale University: the top law school in the
U.S. and a borderline top philosophy department. Strong offerings in core
moral, political and legal philosophy.
ALSO WORTH INVESTIGATING:
Boston University: strong law school (though
not one that sends many graduates in to law teaching) and a solid philosophy
department (with a strong historical orientation). Top choice for a terminal
JD/MA program.
University of California, Los Angeles: top
philosophy department and a strong, but not top-flight, law school. Strong
offerings in core moral, political and legal philosophy.
University of Chicago: top law school and
a somewhat unusual philosophy department, very good in certain areas, quite
weak in others. Strong offerings in political philosophy.
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign: strong
law school (though not one that sends many graduates in to law teaching)
and solid philosophy department. Good offerings in core moral and legal
philosophy, including philosophy of criminal law.
University of Iowa: strong law school (though
not one that sends many graduates in to law teaching) and solid philosophy
department. Good offerings in core legal philosophy.
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor: top law
school and philosophy department, with strong offerings in core moral,
political and legal philosophy. However, accessibility of law & philosophy
faculty is an issue here which is why they are in the “worth investigating” category.
University of Minnesota, Twin Cities: good
law school (though not one that sends many graduates in to law teaching)
and a very solid philosophy department. Good offerings in core moral and
legal philosophy.
University of North Carolina Chapel Hill: borderline
top philosophy department and a solid law school, though not one that sends
many graduates in to law teaching. Strong offerings in core moral, political,
and legal philosophy, including philosophy of criminal law.
University of Notre Dame: solid law school
(though not one that sends many graduates in to law teaching) and borderline
top philosophy department. Good choice for students interested in natural
law theory (John Finnis is half-time on the law faculty).
University of Virginia: top law school and
a very solid philosophy department (one on an upward trajectory). Especially
strong offerings in political philosophy.
Washington University, St. Louis: good law
school (though not one that sends many graduates in to law teaching) and
solid philosophy department. Strong offerings in core legal philosophy.
York University/Osgoode Hall: top Canadian
law school, with one very distinguished legal philosopher (Leslie Green)
cross-appointed between law and philosophy.
Other (more regional) law schools that offer particularly
good opportunities for philosophical study in the Law School are: Arizona
State University; Cardozo Law School/Yeshiva University; Fordham University;
Georgia State University; University of San Diego; and Wayne State University.
Cardozo and Georgia State are the best choices for students with philosophical
interests; Georgia State offers the strongest JD/MA program in the country
after BU (BU is a stronger law school overall, though in moral, political
and legal philosophy Georgia State is competitive).
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