edinburgh university phd in law

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THE UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH

Different course options.

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Course Summary

Tuition fees, entry requirements, similar courses at different universities, key information data source : idp connect, qualification type.

PhD/DPhil - Doctor of Philosophy

Subject areas

Course type.

The Edinburgh Law School is a vibrant, collegial and enriching community of legal, sociolegal and criminology researchers and offers an excellent setting for doctoral research.

Our doctoral researchers are key to the School’s research activities, and we work hard to ensure that they are fully engaged with staff and projects across all of our legal disciplines.

You will find opportunities in the following fields: company and commercial law; comparative law; constitutional and administrative law; criminal law; criminology and criminal justice.

Upon completion of the PhD, the majority of our students progress to postdoctoral research or lecturing and teaching roles.

Recent graduates have also found employment in roles as diverse as prison governor, solicitor and policy adviser for organisations including: the International Criminal Court; The Hague; Anderson Strathern; HM Prison Service.

UK fees Course fees for UK students

To be confirmed

International fees Course fees for EU and international students

For this course (per year)

A UK 2:1 honours degree in law, arts or social sciences, and a UK Masters degree with at least 60% in the taught section and 65% or more in the dissertation, or their international equivalents. The majority of our applicants have studied law, but we are a comprehensive Law School covering a range of approaches to legal topics including social science, historical and philosophical enquiry; applications from non-law students with relevant studies and experience will be considered and if you require further guidance please contact us. Entry to this programme is competitive. Meeting minimum requirements for consideration does not guarantee an offer of study.

Bar Training Course LLM/PGDip

Bristol, university of the west of england, solicitors training course (sqe prep) pgdip/pgcert, global business and finance law, international law and security, law (criminal justice) llm, pdip, university of kent.

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Edinburgh Napier University

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Our graduates are employed at some of Scotland's leading law firms and other organisations, including The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service. They have also pursued a wide range of other career options.

Both courses are accredited by the Law Society of Scotland. They give you a broad foundation in the law of Scotland. They enable you to seek qualification as a solicitor in Scotland and pursue a wide range of other career options.

You can apply to join the student-run law clinic, where you will have the chance to advise real-life clients.

We are 3rd among UK modern universities for Law. (The Wur, 2023)

A Scots law degree is not only the first step towards qualifying as a solicitor in Scotland, but is also an excellent springboard to many other careers.

And where better to start than here at Edinburgh Napier, ranked top in Scotland for student satisfaction (Complete University Guide 2023).

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Our students have the opportunity to take part in our student-run law clinic. This is supported by local law firms and allows you the opportunity to put your learning into practice in real-life scenarios.

On our full-time Honours course, it is possible to study abroad in year three. We have partnerships with universities in Europe, US & Australia.

University of Virginia School of Law

From the Lagoon to the Libel Show to Law Grad

James Hornsby ’24, who was one of the primary drafters of the revised UVA honor code, says his motto has long been, “What doesn’t kill you makes you funnier.” Photo by Julia Davis

He hasn’t started his legal career yet, but James Hornsby ’24 is pretty sure he’s already endured his worst day at work.

He was 20, on a break from college and tasked with stirring a manure lagoon on his family’s farm in rural Tennessee, when he suddenly tumbled in. He emerged dripping liquid cow manure from head to toe — excrement spilling over the tops of his muck boots, his eyes caked and ears coated in brown.

“I crawled out and my dad was like, ‘Just hose off, boy, and get back to it,’” Hornsby said. “Bad day at the office, but that’s how you have to handle things sometimes. I always say, ‘What doesn’t kill you makes you funnier.’”

Perhaps he had several brushes with death, then, because when he graduates with his classmates on Sunday, one thing he can say with certainty looking back is that he made people at the University of Virginia School of Law laugh.

A self-described “theater-kid has-been,” Hornsby performed in UVA Law’s annual Libel Show all three years and took the helm of the comedy sketch revue his third year. Woven throughout this year’s show, his impersonation of a certain presidential candidate drew side-splitting laughs from the audience. Last year, he dressed in colonial drag to portray one of Libel’s “Founding Mothers,” Jamie Mad-at-her-son. His first year of Libel, he donned a wig to portray Dean Risa Goluboff in a takeoff of 'Hamilton's' King George, singing “You'll Be Back.”

“What I loved was leaning into the ridiculousness of it all,” Hornsby said. "We’re grown adults putting on a play for all our friends — and we’re rehearsing it quite seriously.”

He’s been known to ask for help by belting out a Patti LaBelle quote — “Where’re my background singers?” — from the time she was left in a lurch at a 1996 White House performance, according to Madalyn Moore ’24, his co-chair for this year’s gala celebrating Lambda Law Alliance’s  40th anniversary .

“We sing it back and forth all the time, but whenever we do that, we come together and see how we can tackle problems together,” Moore said.

Kate Granruth ’24, noted that Hornsby once loaned her his “beautifully constructed” Civil Rights Litigation outline.

“It was exactly like any top-notch outline,” Granruth said, “except that every Supreme Court holding was synthesized as ‘Supreme Court said NO, GIRL!’ or ‘YES, GIRL!’”

While Hornsby tends to speak in punchlines and erupt into infectious laughter, he does have a serious side, which showed itself while discussing the farm along the Tennessee River in Decatur, Tennessee. It’s been in his family for five generations and its size has been reduced three times — twice through eminent domain — to make way for railroads, a dam and a nuclear power plant.

It’s not clear who, if anyone, will keep it in the family.

He also spoke seriously of his role as the Law School’s delegate to the UVA Honor Constitutional Convention and as one of the primary drafters of the new multi-sanction Honor Committee constitution, which eliminated the one-year suspension as the sole punishment and restored expulsion as an option.

“The new system is much more focused on restorative justice and this idea that if you screw up, you’re at a university and we should be willing to help you learn from your mistakes,” Hornsby said. “With a yearlong suspension, you lose your scholarships, you have to go away for a year — if you’re a lower-income student, where are you going to go?”

He was so serious about the Virginia honor code, in fact, that he sought out a special arrangement to represent the Law School through his affiliation with the Libel Show when the Honor Committee turned him away as a Student Bar Association representative.

Before attending the Law School, Hornsby was student body president at Samford University, a small Christian college in Birmingham, Alabama. During his term, he created that school’s first honor code, blending and revamping aspects of Samford’s previous “values system” with its “academic integrity system” to create a more equitable and lenient code.

“One of my proudest moments was being able to add a provision saying it’s an honor code violation to discriminate based on sexual orientation and gender identity,” Hornsby said. “I was in the closet at the time — a glass closet — because I knew Samford was not a safe place for me to be out, but I also knew that I was tough, and I could make it better for students who came after me.”

When he was admitted to UVA Law, Hornsby was immediately welcomed by ambassadors who openly identified as LGBTQ+, a kindness he has gone on to repay by serving as both a Law School Ambassador and as president of Lambda Law Alliance.

“It was incredibly eye-opening and transformative, this idea that I didn’t have to apologize for being me,” Hornsby said. “I didn’t have to pretend, I didn’t have to go by an unspoken ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy.”

Hornsby has also served as a Peer Advisor, an SBA senator, a senior member of the editorial board of the Virginia Journal of Social Policy & the Law, and a research assistant for Professor Anne Coughlin . He was  named a Ritter Scholar at the beginning of his third year.

Coughlin called him “brilliant and analytical, ferociously hard-working, ethical” and “a natural leader who doesn’t need a title to be effective.”

She wasn’t finished. Coughlin also called him “deeply kind, witty and well-read, extremely graceful under extreme pressure, willing to confess his errors and forgiving of those who themselves have erred.”

No matter how much work Hornsby took on, he always delivered, said Grace Allaman, who served on the Lambda executive board and Libel Show with him.

“He’s involved with pretty much everything and is always thinking about how to make people’s lives better and improve our community here,” Allaman said. “No matter what chaos ensues, he charges ahead with a smile on his face and never gives up.”

Reflecting on the depth of his involvement, Hornsby saluted the five generations of farmers in his family, who valued education, learned that you can quickly lose that which seems permanent, and taught him to be grateful for opportunities handed down from past generations.

“I think part of what drove me to be so involved was because I’ve worked in the Admissions Office, so I realized just how many people would kill for the spot [at the Law School] I had,” Hornsby said. “And post-COVID, our class was tasked with bringing back all these big traditions that UVA Law was known for, and making sure that the things that make this place so special continue on.”

Among many other accomplishments she cited, Coughlin lauded Hornsby’s efforts to put together the Lambda gala, calling it “a party the likes of which the Law School has never seen.”

“While he was here, James made everything better,” Coughlin said. “He brought us joy. And his work here will endure, as he helped to shape the lives we might live.”

After graduation, Hornsby will work in the government investigations and white-collar litigation group at McGuireWoods in Washington, D.C.

Founded in 1819, the University of Virginia School of Law is the second-oldest continuously operating law school in the nation. Consistently ranked among the top law schools, Virginia is a world-renowned training ground for distinguished lawyers and public servants, instilling in them a commitment to leadership, integrity and community service.

Melissa Castro Wyatt Associate Director of Communications and Senior Writer Email

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Father-Son Classmates Graduate From Texas A&M School Of Law

David Lawson and his son Shannon naturally share many of the same qualities, like a witty sense of humor, natural curiosity and an ability to not take themselves too seriously. They recently added to the list of things they share in common – graduates of Texas A&M University’s School of Law.

The Lawsons, who earned their degrees this May, say it all began with a text message.

Shannon, 49,  was scrolling on his phone while waiting for a flight one day in 2022 when he came across an ad for the law school’s Master of Legal Studies (MLS) program with an emphasis in Cybersecurity Law and Policy . Shannon, who serves as chief information security officer for the City of Phoenix, was intrigued by the idea. Designed for non-lawyer professionals who don’t intend to practice law, the degree would give him legal expertise that would build on his background in cybersecurity.

Shannon had done cybersecurity work for the U.S. Navy, the state of Alaska and regional areas in Southern California. He and David had a combined 70 years of experience in the cybersecurity and information technology fields, and both father and son shared dreams of one day attending law school. So, Shannon texted his father.

“I always wanted to go to law school, but nothing ever aligned for me to do it,” Shannon said. “This program allowed me to tie (my degree) to cyber in a field that is high demand, low density.”

David, 75, was also attracted to the idea. He had been retired for nine years after a 45-year career in information technology. As chief information officer for West Jersey Health System and vice president of professional service at AllScript, he oversaw some of the nation’s most cutting-edge information and security systems. In retirement, David found himself dissatisfied with the slow pace of living, and still had an interest in expanding his skillset.

The father-son pair both decided to enroll in the MLS program, becoming online classmates in January 2023. Shannon did his studies from his home in Phoenix, and David from the Sarasota, Florida area.

Despite the distance, the Lawsons often shared notes and compared grades. And in the spirit of friendly competition, they pushed each other to see who could complete assignments first.

“We thought we had a clear idea of what would happen while going through this program. What ended up happening was that my dad would always be ahead of me in every class, which was understandable,” Shannon said. “I was working full-time, and I have a 10-year-old. So, my plate was full.”

For his part, David appreciated the accountability he received from Shannon. It also helped him adjust to the demands of going back to school.

“This program helped open a side of me that I always knew was there,” David said. “You’ve got to think and write, think some more, and then write some more. When you get older, people talk about the importance of exercising your mind. If you want to activate your brain, try going to law school.”

Throughout the program, the Lawsons learned new, innovative approaches to their craft. They also developed a fondness for their legal courses, particularly contract law, legal writing and alternative dispute resolution.

“The law classes were my favorite,” David said. “In my 40-plus years in the IT area, I was familiar with contracts, arbitration, negotiations and things like that. However, having taken these law classes, I am now able to better communicate with others in the room. When the attorneys talk, I now know how to talk and use the language that they understand. Just being able to speak their language is incredibly important.”

Shannon said he was also able to directly apply his new skills to his career.

“The law classes really made me more curious,” he said. “There was immediate applicability to the job that I’m in now because I work with procurement, the legal team and human resources for personnel investigations. It gave me the ability to use specific legal language to better participate in those conversations at work — which was awesome.”

For Shannon, this is his third master’s degree.

“I think it’s extra special that my dad and I were able to do it together,” he said. “I think it’s great because this opportunity doesn’t really present itself very often, and everything lined up perfectly at the right time.”

As the Lawson reflect up on their accomplishment and plan their next joint adventure, Shannon said their next venture will likely be “much tamer,” per his mother’s request.

“My mom told me to stop giving my dad ideas,” he joked.

This article by Justin Ikpo originally appeared on the School of Law website .

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International Law LLM

Awards: LLM

Study modes: Full-time, Part-time

Funding opportunities

Programme website: International Law

I had the opportunity to develop a broad and solid knowledge of International Law, while being supported throughout this journey by extraordinary academics. Philippe Leroy-Beaulieu LLM in International Law, 2017

Upcoming Introduction to Postgraduate Study and Research events

Join us online on the 19th June or 26th June to learn more about studying and researching at Edinburgh.

Choose your event and register

Programme description

This LLM is ideally suited to those wishing to specialise in public international law and offers you a firm foundation in the fundamentals of the international legal system and international relations.

The programme encourages and supports the development of independent thinking and research skills to prepare students for a career in international law or international organisations.

Courses will cover the theoretical basis for the development of international law, as well as exploring real-life examples and case studies on how rules and principles are applied in practice.

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.

Courses will be led by members of Edinburgh Law School academic staff, who are leaders in their field. 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.

• Programme structure and courses

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 this programme, you should have acquired a more sophisticated understanding of the international legal system, international law-making processes, the diverse functions of international law in contemporary society, differing approaches to the subject, and a greater familiarity with research materials and methods.

Career opportunities

This programme is suitable for professionally qualified lawyers wishing to practise international law, whether in law firms, at the bar, or as legal advisers in foreign ministries, other government departments, international organisations, or non-governmental organisations.

This programme may also provide the next step towards an academic career specialising in international law. It will also be of value to anyone seeking to develop a career in diplomacy, or international relations.

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 may also consider a UK 2:1 honours degree, or its international equivalent, in international relations or another social science subject.

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]
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• Programme: International Law
• School: Law
• College: Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

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

LLM International Law - 1 Year (Full-time)

Llm international 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:

Edinburgh Law School hosts 2024 ELFA Annual General Meeting and Conference

Mon 13 May 2024

On 17 to 19 April 2024, Edinburgh Law School hosted the annual Conference and AGM of the European Law Faculties Association (ELFA). Led by ELFA’s President and Chair of Private International Law at Edinburgh Law School  Professor Veronica Ruiz Abou-Nigm , the conference addressed the theme of  ‘The Future of Global Legal Education’ . 

The institutional welcome was given by Head of Edinburgh Law School  Professor Jo Shaw , Dean of Internationalisation at the University of Edinburgh’s College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (CAHSS)  Professor Soledad Garcia-Ferrari , and Professor Ruiz Abou-Nigm. The conference began with the Keynote Address by the Hon Lady Sarah P. L. Wolffe KC titled ‘Legal Education and the Making of Global Citizens’. This insightful opening led way to roundtable discussions that fostered diversity of approaches, dynamism, and engaging dialogue. 

The conference brought together over 130 distinguished rectors, deans, and faculty from across the globe who were warmly celebrated with a Gala Dinner on 18 April at Old College’s Playfair Library. Accompanied by a University of Edinburgh student string quartet, the dinner allowed for further networking between ELFA members and delegates from several associations that cooperate with ELFA, including the European Law Students Association (ELSA), the Council of Europe, the European Law Institute (ELI), the Society of Legal Scholars (SLS), the Law Schools Global League (LSGL), the South-Eastern Association of Law Schools (SEALS), and the American Association of Law Schools (AALS).

About this conference, Professor Ruiz Abou-Nigm said: “We were delighted to welcome to our Law School distinguished delegates representing members of the European Law Faculties Association from twenty-nine countries across four continents. It was a vibrant and insightful conference nurturing interconnection, cooperation, and fruitful learning from each other in legal education. Opportunities like this break down cultural barriers, build bridges across legal systems, foster empathy, and provide many good times and long-lasting memories! As President of ELFA (2023-2024), I am sincerely grateful with the fantastic team of Edinburgh Law School, with the ELFA Board of Directors, with ELFA Secretary and with all the distinguished delegates that joined us from around the world, for making ELFA Edinburgh 2024 a wonderful and memorable gathering.” 

ELFA has over 150 members in 49 countries. Fulfilling its mission of advancing the quality of legal education in Europe, ELFA is open to law schools from other regions as well, which makes it a global forum for legal education. 

European Law Faculties Association (ELFA)

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