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Law (Structured PhD)

Structured PhD (Law)

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Course Overview
Course Outline
Research Areas
Course Fees
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Course Overview

The purpose of structuring the doctoral programme is to provide the support and skills that students need to help achieve their academic and professional goals. The structured PhD is a formalised, integrated programme of education, training, research, personal and professional development activities. It enables the development of discipline-specific knowledge and research skills as well as generic transferable skills.

Supervision is by a principal supervisor (and co-supervisor where applicable) who is responsible for providing guidance on the research carried out by the student and manages the student’s training. The student and supervisor are supported by a Graduate Research Committee (GRC). The GRC formally monitors student progress through an annual review process in line with national and international best practice.

The Structured PhD is available as a 4-year Full Time programme or a 6–year Part Time programme (360 ECTS).

Each student must obtain a total of 30 ECTS through structured modules having a taught or skills component, over the course of the PhD and the remaining 330 ECTS are awarded for the Dissertation.

New entrants will normally register for the programme in September of each year.

Optional Modules:
Students select modules in consultation with their supervisor and/or Graduate Research Committee from the catalogue of PhD modules to support their professional development.

Useful Documents/Links:

Programmes Available

Structured PhD (full-time, four years; part-time, six years)

Applications are made online via University of Galway's Postgraduate Applications System.

Associated

Learning Outcomes

Entry Requirements

To be eligible for admission to the PhD programme, a candidate must normally have obtained an LL.M or other Master’s degree to honours standard (or equivalent international qualification). However, at a minimum, the candidate must have reached a high honours standard at the examination for the primary degree or presented such other evidence as will satisfy the Head of School and the College of his/her fitness.

Who’s Suited to This Course

Current research projects

Current funded research opportunity

Work Placement

Related Student Organisations

Career Opportunities

Find a Supervisor / PhD Project

If you are still looking for a potential supervisor or PhD project or would like to identify the key research interests of our academic staff and researchers, you can use our online portal to help in that search

Course Outline

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Research Areas

If you are considering applying for a PhD, you should first prepare a research proposal – see this Graduate Research Proposals in Law guidance document for more on what this should contain.

You should also consider how you will fund your studies. The two main sources of scholarships in Galway are the Hardiman scheme and the Irish Research Council Government of Ireland Postgraduate Scholarship Programme. The College of Business, Public Policy and Law, the School of Law and the Research Centres will also sometimes have funding for specific projects from time to time – please check our social media presences to stay up to date on those. In general, individual staff will not have funding for new PhD students and sourcing this is your responsibility.

Areas of expertise include:

Human Rights
Disability Law
Housing Law and Policy
Family Law
Constitutional Law
Criminal Law
Criminology
Refugee and Immigration Law
Information Technology Law
Lawtech/Legaltech
Intellectual Property Law
EU Law
Commercial Law
Jurisprudence

Researcher Profiles

Once you have a well-developed proposal and have considered the practicalities, you should review the profiles and expertise of our staff to locate individuals who are a good match for your research proposal. You can also use our online portal to help locate a supervisor in a research area. Candidates who are unsure who to contact in relation to supervision, or who wish to obtain more information, should review the current relevant staff listing or contact Dr. Charles O'Mahony or the School of Law Administration.

A generic message to all staff is unlikely to yield success. Contact an appropriate expert with your proposal and CV, explaining clearly how your project fits with their interests. If your intended supervisor responds positively, they will assist you in finalising your application, which then needs to be submitted through the relevant online platform. Your application will then be considered by the School of Law. Candidates, proposed topic, and intended supervisor of research must be approved by the School.