Read before applying
In choosing to embark on a PhD or an LLM by Research we recognise that you are committing to undertake a substantial piece of work over an extended period. Glasgow University School of Law maintains a vibrant research community and we welcome strong PhD applications from all suitably qualified candidates. There are steps you can take to make it more likely that we are able to make an offer of supervision.
• We would prefer applications in which it is made clear that you have identified specific reasons to undertake your substantial research project at the University of Glasgow School of Law, and state clearly who the potential supervisor or supervisors might be (a generic application which has clearly been sent to large numbers of universities or academics is less likely to be successful). Applications which do not align closely with the expertise of our academic staff are likely to be rejected.
• We are unlikely to supervise applications focusing on the law of jurisdictions, or heavily dependent on the law of such a jurisdiction, in respect of which we do not have expertise.
• Applications are likely to be improved if a potential supervisor has first been contacted before submitting a formal application. Note that an ideal supervisor may be unable to offer supervision due to existing commitments - contacting them may help make this clear at an early stage.
Please refer to the list of supervision expertise of our academic staff
A full application should include:
• A clear introduction to the proposal, setting out identifiable research questions
• A fully referenced discussion of relevant literature, setting out your proposed research in the context of this, and explaining how your research will add to this
• A proposed methodology
• A draft outline of main headings – at least at the Chapter level
• A draft timetable for the work
• A bibliography
The above should not exceed 15 pages in length and is unlikely to be less than 8 pages in length.
We are not always able to make an offer of supervision, even when the application is strong, due to restrictions arising from our capacity, and from research priorities.