PhD in Law
Bristol, United Kingdom
DURATION
4 up to 8 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time, Part time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
01 Jun 2025
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2025
TUITION FEES
GBP 21,300 / per year *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* overseas: full-time I UK: full-time £4,850 per year I UK: part-time £2,425 per year
Introduction
PhD study is substantially different from other types of postgraduate work as each candidate devises their own independent research project. At the University of Bristol Law School, comprehensive research training is provided by expert academics, who also offer guidance and supervision of your research project. If you are undertaking socio-legal research, initial research training can take the form of the MSc Socio-Legal Studies program, which is recognized by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).
As a PhD Law student, you will join a vibrant and diverse research community that includes primary units organized around research specialisms and a variety of centers of research excellence. You will be invited to participate in the Law School's staff seminar program and many other frequent research events that happen in the school. There may also be opportunities to undertake some part-time teaching within the school. Travel and conference funding is available for research students.
Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
Funding for 2025/26
The Faculty of Arts, Law and Social Sciences has an allocation of MSc + PhD and PhD only ESRC scholarships. The length of these scholarships will be dependent on training needs and can vary, with the shortest generally being three years and six months (PhD only).
The internal deadline to apply for admission to the PhD programme and for ESRC is: 9 December 2024.
The ESRC deadline is: mid-January 2025 (exact deadline TBC).
Curriculum
A wide variety of subject areas are covered in the Law School. This reflects a range of different approaches to legal research - doctrinal, socio-legal/interdisciplinary and theoretical. The school has a strong portfolio in immigration and citizenship, socio-legal studies, environmental law, gender and law, legal history, corporate governance and regulation, international law, employment law, and health law and policy.
The school usually has 80 research postgraduates at any one time, working in a wide variety of subject areas and adopting a range of different approaches to legal research.
Program Tuition Fee
Career Opportunities
The PhD in Law at the University of Bristol offers useful preparation for several different careers, including academia. The ability to plan, research and write a sophisticated thesis, including an ability to conduct, for example, detailed doctrinal analysis, to think in broad theoretical terms and to engage in empirical research can provide a firm foundation for a career in the academy.
A second possible career is that of working for an NGO or policy organisation, drawing on skills in research and writing, which are invaluable for work of this kind. A third possibility is working within governments, again building on analytical, doctrinal or empirical research skills developed through the PhD, which incorporate both an ability to undertake rigorous research and to see the bigger picture.
Finally, some students choose to enter the legal profession, carrying with them a rich understanding of legal principles and practice.