Law PHD

Research themes

• Artificial intelligence and law
• Chinese comparative law
• Criminal law and neuroscience
• European Union law
• European Union law and healthcare law
• Health sciences and law
• Human rights law
• International economic law
• Kantian legal philosophy and other intellectual historical approaches to legal problems, such as terrorism, human rights and refugee law
• Language and law
• Mental health law and neuroscience
• Methodology of intellectual legal history
• Philosophy of constitutional law
• Philosophy of contract law
• Philosophy of criminal law
• Philosophy of humanitarian law
• Philosophy of neuroscience and law
• Philosophy of tort law
• Philosophy of WTO
• Public international law
• Roman legal history and private law
• Rule of law and transnational law
• Rule of law in China
• Socio-legal approaches to mental health and law, sex crimes, sentencing
• Technology and law
• Terrorism and law
• The logic of war
• The nature of law
• The normativity of law
• The philosophy of law and economics
• Topics in international public law, such as state succession.

Our academic staff

See a full list of all our academic staff within the School of Law.

Research facilities

The research centres at the School of Law are a core part of our research activities, and provide an important platform for the intellectual development of our research students.

We currently have three research centres and two research groups:

• The Surrey Centre for Law and Philosophy
• The Sir James Fitzjames Stephen Centre for Criminal Law and Criminalisation
• The Centre for Chinese Law and Socio-Legal Studies
• The Environmental Regulatory Research Group
• The Surrey International and European Law Research Group.

You’ll get office space, PCs, access to major electronic databases and a wide range of online research tools and resources. You’ll also have access to the latest e-resources and to our Library and Learning Centre facilities.

Entry requirements

Applicants are expected to hold at least a 2:1 Bachelors degree along with a Masters degree at a minimum of a merit level in Law, or other relevant discipline, from an approved university.

If you are unable to offer these qualifications, you may still be considered for admission if you hold a first-class Bachelors degree in Law, or other relevant discipline, from an approved university, or a professional or other qualification deemed to be appropriate and equivalent.

View entry requirements by country

English language requirements

IELTS Academic: 7.0 or above (or equivalent) with 6.5 in each individual category.

View the other English language qualifications that we accept.

If you do not currently meet the level required for your programme, we offer intensive pre-sessional English language courses, designed to take you to the level of English ability and skill required for your studies here. The University of Surrey is also an IELTS test centre.

Selection process

Selection is based on applicants meeting the expected entry requirements, assessment of application, successful interview and suitable references where required.

For fees payable in 2018/19, these will increase by 4 per cent, rounded up to the nearest £100 for subsequent years of study. Any start date other than October will attract a pro-rata fee for that year of entry (75 per cent for January, 50 per cent for April and 25 per cent for July).

Overseas students applying for 2018 entry should note that annual fees will rise by 4% rounded up to the nearest £100.

View a complete list of all fees for our research programmes.

Additional costs

There are additional costs that you can expect to incur when studying at Surrey. Find out more.

Funding

There are various opportunities to support your doctoral studies.

Postgraduate Doctoral Loan

A Postgraduate Doctoral Loan can help with course fees and living costs while you study a postgraduate doctoral course. 

Scholarships

The University is pleased to be able to offer:

• Fee scholarships: We have 37 scholarships available to support talented international doctoral researchers. These awards consist of a scholarship to cover the difference between overseas and UK/EU tuition fees. Apply now.
• 25 per cent partial fee scholarships: We have 14 scholarships to support prospective international PhD students. Successful applicants will benefit from a 25 per cent international tuition fee reduction. Apply now.

How to apply

Research proposal

Before applying, please download our research proposal guidance document for information on submitting a suitable research proposal.

Writing sample

Applicants should submit an academic essay or other writing sample, written in English. If the text is an excerpt, please preface the text by a short note that puts the writing sample in context. The essay will be assessed for:

• general understanding of the relevant area and its main problems
• the ability to analyse and assess, and to construct and defend arguments
• the clarity, structure and coherence of expression.

The dropdown below shows the available start months for this course. Please select from one of these available months when you are asked for your preferred start date within the application form.