Law research degrees

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

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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 tuition fees

Academic year of entry	Scottish/Rest of UK fee status	International fee status
2023/24	£4,712 per year of study	£20,895 per year of study
2024/25	£4,786 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).

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.