School of Law PhD Scholarships

About the Project

The School of Law invites applications for up to two funded PhD scholarships for doctoral research, either in Scots Private Law or UK Public Law, commencing in October 2024.  Indicative topics that would be appropriate for these awards include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • For Scots Private Law (including topics in private international law): contracts and obligations, delict (including negligence), equity and trusts, family law, property law (including family property), remedies, and wills and succession.
  • For UK Public Law: administrative law, devolution, the judiciary and judicial review, the executive and executive power, Parliament and parliamentary sovereignty, the rule of law, and the separation of powers.

About the School/Research Group

The University of Glasgow, founded in 1451, is one of Scotland’s ancient universities and the 4th oldest university in the English-speaking world. Today, the University’s School of Law is a vibrant and cosmopolitan centre for world-leading legal scholarship, recognized by the 2021 Research Excellence Framework as one of the top 5 law schools in the United Kingdom for academic research.  Further information about the University of Glasgow’s School of Law can be found at https://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/law/. The following pages may be of particular interest:

Eligibility

The scholarships are open to anyone who, by September 2024, will hold an honours degree in Law or an honours degree in another discipline followed by a graduate LLB. A Master’s degree (or overseas equivalent) may be an advantage but is not essential. Applicants without a Master’s degree may, if successful, be asked to register initially for the LLM by research with a view to transferring to the PhD programme at the end of their first year of study.

Applicants must have a minimum of an upper second-class honours undergraduate degree (or overseas equivalent), which should include evidence of at least some performance at first-class level (or overseas equivalent). Applicants without a Master’s degree (completed or in progress) must either have achieved (or be predicted to achieve) a first-class honours (or ‘distinction’) degree classification in their LLB (or overseas equivalent).

Please note that all applicants must also meet the entry requirements of the Law, PhD.

Award details

The scholarships will provide funding for three years of research towards a PhD in Law. The programme will commence in October 2024. The full scholarship package includes:

  • An annual maintenance grant (stipend) indexed to the UKRI rate
  • Fees at the standard Home rate rate
  • Recipients can also draw on a Research Training Support Grant (RTSG) of up to £940 per annum.

Applicants may apply to hold the scholarship on a part-time basis over five years: where this is the case it should be made explicit in the application. Part-time applicants must be able to commit 50% of full-time equivalent to PhD study and must include a realistic assessment of how the time required to complete a PhD will be balanced with other commitments. International applicants may have visa restrictions that preclude undertaking a PhD on a part-time basis

The scholarship does not cover fees at the international rate but successful applicants who are required to pay international fees may be able to apply separately for a waiver of the difference in fees. There will be no obligation to accept any award before a decision on such an application is confirmed.

Other information

Applicants are encouraged to contact potential supervisors for advice before applying; potential supervisors cannot suggest a topic but may be able to advise on the feasibility of - and suggest potential refinements to - a proposed area of study. 

How to apply

Applicants must apply via the Scholarships Application Portal (please see Scholarships Application Portal - Applicant Guide for further details) uploading the following documentation:

  • School of Law PhD Scholarships application form (in Word format)
  • Academic transcripts (All relevant Undergraduate and Master’s level degree transcripts (and translations, if not originally in English) – provisional transcripts are sufficient if you are yet to complete your degree).
  • Contact details for two referees (where possible your referees should include an academic familiar with your work (within the last 5 years). Both referees can be from academics but you may include a work referee, especially if you have been out of academia for more than 5 years).
  • Curriculum Vitae (CV) (academic where applicable).

*Please note that when you enter your referees contact details on the Scholarships Application Portal and send the reference request, your referees are expected to provide their references by the closing date of the Scholarship (below). It is strongly recommended you complete this as soon as possible, as late or incomplete applications will not be considered.

Closing Date: 31 May 2024

Selection process

Applications will be assessed by a selection panel and shortlisted applicants may be asked to attend a remote interview.

All scholarship awards are subject to candidates successfully securing admission to a PhD programme within the School of Law.  Successful scholarship applicants will be invited to apply for admission to the relevant PhD programme after they are selected for funding.

Contact details

Susan Holmes (Susan.Holmes@glasgow.ac.uk)