Law MPhil, PhD

Here at the Faculty of Business and Law, the goal of our research is to develop a better understanding of the challenges arising from the role and application of law in the community, especially challenges around access to justice and inclusion. You’ll find staff with expertise in three broad areas: Law and Society, Digital Economy and Arbitration Law, and Criminal Justice.

Our Law and Society researchers have addressed a range of contemporary social issues in the areas of human rights and vulnerable communities, family law, Sharia law and the regulation of sports. This research ranges from the impact of Brexit on the welfare rights EU Roma migrants in the United Kingdom to parents’ rights over their children’s religious upbringing in the context of the government’s PREVENT strategy, and issues of family law and the legal regulation of intimate relationships.

Our Digital Economy and Arbitration Law researchers have engaged with the pressing legal and regulatory implications of developments in the areas of International Arbitration, as well as Information and Communication Technologies, including strategies for bridging the digital divide, the regulation of online behavioural advertising on Facebook and other social networking sites, copyright reform, sports law, and foundational questions relating to authority and authorisation in international investment dispute settlement.

Our Criminal Justice researchers have engaged with the global challenges of international counter-terrorism and, in particular, the prosecution of members of Islamic State for international crimes against the Yazidis. This research strand has also focused on issues of criminal procedure, such as the role of precedent in international criminal courts and tribunals and the impact of scientific evidence, such as DNA evidence, on the criminal trial. Many of the research projects undertaken by our researchers have strongly interdisciplinary theoretical and methodological design.

We’ll allocate you two supervisors suited to your area of research, with additional staff members available if necessary, and provide you with a rich and stimulating environment in which to conduct your research.

As a PhD student here, you'll be affiliated with the Centre for Access to Justice and Inclusion, which engages in research, dialogue and policy initiatives to promote the important values of access to justice and inclusion. We also host and take part in many other research events, including regular Faculty and departmental research seminars, which will allow you to present your research in a safe and supportive setting. These events, along with our online environment, will help you connect with other research students from a range of disciplines.

All your subject-specific studies will be enhanced and supported by our university-wide training sessions, where you’ll gain important research expertise in areas like ethics, presentations, intellectual property and digital scholarship.

Completion times
MPhil: full-time 1-3 years, part-time 2-4 years.

PhD via progression from MPhil, including that period: full-time 2.5-5 years, part-time 3.5-6 years.

PhD: full-time 2-4 years, part-time 3-6 years.

For further guidance on the duration of research degrees please refer to the Research Degrees Regulations.