PhD (School of Law)

Overview

Our Law PhD programme enables you to conduct legal research under the supervision of our international, experienced, and highly committed faculty.

You will be supervised by two academic members of staff, and take part in a research training programme which provides you with the knowledge and skills to design and carry out a rigorous PhD research project.

You also have opportunities to present your work in the School of Law’s research seminars and the Faculty’s annual postgraduate research student conference. This will enable you to discuss your research with fellow PhD students and staff in the School and the wider Faculty.

We encourage and support you to prepare and submit papers to academic conferences and journals. This provides you with an opportunity to gain feedback from experts in your research field and helps you in developing your academic writing skills.

Upon completion of your PhD, you will have acquired the skills of an independent researcher and have opportunities to pursue an exciting career opportunities in academia, international institutions, industry, government, legal profession (if you already possess relevant professional qualifications) and consultancy.

The School of Law is interested to receive PhD proposals relating to all core law subjects, and those relating to the specialist areas of its staff (including banking and finance, company law, employment law, environmental law, the law of evidence, intellectual property law, the law of the internet and legal pedagogies and practice). The Law School has a strong commitment to the promotion of social justice, and PhD proposals emphasising such themes are particularly encouraged.

Career prospects

During your time studying at the Faculty of Management and Law you will have the opportunity to take part in our distinctive career booster programme throughout the duration of your course. The programme is designed to equip you with the necessary skills and graduate attributes to be job-ready when seeking employment with leading innovative organisations. The Career Booster Programme offers you the opportunity to gain certificates in:

• The European Computer Driving License (ECDL) - the benchmark for digital literacy
• Sage 50 Accounting and Sage 50 Payroll - training that will allow you to develop leading accounting and payroll software skills
• Project Manager Professional certificates - giving you the edge when seeking to become a Certified Project Manager
• Big Data analysis and reporting skills - using Software and Services (SAS) that will lead to certification

In addition, the programme will also include activities to promote teamwork, confidence, communication and many other skills sought by employers.

Developing a portfolio of Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Certificates will demonstrate to employers that you are not only ambitious but also take responsibility for your own professional development.

Career support

The School of Law supports students on the PhD programme in a variety of ways. Those on campus can attend workshops, but for the most part support to PhD students is via one-to-one guidance - in addition there are training and development opportunities included in our unique and flexible Postgraduate Research Framework.

PhD students are often seeking a post in academia, and our careers and academic staff are able to provide guidance on this.