Course Summary
Coming to UCD Law School creates the possibility of expert supervision by leading researchers in a wide variety of fields. We have the largest group of academic lawyers in Ireland and leading researchers of high international standing across many of the main fields of law including European Union law, commercial law, criminology, criminal justice and criminal law, regulatory studies, constitutional law and governance, human rights, administrative law, employment law, environmental law, intellectual property law, WTO law, legal history, agricultural law and private law.
College Link
Career Sectors
This course prepares you for working in the Career Sectors below. Follow the links to get a fuller understanding of the sectors you are preparing for.
Entry Requirements
Applications are invited from graduates with a degree (normally of a first class or very high 2.1 standard or equivalent). The degree should either (a) in law or (b) in an inter-disciplinary degree in which law was a major component. Holding a masters degree in law will normally enhance considerably an applicant's chances of acceptance on one of our PhD programmes.
Exemption from these requirements may be given to those with significant, relevant, practical experience. Such applicants should state clearly in their application why they feel their qualifications/experiences are appropriate for admission to the programme.
English Language Requirements for the PhD in Law Programme
- Applicants whose first language is not English must submit satisfactory evidence of competence in written and spoken English, i.e. overall IELTS 7.5 (including a minimum of 7 in all bands) or a score of 109 overall in the TOEFL iBT, 27/30 in reading and writing and 23/30 in speaking and listening. The test results must be less than 2 years old.
- International applicants should visit the UCD Global website (www.ucd.ie/global) for information regarding our campus, location of UCD, visa information, registration and orientation.
Please note that admission to the programme is at the discretion of the Graduate Admissions Committee.
Application Details
Apply Now
Individuals who wish to be considered for enrolment in one of UCD Law School’s PhD programmes are asked to prepare a research proposal. This should include:
1. a statement of the research question the candidate proposes to examine;
2. an outline of the proposed methodology (in other words, an outline of how the applicant proposes to go about their research); and
3. a short literature review. (The idea of this is to place the research within the current state of knowledge in the field in question. It should include a short, indicative, bibliography of works in the field)
There is no maximum length for a research proposal. Normally, it would be at least three or four pages long.
Please note that students who wish to work with a particular academic are advised to state this in their communications.
Please note that you can make your formal application to enrol as a PhD student online through the online UCD application process, at http://www.ucd.ie/apply/
However, in order to help and encourage prospective applicants, the School of Law offers you the option of sending us a draft of your research proposal, before you make your formal application. The PhD management team will review your draft research proposal and provide you with feedback. Academic transcripts should be emailed along with the research proposal
You can then take that feedback into account in making your final application. Further, if a draft research proposal is sent to us, we can also tell you in advance whether there actually is supervisory capacity within the Law School for your proposed programme of research and we can also identify a prospective supervisor.
Once you receive your feedback, you can make any advised revisions to the proposed research proposal, gather all the relevant documentation, and make your formal application through the online UCD application process.
Draft proposals and academic transcripts should be addressed to [email protected].
Start Date: September & January.
Fees
a statement of the research question the candidate proposes to examine;
an outline of the proposed methodology (in other words, an outline of how the applicant proposes to go about their research); and
a short literature review. (The idea of this is to place the research within the current state of knowledge in the field in question. It should include a short, indicative, bibliography of works in the field)
There is no maximum length for a research proposal. Normally, it would be at least three or four pages long.
Please note that students who wish to work with a particular academic are advised to state this in their communications.
Please note that you can make your formal application to enrol as a PhD student online through the online UCD application process, at http://www.ucd.ie/apply/
However, in order to help and encourage prospective applicants, the School of Law offers you the option of sending us a draft of your research proposal, before you make your formal application. The PhD management team will review your draft research proposal and provide you with feedback. Academic transcripts should be emailed along with the research proposal
You can then take that feedback into account in making your final application. Further, if a draft research proposal is sent to us, we can also tell you in advance whether there actually is supervisory capacity within the Law School for your proposed programme of research and we can also identify a prospective supervisor.
Once you receive your feedback, you can make any advised revisions to the proposed research proposal, gather all the relevant documentation, and make your formal application through the online UCD application process.
Draft proposals and academic transcripts should be addressed to [email protected].
The Student
Career Interests
This course is typically suited for people with the following Career Interests. If these interests do not describe you, this course may prepare you for work you may not find satisfying.
Investigative
The Investigative person will usually find a particular area of science to be of interest. They are inclined toward intellectual and analytical activities and enjoy observation and theory. They may prefer thought to action, and enjoy the challenge of solving problems with sophiscticated technology. These types prefer mentally stimulating environments and often pay close attention to developments in their chosen field.
Career Progression
Apart from being the highest level of academic achievement, obtaining a PhD is now regarded as an essential feature in the curriculum vitae of anyone aspiring to a career in academia. Many graduates of UCD Law School's PhD Programme are now themselves academics either in or outside Ireland. Graduates in recent years from UCD Law School's PhD programme have been appointed to academic positions in HEC Paris, the Queen's University Belfast, the University of Portsmouth, the University of Ulster at Jordanstown, University College Dublin, the University of Maynooth, Dublin City University and NUI Galway, among other institutions and universities.
Of course, PhD graduates don't just end up in academia. For those who decide that they would prefer a career in legal practice, we have an excellent Careers Development Centre here at UCD, designed to help you with information regarding future employment or studies. UCD hold a number of graduate events throughout the year including a dedicated law fair at which at which many of the big law firms are in attendance. The School of Law has a dedicated careers advisor on its academic staff and a staff member from the careers office is in attendance at the School of Law on a number of occasions throughout the academic year. To see the full range of services offered by the careers office go to http://www.ucd.ie/careers/