Queen Mary School of Law is the ideal place to embark on this transformative journey. My experience here underscores the School's dedication to nurturing future changemakers.
The PhD in Law programme at Queen Mary is one of the largest in the UK, with more than 120 research students. As a PhD student at the School of Law, you will be part of a diverse and cosmopolitan research community, as students come to Queen Mary from all over the world. Have a look at the research profiles of some of our current students.
The School of Law’s thriving PhD programme is competitive. Successful applicants usually have first-class undergraduate degrees and distinctions at Masters-level or the equivalents. While most applicants will have LLB and/or LLM degrees, we value interdisciplinary research projects, and welcome candidates with relevant non-law degrees. Candidates with professional experience in a field of law or institution relevant to their research project will also be considered.
You can apply to attend on a full-time or a part-time basis. Before you apply, you will need to:
These webpages also contain information on what completing a PhD at the School of Law entails.
The deadline for application submissions for entry in September 2025 is midnight on Wednesday 5 June 2025. If you are applying for a Queen Mary studentship, the deadline is Monday 2 December 2024. The application process for the September 2026 intake will begin in October 2025. Applications received after the deadline cannot be considered.
Prior to our first funding deadline (which is 2 December 2024), the School of Law PhD programme is running a number of on-line events for prospective applicants, to give information about the application process and what makes a strong application, with one event giving applicants the chance to get feedback on their draft research proposal.
Prospective PhD applicants can book a 15 minute appointment to speak to an academic member of staff about their proposed doctoral research and their draft research proposal.
If your proposed research is in a topic area such as Human rights law, Criminal law, Environmental Law, Migration Law, international state law or Public International Law or similar, then please sign up for one of the ‘Non-commercial Law’ drop in sessions.
If your proposed research is in a topic area such as Intellectual Property; Competition law; Arbitration; IT Law; Tax Law; Financial Law, Energy Law or International Trade Law or similar, then please sign up for one of the ‘commercial-law’ drop in sessions.