Law research degrees

An overview of our postgraduate research in law and entry requirements for PhDs and other research degrees.

We have some of the top law academics in the UK working on world-leading research as part of the wider School of Social Sciences.

Our researchers have expertise across:

Corporate and commercial law
Criminal law and justice
Environmental law
Human rights
Private international law
Public international law
Public law
Scots law

Current research topics includes:

Human Rights and Liberal Democracy
Towards an International Law of Energy
Domestic assaults and abuse: a comparison of two or more jurisdictions’ criminal procedures as they impact on the victims of domestic violence
Developments and specific issues associated with corporate insolvency
Environmental Accountability
Subnational Constitutionalism
The polluter pays principle in energy law
Law and visuality
Cultural legal studies
Critical legal theory / critical legal studies
Private international law
Water services governance and regulation

Learn more about Law research

Propose your own PhD topic

If you want to propose your PhD topic, you can use the contact details below to contact a staff member to discuss your proposal.

How to write your best postgraduate research proposal

Entry requirements

You should have an honours degree at 2.1 or above, and/or a Masters degree in a relevant discipline.

English language requirements

IELTS (overall)	Reading	Listening	Speaking	Writing
6.5	6.0	6.0	6.0	6.5

We also accept other English language qualifications

You do not need to prove your knowledge of English if you are a national of certain countries.

Don't meet the English language requirements?

English language programmes

Prepare for university study and benefit from extra English tuition with an English language programme.

Law PhD / LLM by Research tuition fees

Academic year of entry	Scottish/Rest of UK fee status	International fee status
2024/25	£4,786 per year of study	£21,940 per year of study

Academic year of entry	Scottish/Rest of UK fee status	International fee status
2025/26	£5,006 per year of study	£21,940 per year of study

Tuition fee per year of study (subject to a 3% annual increase for Scottish/Rest of UK students and a 5% annual increase for International students).

The tuition fee, and mode of attendance shown within the application system is provisional and confirmed when you are made an offer.

Part time study, where available, is charged on a pro-rata basis.

Scottish/Rest of UK fee status annual increase

Each year, UKRI sets a recommended fee and stipend level for Scottish/Rest of UK students, which we use as the basis for fees charged to this group.

UKRI usually increases its fee and stipend levels in line with inflation, based on the Treasury GDP deflator.

Therefore, the Scottish/Rest of UK fees detailed in this table for 2025/26 (and beyond) can only be estimated according to the typical increase.

The fee charged to you may differ, though only slightly, from the figure given.

Before you apply

Before applying please consult the following applicant checklist:

Check the current staff research interests
Prepare a research proposal (maximum length of 3,000 words), which must include the following:
- Bibliography
- The statement of a preliminary research question
- Hypothesis and argument
- How the research contributes to the existing literature
- Methodology

Your proposal should allow us to ensure that we have an appropriate supervisor and the library facilities to enable you to complete your study successfully. It will also demonstrate your own ability to produce a substantial and coherent outline for your work.

Types of PhDs

3-year PhD

You may be offered a 3-year PhD if:

you have an existing MSc that included extensive research skills training
a well-developed research proposal

We may also take into account if you have any professional experience that you may have. Particularly if this includes significant research expertise.

3.5-year PhD

You may be offered a 3.5-year PhD with Research Training course if:

you have an existing MSc that included some research skills elements
you are transferring from another disciplinary area with different research skills
you are undertaking an interdisciplinary PhD with different skills needed
you need to further develop your proposal

These means that you need additional skills to undertake your PhD.

4-year PhD

You may be offered a 4-year PhD with Research Training course if:

you have an existing MSc that did not include research skills
you are moving from one discipline to another in social sciences. The other discipline may have had completely different research skill needs
you do not have a well-developed research proposal

An assessment of your application by School staff will determine which of the three pathways you may be offered.