Law

Entry requirements

2:1 Hons degree (UK or equivalent) in any discipline. A Masters degree is desirable but not necessarily required (the Law School may take into consideration attainment in dissertation modules and relevant work or other experience).

We may also consider non-standard applicants, please contact us for information.

If you have studied outside of the UK, we would advise you to check our list of international qualifications before submitting your application.

Additional Requirements

As part of your application you will also need to provide a viable research proposal. Guidance can be found on our writing a research proposal webpage.

Months of entry

January, April, July, October

Course content

We welcome applications for PhD research degrees in all aspects of law and legal studies at the Law School. For students who wish to study for a shorter period, we also offer a two-year MPhil research degree.

As a research student you will be supervised by one or more of our academic staff, meeting with them to discuss your research (typically, supervision via video-conferencing is available for students who are not based in Lancaster, or indeed not based in the UK). Your supervisors are also able to give you guidance on preparing for conferences and writing for publication, as well as advice on academic and other careers. You will also undertake Faculty and School-based research training.

You will be welcomed into a vibrant Law School, and you will be invited to attend any guest lectures and seminars that the department host. We also host student-led seminars, arranged by the research students themselves for the discussion of work in progress.

Typically, successful applications contain a viable research proposal and are focused on our areas of research expertise, further entry requirements can be found below. Please check our staff profiles for precise areas of expertise.

Information for international students

We may ask you to provide a recognised English language qualification, dependent upon your nationality and where you have studied previously.

We normally require an IELTS (Academic) Test with an overall score of at least 6.5, and a minimum of 5.5 in each element of the test. We also consider other English language qualifications.

If your score is below our requirements, you may be eligible for one of our pre-sessional English language programmes.

Contact: Admissions Team +44 (0) 1524 592032 or email pgadmissions@lancaster.ac.uk

Fees and funding

Learn more at our fees and funding page.