MRes Law
London, United Kingdom
Master degree
DURATION
1 year
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2026
TUITION FEES
GBP 25,740 / per year *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* for overseas student fees | home student fees: GBP 15,130 per year
Key Summary
About: The MRes in Law at SOAS trains you in advanced legal research, high-level legal analysis, research methods and research ethics. It focuses on areas of research specific to the School of Law and situates legal study within the humanities and social sciences. The programme prepares students for a PhD or for professional research and policy work, combining SOAS-specific courses and methods training informed by the School's REF-rated research and UK top-20 QS ranking.
Career Outcomes: Graduates gain career opportunities in academia, legal practice, policy analysis, government, NGOs, consultancy. Recent hires include PwC, Clifford Chance, EY, HM Treasury and BloombergNEF.
The MRes in Law aims to provide students with advanced skills in legal research, the ability to undertake high-level analysis of law and legal issues with a focus on areas of research specific to the School of Law at SOAS, a grasp of the research methods that underpin the discipline and its place in the humanities and the social sciences, a grounding in legal research methods, and the ethics of legal research.
The MRes in Law is especially suited to candidates who wish to undertake a PhD or professional research in law. It prepares students to undertake high-quality research.
Why study MRes in Law at SOAS
- We are ranked in the UK top 20 (QS World University Rankings 2023)
- Our research publications have been rated first in the UK - and our School of Law rated sixth in the UK - in the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021
- SOAS MRes in Law is a unique qualification that brings together in-depth training in research and research methods focused on the research done in the School of Law. This is combined with other courses that are specific to SOAS and often not available anywhere else
- The degree has been developed to meet the needs of both researchers and practitioners. The programme is thus ideally suited to prepare for a PhD in Law at SOAS, or alternatively as a stand-alone qualification, for instance, for jobs requiring in-depth policy research
Students must take modules to a total value of 180 credits, consisting of a dissertation (90 credits) and 90 credits of taught modules. Taught modules are worth either 15 or 30 credits.
Please note that not all modules listed will be available every year.
Compulsory
- Research Methods in Law
Dissertation
- MRes in Law Dissertation
Guided Options List A
Minimum 30 credits from List A
- Gender and the Law of War
- Human Rights of Women
- Law and Natural Resources
- Law, Religion, and the State in South Asia
- International Human Rights Clinic
- Human Rights and Islamic Law
- International Commercial Arbitration
- Law and Development in Africa
- Intellectual Property Law (PG)
- International laws on the use of force
- Foundations of International Law
- The Law of Armed Conflict
- Colonialism, Empire and International Law
- Water Justice: Rights, Access and Movements
- Comparative Constitutional Law
- Law and Society in Southeast Asia
- Law and Postcolonial Theory
- International Criminal Law
- Gender, Law and Society in The Middle East and North Africa
- Gender, Sexuality and Law: Selected Topics
- Gender, Sexuality and Law: Theories and Methodologies
- International Investment Law
- Law, Rights & Social Change
- Law, Environment and Social Justice
- International Migration Law
- International Refugee Law
- Law, Environment, and the Global Commons: Ice, Sea, Space and Beyond
- International Environmental Law
- Law and the Biodiversity Crisis
- The Prohibition of Torture in International Law
- Water and Development: Commodification, Ecology and Globalisation
- Multinational Enterprises and the Law I
- Multinational Enterprises and the Law II
- Business and Human Rights in the Global Economy
- Comparative Company Law
- Israel, Palestine, and International Law
- Palestine, Resistance, and the Law
- Alternative Dispute Resolution I
- Law and the Climate Crisis
- International Protection of Human Rights
- Islamic Family Law
- Islamic Legal Theory
- Transnational Law, Finance and Technology
- Colonial Geographies of International Law
- Law and Society in The Middle East and North Africa
Guided Options List B
Up to 30 credits from List B
- Gender and the Law of War
- Human Rights of Women
- Law and Natural Resources
- Law, Religion, and the State in South Asia
- International Human Rights Clinic
- Human Rights and Islamic Law
- International Commercial Arbitration
- Law and Development in Africa
- Intellectual Property Law (PG)
- International laws on the use of force
- Foundations of International Law
- The Law of Armed Conflict
- Colonialism, Empire and International Law
- Water Justice: Rights, Access and Movements
- Comparative Constitutional Law
- Law and Society in Southeast Asia
- Law and Postcolonial Theory
- International Criminal Law
- Gender, Law and Society in The Middle East and North Africa
- Gender, Sexuality and Law: Selected Topics
- Gender, Sexuality and Law: Theories and Methodologies
- International Investment Law
- Law, Rights & Social Change
- Law, Environment and Social Justice
- International Migration Law
- International Refugee Law
- Law, Environment, and the Global Commons: Ice, Sea, Space and Beyond
- International Environmental Law
- Law and the Biodiversity Crisis
- The Prohibition of Torture in International Law
- Water and Development: Commodification, Ecology and Globalisation
- Multinational Enterprises and the Law I
- Multinational Enterprises and the Law I
- Business and Human Rights in the Global Economy
- Comparative Company Law
- Israel, Palestine, and International Law
- Palestine, Resistance, and the Law
- Alternative Dispute Resolution I
- Law and the Climate Crisis
- International Protection of Human Rights
- Islamic Family Law
- Islamic Legal Theory
- Transnational Law, Finance and Technology
- Colonial Geographies of International Law
- Law and Society in The Middle East and North Africa
Knowledge
- Familiarity with legal approaches to research will be developed through lectures, seminar discussions, compulsory reading assignments, and the dissertation
- An understanding of the philosophical, ethical and political issues at the heart of law research (as well as possible solutions to such problems) will also be developed through lectures, seminar discussions, compulsory reading assignments, and the dissertation
- Critical comprehension of theoretical and empirical literature will be encouraged through substantive courses, compulsory reading assignments, lectures, and seminars
Intellectual (thinking) skills
- Planning and execution of an appropriate research design will be developed through independent projects, essays, and the dissertation
- Understanding and utilization of appropriate research methods will be encouraged through independent projects (e.g. essays), oral presentations, and the dissertation
Subject-Based Practical Skills
- The interpretation and critique of published research will be encouraged via compulsory reading assignments, synthetic/critical lectures, and regular seminar discussions, as well as long essays and the dissertation
Transferable Skills
- An awareness of research resources available to social scientists will be provided via 1) the provision of detailed reading lists, which include, where appropriate, reference to online materials and 2) compulsory reading assignments which familiarize students with secondary sources
- An ability to write up and present the findings of analysis will be encouraged via long essays, coursework, exams, and the dissertation
SOAS Law graduates leave SOAS as civic-minded and critically engaged individuals who can effectively contribute to their communities and societies. With a thorough understanding of the legal dimensions underlying many of our global challenges today, our Law students are valued by employers due to their analytical skills, specialist knowledge, and global perspective.
Careers
Recent graduates have been hired by organisations including:
- PwC LLP
- BLM Law
- BloombergNEF
- British Medical Association
- Clifford Chance
- DAC Beachcroft LLP
- Department for Work and Pensions
- EY
- HM Treasury
- Latham & Watkins
- Legal Cheek
- Simpson Millar Solicitors
- The Economist
- Travers Smith
- Vodafone
- World Cancer Research Fund