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PhD Degrees
We offer MPhil and PhD programmes in Law
We offer MPhil and PhD programmes in Law
We welcome applications for PhD research degrees in all aspects of law and legal studies. For students who wish to study for a shorter period, we also offer a two-year MPhil research degree.
Law MPhil/PhDLevel of Study: All
Eligibility: EU (Non-UK), International (Non-EU), UK
Deadline: To be confirmed
Details of Award: Award up to an individual maximum of £4000 reserved for applicants aged 21 or over on the first day of the first term for which they are seeking assistance.
The Peel Trust Studentship (worth up to £4000) is unique to Lancaster, and is reserved for applicants aged 21 or over on the first day of the first term for which they are seeking assistance. Both UK and international students may apply, with applications assessed on the basis of academic merit and financial need.
All registered PhD students are eligible to apply to the Department for research support and research training costs. This may cover, for example, travel and other expenses for research trips to libraries, archives, museums, etc.; expenses related to attending academic conferences where you are giving a paper; or the costs of training in a skill necessary for your research, such as enrolling in a language or other skills course for which no provision exists in the university. Individual requests are usually limited to £250.
Visit our funding webpages for details on scholarships and funding opportunities
Visit the ASK website for details on other funding sources for PhD applicants and registered students.
Applications are welcomed from those holding a good second-class honours degree from a UK university, or an equivalent qualification. Lancaster's taught postgraduate degrees are designed to be suitable for non-law as well as law graduates, so it is not necessary to have a law degree.
To submit an application, simply create an account on the and then select ‘Create a new application’ from your homepage once you are logged-in.
Using your account on the My Applications website, you are able to submit applications for the programme(s) which you wish to study, upload supporting documentation and provide us with information about referees.
If you are a current Lancaster student, or you have recently graduated from Lancaster, we can reduce the amount of information that you will need to provide as part of your application. You will need to provide only one reference and will not need to supply your Lancaster degree transcript. We will also pre-fill your personal details, ready for you to check.
While it is not necessary to get in touch with potential supervisors before submitting your application, in some cases it can be useful to email staff whom you would be interested to work with before applying. This could be helpful for you in finding out whether you do share similar interests or theoretical orientations, and whether the member of staff is currently accepting new PhD students. You can get in touch with staff directly through the information on their profile pages.
If you use the My Applications website then you will be advised which documentation you need to upload or send to us. We can automatically contact your referees once you have submitted your application if you ask us to.
The supporting documentation screen will provide you with a list of required documents. These will usually include:
You can apply at any time of the year for PhD study, we have two intakes each year, one in October and one in January.
If you wish to be considered for funding, are applying from overseas or require on-campus accommodation, we recommend you apply as early as possible.
If you have any queries during the application process, please Contact the admissions team.