law phd edinburgh

Degree Programme Table: Law (PhD) (Full-time) (PRPHDLAWAA1F)

Year 1 academic year: 2021/22, starting in: september.

There are no compulsory courses in this year of this programme.

Year 2 Academic year: 2021/22, Starting in: September

Year 3 academic year: 2021/22, starting in: september, course options, minimum of 80 points from group a, minimum of 20 points from approved list of courses, year 4 academic year: 2021/22, starting in: september, 120 points at level 10 or 11 including dissertations/projects/other pieces of work or work abroad.

• Schools & departments

Global Environment and Climate Change Law LLM

Awards: LLM

Study modes: Full-time, Part-time

Funding opportunities

Programme website: Global Environment and Climate Change Law

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Programme description

Environmental law is a dynamic, fast-developing and globally important area of law that requires not only specialist legal knowledge but also an understanding of underpinning political, economic and scientific issues.

This programme is designed to equip you with an advanced, multidisciplinary knowledge of the legal issues and techniques related to environmental protection, with special emphases on climate change and the marine environment.

You will analyse and evaluate the historic and ongoing development of international, European and national law for environmental protection, the interrelations between these different levels of law-making and the interactions between environmental law and other areas of law. You will also choose option courses to complement your legal studies with an analysis of the scientific and socioeconomic aspects of environmental protection.

This programme is affiliated with the University’s Global Environment & Society Academy:

• Visit Global Environment & Society Academy website

Programme structure

You must complete 180 credits of study – 60 credits are taken in the compulsory dissertation and the remaining 120 credits are taken in taught courses.

You will experience a range of teaching styles on these courses, led by members of Edinburgh Law School academic community and experienced legal and industry practitioners.

You are expected to prepare in advance by reading the required materials and by reflecting on the issues to be discussed, and your participation in classes will be assessed.

For the dissertation you will have a supervisor from whom you can expect guidance and support, but the purpose of the dissertation is to allow you to independently design and conduct a piece of research and analysis.

Please note that due to unforeseen circumstances or lack of demand for particular courses, we may not be able to run all courses as advertised come the start of the academic year.

• Find out more about the programme and course structure

Find out more about compulsory and optional courses

We link to the latest information available. Please note that this may be for a previous academic year and should be considered indicative.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the programme, students will have acquired an in-depth understanding of concepts, innovations and challenges characterising the law on environmental protection, natural resource management and responses to climate change, at the international, European and national level.

Students will also develop the critical skills necessary to carry out independent analysis of the activity of international and supranational legal and political institutions, national governments and domestic courts, NGOs and the private sector in this field.

Openness to different scholarly approaches within law will be encouraged, by offering the opportunity to complement specialised law courses with courses offered by the School of Social and Political Science, the Business School and the School of Geosciences addressing questions related to the scientific and socio-economic aspects of environmental protection.

The programme is suitable to prepare students for the increasingly broad range of specialised job opportunities offered at the national and international level by the public and private sector, as well as for advanced research.

Career opportunities

The Global Environment & Climate Change Law programme is a gateway to graduates finding careers as specialised legal drafters, government advisers, international negotiators, legal advisers to private companies and NGOs, international civil servants, specialised researchers in academic and think-tank institutions and independent consultants.

Teaching staff will be available to support students in identifying internship opportunities in international and non-governmental organisations, academia and think-tanks. Recent graduates are now working in legal roles internationally, including in India, Mexico and the Netherlands, and for the European Commission.

Student testimonial

Entry requirements.

These entry requirements are for the 2024/25 academic year and requirements for future academic years may differ. Entry requirements for the 2025/26 academic year will be published on 1 Oct 2024.

A UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent, in law.

We will also consider candidates with a degree in a related discipline which includes relevant prior study.

In evaluating your application for postgraduate study, greater emphasis may be placed upon results of prior learning in subjects relevant to the intended degree programme.

Entry to this programme is competitive. Meeting minimum requirements for consideration does not guarantee an offer of study.

Supporting your application

Relevant work experience is not required but may increase your chances of acceptance.

Relevant professional qualifications will be considered.

Preference will be given to those with grades above the minimum requirements due to strong competition for places on this programme.

Students from China

This degree is Band A.

• Postgraduate entry requirements for students from China

International qualifications

Check whether your international qualifications meet our general entry requirements:

• Entry requirements by country
• English language requirements

Regardless of your nationality or country of residence, you must demonstrate a level of English language competency at a level that will enable you to succeed in your studies.

English language tests

We accept the following English language qualifications at the grades specified:

• IELTS Academic: total 7.0 with at least 7.0 in writing and 6.5 in all other components. We do not accept IELTS One Skill Retake to meet our English language requirements.
• TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition): total 100 with at least 25 in writing and 23 in all other components.
• C1 Advanced ( CAE ) / C2 Proficiency ( CPE ): total 185 with at least 185 in writing and 176 in all other components.
• Trinity ISE : ISE III with passes in all four components.
• PTE Academic: total 70 with at least 70 in writing and 62 in all other components.

Your English language qualification must be no more than three and a half years old from the start date of the programme you are applying to study, unless you are using IELTS , TOEFL, Trinity ISE or PTE , in which case it must be no more than two years old.

Degrees taught and assessed in English

We also accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree that has been taught and assessed in English in a majority English speaking country, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration:

• UKVI list of majority English speaking countries

We also accept a degree that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English speaking countries (non-MESC).

• Approved universities in non-MESC

If you are not a national of a majority English speaking country, then your degree must be no more than five years old* at the beginning of your programme of study. (*Revised 05 March 2024 to extend degree validity to five years.)

Find out more about our language requirements:

Fees and costs

If you receive an offer of admission, either unconditional or conditional, you will be asked to pay a tuition fee deposit of £1,500 (within 28 days of receiving your offer) to secure your place on the programme.

Find out more about tuition fee deposits:

• Tuition fee deposit policy

Living costs

You will be responsible for covering living costs for the duration of your studies.

Tuition fee

Scholarships and funding, uk government postgraduate loans.

If you live in the UK, you may be able to apply for a postgraduate loan from one of the UK’s governments.

The type and amount of financial support you are eligible for will depend on:

• your programme
• the duration of your studies
• your tuition fee status

Programmes studied on a part-time intermittent basis are not eligible.

• UK government and other external funding

Other funding opportunities

Search for scholarships and funding opportunities:

• Search for funding

Further information

• Edinburgh Law School Postgraduate Office
• Phone: +44 (0)131 650 2386
• Contact: [email protected]
• Old College
• South Bridge
• Central Campus
• Programme: Global Environment and Climate Change Law
• School: Law
• College: Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

Select your programme and preferred start date to begin your application.

LLM Global Environment and Climate Change Law - 1 Year (Full-time)

Llm global environment and climate change law - 2 years (part-time), application deadlines.

Due to high demand, the school operates a number of selection deadlines. We will make a small number of offers to the most outstanding candidates on an ongoing basis, but hold the majority of applications until the next published selection deadline when we will offer a proportion of the places available to applicants selected through a competitive process.

Deadlines for applicants applying to study in 2024/25:

Please note that the deadline for meeting the conditions of an offer is 18 August 2024.

Please be aware that applications must be submitted and complete, i.e. all required documents uploaded, by the relevant application deadline in order to be considered in that round. Your application will still be considered if you have not yet met the English language requirement for the programme.

• How to apply

You must submit one reference with your application.

Find out more about the general application process for postgraduate programmes:

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Tuition fees

You can find tuition fees for our Research degrees on the University's degree finder.

2023-24 tuition fees

• PhD Law - 3 years (full time)
• PhD Law - 6 years (part time)
• LLM by Research - 1 year (full time)
• LLM by Research - 2 years (part time)

We charge different rates depending on your fee status, for example 'home' or 'overseas'.

Your tuition fee status is determined by:

• your nationality
• the country where you normally live - where you are 'ordinarily resident'

Find out your tuition fee status

The University offers a 10% discount in postgraduate tuition fees for all alumni who have graduated with an undergraduate degree from the University of Edinburgh (conditions apply).

Find out more about the graduate discount scheme

The University accepts a range of payment methods and tuition fees can be paid in full or in instalments.

Find out more about how to pay your tuition fees

The University's Scholarships and Student Funding department provide detailed information about the University's tuition fee policy.

Tuition fee policy

Please contact us if you have any questions about studying for a research degree at Edinburgh Law School.

[email protected]

Key information

University of Edinburgh fees and funding

Why Edinburgh Law School?

University of Edinburgh Scholarships

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Subject area: Social Policy

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About our degrees.

We offer a range of options for postgraduate study: from professional qualifications to independent research, on-campus taught programmes to part-time, online study. Find out which graduate study option is right for you:

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