Edinburgh Law School welcomes outstanding applications from individuals wishing to join the PhD programme. You may apply to commence the PhD programme in September or January.
The PhD programme is available to study full time over three years or part time over six years. For further information please contact the PhD office at phd.law@ed.ac.uk
Before applying you should ensure that you meet our entry requirements and have all the relevant documentation ready to submit in support of your application. Please note that missing documentation will delay the application process.
Entry requirementsThe minimum admission requirement for the PhD programme is a UK 2:1 honours degree in law, arts or social sciences, and a UK Masters degree with at least 60% in the taught section and 65% or more in the dissertation, or their international equivalents.
Entry to this programmes is competitive. Meeting minimum requirements for consideration does not guarantee an offer of study.
If you have a non-UK degree, please check whether your degree qualification is equivalent to the minimum standard before applying.
The majority of our applicants have studied law, but we are a comprehensive Law School covering a range of approaches to legal topics including social science, historical and philosophical enquiry; applications from non-law students with relevant studies and experience will be considered and if you require further guidance please contact us.
English language requirementsPostgraduate study in the field of law requires a thorough, complex and demanding knowledge of English, so we ask that the communication skills of all students are at the same minimum standard.
You must demonstrate a level of English language competency at a level that will enable you to succeed in your studies, regardless of your nationality or country of residence.
English language tests
We accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified:
Two year expiry
Three and a half year expiry
Your English language qualification must be no more than two years old from the start of the month in which the programme you are applying to study begins, unless you are using CAE/CPE, in which case it must be no more than three and a half years old on the first of the month in which the degree begins.
Degrees taught and assessed in English
We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree, that was taught and assessed in English in a majority English speaking country as defined by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI). The UK Government's website provides a list of majority English speaking countries.
We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree, or equivalent, that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English speaking countries.
If you are not a national of a majority English speaking country, then your degree must be no more than five years old at the beginning of your programme of study.
Your application may not be successful if you do not currently satisfy any of these requirements; alternatively, you may be offered a place conditional on your reaching the satisfactory standard by the time you start the degree.
The University runs a series of programmes for English Language Education, including a pre-sessional English Language Programme intended to strengthen your English Language skills before you start your programme of study.
Application deadlines for entry in 2024-25Our applications are dealt with in a two-step process. Once all your documents are correctly submitted we aim to make a decision within 6 - 8 weeks.
Once you have submitted your application with all your supporting documentation, your application will be reviewed by an academic within the field in which you wish to study. Your written application will be evaluated against our rigorous admissions standards, and with a view to matching you to a suitable supervisor.
If we feel that your application is strong and if there is supervisory capacity in the field to which you have applied, your potential supervisor may arrange to discuss your application and your research proposal with you further by Skype. This is also an opportunity for you to ask any questions you may have about studying for a PhD at Edinburgh Law School.
It is usually only after this stage that you will be made an offer.
Documentation requiredAll applicants should supply the following supporting documentation:
Please note that applications (with all relevant undergraduate and postgraduate documentation uploaded) must be received by the deadline in order to be considered for entry. If you have not completed your postgraduate degree, you should provide interim transcripts at this stage.
Research proposal guidanceYour research proposal should include:
Working title
What title, or title and subtitle, succinctly encapsulates your whole research topic?
Research questions
What are the key questions that you will ask that will enable your writing (or practice and writing) to be appropriately reflexive and interrogative?
Critical Framework and Theoretical Model
What is the context of your research proposal? What are your key concepts? How will you theorise, and position yourself in relation to, your primary sources? What secondary literature are you already aware of? Provide references to books, articles, websites, etc.
Methodology
How do you intend to go about your research? Is your research predominantly doctrinal, theoretical, empirical? Do you need to engage initially in some form of field research, such as observing and interviewing practitioners or conducting practical experiments? What, if any, critical and expositional methods do you then intend to employ for the development, documentation and production of your written work and in the exploration of your research questions?
Research training
Above and beyond training that we will provide in generic research methods, do you need specialised training in practical and/or theoretical skills in order to carry out your research? For instance, do you need training in methods of qualitative analysis, or in the use of digital technologies? Also, will you need to travel to receive this training? For instance, will you need to intermittently attend workshops elsewhere?
Resources and implications
Do you need access to specialist literature? Do you need to engage in archival research or field work, and if so where, for how long and at what cost? If you cannot study without a scholarship or bursary, what sources of funding have you identified where you might be successful?
Bibliography
What, in alphabetical order, are the full bibliographical details of any references you have made above?
We have a downloadable model form which you will find helpful.
If your supporting information is not in English, you need to provide a certified translated version of all documentation.
We aim to have a response for you within eight weeks of complete submission of evidence.
We expect our doctoral candidates to be living in Edinburgh during their studies, in order to fully participate in our dynamic training programme and to reap as much benefit as you can from our thriving research culture.
Terms and conditions of admissionsThe University’s terms and conditions form part of your contract with the University, and you should read them, and our data protection policy, carefully before applying.
Please contact us if you have any questions about applying to study a PhD at Edinburgh Law School.
We recommend that you apply as early as possible. This is particularly important for students holding conditional offers (for example, you may need to allow sufficient time to take an English language test) and for overseas students who may need time to satisfy necessary visa requirements (for further, country-specific information, please consult the website of the University's Edinburgh Global) and/or to apply for University accommodation.
The LLM by Research is available to study full time over one year or part time over two years. For further information please contact the PhD office at phd.law@ed.ac.uk
Before applying you should ensure that you meet our entry requirements and have all the relevant documentation ready to submit in support of your application. Please note that missing documentation will delay the application process.
Entry requirementsThe minimum basic admission requirement for the LLM by research degrees is UK 2:1 honours degree or its international equivalent, in law or a social sciences subject.
Entry to this programme is competitive. Meeting minimum requirements for consideration does not guarantee an offer of study.
If you have a non-UK degree, please check whether your degree qualification is equivalent to the minimum standard before applying.
You may not always need a prior qualification in law to apply for this programme.
English language requirementsPostgraduate study in the field of law requires a thorough, complex and demanding knowledge of English, so we ask that the communication skills of all students are at the same minimum standard.
You must demonstrate a level of English language competency at a level that will enable you to succeed in your studies, regardless of your nationality or country of residence.
English language tests
We accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified:
Two year expiry
Three and a half year expiry
Your English language qualification must be no more than two years old from the start of the month in which the programme you are applying to study begins, unless you are using CAE/CPE, in which case it must be no more than three and a half years old on the first of the month in which the degree begins.
Degrees taught and assessed in English
We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree, that was taught and assessed in English in a majority English speaking country as defined by UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI). The UK Government's website provides a list of majority English speaking countries.
We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree, or equivalent, that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English speaking countries.
If you are not a national of a majority English speaking country, then your degree must be no more than five years old at the beginning of your programme of study.
Your application may not be successful if you do not currently satisfy any of these requirements; alternatively, you may be offered a place conditional on your reaching the satisfactory standard by the time you start the degree.
The University runs a series of programmes for English Language Education, including a pre-sessional English Language Programme intended to strengthen your English Language skills before you start your programme of study.
Application deadlines for entry in 2024-25We aim to review applications and make selection decisions throughout the cycle and we monitor application numbers carefully to ensure we are able to accommodate all those who receive offers. It may therefore be necessary to close a programme earlier than the published deadline and if this is the case we will place a four-week warning notice on the relevant programme page.
Documentation requiredApplications are made online via the University Application Service, EUCLID.
Please follow the instructions carefully and make sure that you have included the following with your application:
Your research proposal should include:
Working title
What title, or title and subtitle, succinctly encapsulates your whole research topic?
Research questions
What are the key questions that you will ask that will enable your writing (or practice and writing) to be appropriately reflexive and interrogative?
Critical Framework and Theoretical Model
What is the context of your research proposal? What are your key concepts? How will you theorise, and position yourself in relation to, your primary sources? What secondary literature are you already aware of? Provide references to books, articles, websites, etc.
Methodology
How do you intend to go about your research? Is your research predominantly doctrinal, theoretical, empirical? Do you need to engage initially in some form of field research, such as observing and interviewing practitioners or conducting practical experiments? What, if any, critical and expositional methods do you then intend to employ for the development, documentation and production of your written work and in the exploration of your research questions?
Research training
Above and beyond training that we will provide in generic research methods, do you need specialised training in practical and/or theoretical skills in order to carry out your research? For instance, do you need training in methods of qualitative analysis, or in the use of digital technologies? Also, will you need to travel to receive this training? For instance, will you need to intermittently attend workshops elsewhere?
Resources and implications
Do you need access to specialist literature? Do you need to engage in archival research or field work, and if so where, for how long and at what cost? If you cannot study without a scholarship or bursary, what sources of funding have you identified where you might be successful?
Bibliography
What, in alphabetical order, are the full bibliographical details of any references you have made above?
We have a downloadable model form which you will find helpful.
If your supporting information is not in English, you need to provide a certified translated version of all documentation.
We aim to have a response for you within eight weeks of complete submission of evidence.
We expect our LLM by Research candidates to be living in Edinburgh during their studies, in order to fully participate in our dynamic training programme and to reap as much benefit as you can from our thriving research culture.
After you applyOnce your completed application form has been received, together with supporting statements from your academic referees and other relevant documentation (including where relevant proof of proficiency in English), the School is committed to processing and considering your application speedily and efficiently.
You will be informed as soon as possible of the decision taken. Three outcomes are possible:
Candidates who do not fulfill the conditions specified, including our language requirements, cannot be admitted.
Terms and conditions of admissionsThe University’s terms and conditions form part of your contract with the University, and you should read them, and our data protection policy, carefully before applying.
Please contact us if you have any questions about applying to study an LLM by Research at Edinburgh Law School.