PhD Law

Our virtual week took place October 2024 – to find out about future sessions to explore postgraduate research opportunities across the university, please visit our study fairs and events page.

To stay up-to-date with future events and recorded sessions in the Faculty of Humanities, please join our postgraduate research email update list .

Apply online

Please ensure you include all required supporting documents at the time of submission, as incomplete applications may not be considered.

Application Deadlines

For consideration in internal funding competitions, you must submit your completed application by 1 December 2024. If you are applying for or have secured external funding (for example, from an employer or government) or are self-funding, you must submit your application before the below deadlines to be considered. You will not be able to apply after these dates have passed.

• For September 2025 entry: 30 June 2025
• For January 2026 entry: 30 September 2025

Before you start your application, you should:

1. Develop your own research proposal and project title.
2. Find a supervisor by browsing our academics' profiles, and reach out directly to discuss if they are interested in supporting your research.
3. Consider how you plan on funding your research and discuss this with your supervisor.

When you submit your application, you must include each of the below required documents:

• A 1,500 word  PhD research proposal ; Please state the word count on page 1 of the document.
• A copy of your Bachelor's academic transcript and certificate.
• A copy of your Master's academic transcript and certificate. If your Master's degree is pending, please provide an interim transcript.
• If you have completed more than one Bachelor's or Master's degree, please provide evidence for each. If your transcripts are in a language other than English, you must provide an official English translation. If your weighted average mark or GPA is not included on these documents, please also include an official document from your university verifying this information.
• An up-to-date academic CV summarising your academic record, employment history, publications and highlighting experience demonstrating your research potential.
• The names of two academic referees, including one from your most recent institution. Your referees will be contacted directly via the Referee Portal following the submission of your application form. You may wish to notify your referees to submit their references promptly, as this is part of the review process.
• A certificate or evidence demonstrating your English language ability and proficiency. Applications can be considered without this evidence but any offer would be conditional on meeting minimum requirements.

Research is central to the work of the Law department. 

Our diverse, intellectual community brings together legal and socio-legal scholars, criminologists, ethicists, economists and sociologists who undertake doctrinal and empirical research, resulting in the production of a wide range of scholarly and policy-oriented publications. 

Our research  shapes law, policy and social change through active engagement with policy-makers, legislators, NGOs and activists working in a broad range of disciplines and sectors. We invite you to explore our  research themes , through which we encourage collaboration and debate within the department and beyond.  

Our research degrees involve sustained, in-depth study into a specific topic, which is then written up as a thesis for examination.

Our core research is supported by research centres , providing direction and guidance for staff and PGRs with common interests.

By joining the School of Social Sciences you will receive specialist training on research methods in law and social sciences.

Having specialised research centres allows us to ensure our research is focused and makes a real impact, both within the University and the wider community.

• The Manchester Centre for Regulation, Governance and Public Law (ManReg) works to address regulatory issues in areas such as the environment, policing and intellectual property and biotechnology.
• Our international law expertise at the Manchester International Law Centre (MILC) covers a range of areas including international trade, armed conflicts and cyber security.
• Experts at the Centre for Social Ethics and Policy (CSEP) are leading the ethical research of today's healthcare and legal debates in areas such as assisted suicide and euthanasia, mental health and capacity issues and reproduction.

Undertaking a PhD is challenging, but you will receive expert supervision during your time with us. This supervision includes regular meetings with your supervisors and an annual review session for you to present details of your progress to other academic staff.  

Supervisors will normally be within the department, but collaborating with scholars from other areas of the University is also possible. Our dedicated researcher development team provides individual tailored training to support the progression of your research skills, as well as guidance for your career in academia or further afield. To test your ideas and disseminate your scholarship, we’ll actively support and encourage you to engage with the wider academic community to present your work to and receive feedback from scholars outside of Manchester.

For a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), you must successfully complete a period of supervised research and training, the results of which show convincing evidence of your capacity to pursue research and scholarship, and to make an original contribution and substantial addition to knowledge.   

Research training in legal methods: full-time PGRs are expected to attend at least 50% of the research training seminars over the course of the first year.

Part-time PGRs are required to attend a 25% minimum of seminars in their first year and another 25% in their second year. Second and third-year PGRs may return to take seminars they missed the previous year on an optional basis.  

You must prepare a substantial thesis of up to 80,000 words, and also satisfy the examiners in an oral examination on the subject of the thesis. The subject is chosen by you, but must be approved by the School's Research Committee.   

You may commence your studies in September or January (with September being the main admissions date).

The University of Manchester Library

Manchester is home to one of the UK's five National Research Libraries - one of the best-resourced academic libraries in the UK and widely recognised as one of the world's greatest research libraries.

Find out more about libraries and study spaces for postgraduate research students at Manchester.

Successful graduates can progress within a wide variety of roles in the legal professions and associated fields. 

The University has its own dedicated Careers Service that you would have full access to as a PGR and for two years after you graduate.  

At Manchester you will have access to a number of opportunities to help support you with your goals for the future.