The School provides supervision for research leading to the degree of PhD (minimum three years full time or four years part time). The School also offers supervision leading to the degree of MPhil (minimum two years full time or three years part time) and, from September 2007, will offer an LLM by Research (one year full time, two years part time) and an innovative LLM in Legal Research (one year full time, two years part time; this programme combines dedicated legal research training modules (Theories and Philosophies of Legal Research; Methods of Legal Research), a core subject course, and an extended dissertation relative to the taught LLM degree programmes - it is an ideal choice for students who might be interested in pursuing doctroral research in law in the future). Our research degree graduates pursue a broad range of career options.

Supervision is available across the full range of legal subjects. This includes most aspects of private law, as well as comparative law; commercial law; financial law and taxation; criminal law; legal history; intellectual property and information technology law; medical law; most aspects of general international law, as well as law of the sea, international economic law, international environmental law, law of armed conflict, and international criminal law; most public law subjects, including human rights, environmental law and media law; the law and institutions of the European Union; legal theory and jurisprudence; criminology and criminal justice; and socio-legal studies and the sociology of law. The list of LLM and MSc subjects is a good guide to the research interests of many members of staff, so are staff publications listed on the School website.

The School will only admit students whose research interests correspond to those of a member of staff who could provide adequate supervision, and where adequate basic resources exist to facilitate the research. Applicants should provide a clear statement of their research intentions when they apply, in the form of a short research proposal (see further below). Your inability to identify a topic, our inability to provide adequate supervision of the topic, or the absence of suitable research materials are all grounds for rejecting an application. Choosing a topic can be difficult; if in doubt it is always better to aim for something that seems interesting and on which there is something original to say. Intending applicants are advised to contact the School if they have any queries concerning the availability of supervision and the suitability of their intended areas of research.

The maximum permitted word length of an LLM by research thesis is 30 000 words, 60 000 words for an MPhil thesis and 100 000 words for a PhD thesis. For students taking the LLM in Legal Research, the dissertation length is 15 000 words.

The principal grounds for awarding a PhD degree are that it is an original work making a significant contribution to knowledge in the field of study and containing material worthy of publication. Criteria defining the standards required for the award of the different research degrees are set out in University regulations and codes of practice. Candidates for research degrees are examined orally by an external examiner expert in the subject and an internal examiner. There is no written examination.

When applying for a PhD, your research proposal should be no more than 1500 words and should include the following:

• a clear statement of your proposed research topic
• the key research questions that you intend to address
• the broader context of your research topic i.e. an indication of the relevant key sources in the field, both primary and secondary
• where relevant, the approach or methodologies that you intend to apply.

If possible, please attach also one sample of your written work (for example, a relevant publication, academic essay or dissertation).

Students applying for an MPhil or for an LLM by Research should summarise their intended field of research on the relevant section of the postgraduate application form ('intended field of study') and should also attach a brief outline of their intended project following the general guidance above to the extent possible.

We aim to provide office space (one of our three PhD student offices is pictured above) and a desktop computer for our PhD students. All research students are also able to draw upon the many other resources we have to offer, including library and computing facilities, seminar and lecture series, and research training seminars.

The School of Law runs a series of Research Training Seminars for its research students. The aim of the seminars is to help develop research and thesis writing skills. Seminar topics may include: literature surveys and footnoting techniques; planning a thesis; the examination process, including the oral ('viva') examination; presentation techniques for giving papers in public; and applying for jobs, especially in academia or research. Students are also encouraged to give brief talks on their work in progress, followed by questions and comments from others. The seminar format allows students to discuss and to learn from each other, and also to discuss with and learn from research staff.

For information on funding for postgraduate studies, see http://www.law.ed.ac.uk/pg/scholarships.aspx

note also: details on AHRC funding for their 2007-2008 competition (including research masters) are now available at
http://www.ahrc.ac.uk/about/programmesoverview/postgraduate_programme_overview.asp (and then follow the relevant link on the right-hand side, depending upon which of the three schemes might apply). Please note that AHRC applications should reach the Law School by 31 March 2007 to enable timely completion of the institutional elements before the AHRC's own May deadline.