15Jan
PostgraduateCourse summary
About us The School of Law is highly regarded for its research and has an active and vibrant research culture.We conduct research on a wide range of subjects spanning law, criminology, sociology, social policy, social work and forensic psychology. Our main research areas can be found here. To read detailed research profiles of our staff, and find information about their publications and projects, please click here for our Law, Criminology, and Sociology staff. For our Social Work researchers please click here. Research Facilities and Environment Our postgraduate research students enjoy a friendly and stimulating research environment and regular, personally-tailored supervisory sessions. Participating fully in the life of the School, our doctoral students are valued members of a close-knit group of academics. We provide regular monthly workshops where students take it in turns to present their work and receive feedback from other students and from the Director of Graduate Studies. Additional sessions may be offered on topics ranging from publishing to career choices on completion of a doctorate. Our lively annual Postgraduate Research Day is always well-attended and gives postgraduate researchers the opportunity to showcase their work to staff and students in the School of Law. We understand the importance of fostering doctoral students' professional skills, and fully support them in presenting papers at academic conferences in the UK and abroad. We are committed to our students' success, providing mock vivas, annual reviews, and personal advice on issues such as managing time pressures and meeting deadlines. Students are also actively encouraged to join one of the School’s four thriving research groups. Many members of the School's postgraduate community are from outside the UK, providing an opportunity for the exchange of ideas within an international context.
Assessment method
Students register for an MPhil and then participate in an upgrade process before the 20th month of their studies if full time (40th month part time). This requires them to submit chapters of their work for consideration by a panel of staff members and then make a formal presentation in front of this panel. Having upgraded students are expected to submit their thesis by the end of their third year, or at the latest by the end of their fourth year if full time (part time by the end of their 8th year).
How to apply
International applicants
With almost a third of our students joining us from outside the UK, Royal Holloway is a diverse community with a strong international spirit. Ranked highly in the UK and the world for international outlook in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings, Royal Holloway’s position recognises our global research impact and partnerships as well as student and staff diversity. Our alumni are found in 160 countries, working in industry, the arts, public sector and other areas, Royal Holloway is truly international both in ethos and impact. Within the 9,850 students enrolled at Royal Holloway, over 130 nationalities are represented, making our campus truly cosmopolitan. In addition, of the 104 societies and associations which enrich the post-study social life of our students, a quarter have an international flavour. We know a diverse community makes for a more creative and harder-working environment which benefits all our students, wherever they are from. Students from overseas can apply for all of our undergraduate degrees. We offer a range of additional support specifically for international students, including through our Centre for the Development of Academic Skills. For example, ‘Academic English’ for international students is provided for non-native speakers of English. The courses are designed to help you meet the challenges of academic work, including writing essays, following lectures, taking part in academic discussion and giving presentations. We also offer additional degree preparation courses for international students. See our website for full details. We have a number of scholarships that are dedicated to international students to help with tuition fees for undergraduate degrees. You can find a list of our current scholarship opportunities on our website.
Entry requirements
The School welcomes applications from suitably qualified and highly-motivated candidates. The application process for our postgraduate research programmes is interactive. We place great emphasis on matching prospective students to supervisors’ interests, building on our existing research activities. Interested potential applicants should first refer to our website to obtain a good idea of the School’s research expertise. The School is only able to consider applications in research areas of interest to its full-time academic staff. In the first instance, potential applicants should prepare a research proposal, outlining the project that they will undertake if accepted onto the PhD programme. This should be at least 4-5 pages long and should include a brief literature review, the key research questions stemming from this review, proposed methodology and a bibliography. Email this research proposal, along with a brief CV, to the Director of Graduate Studies, Professor Jonathan Gabe. If the proposal is met with interest by a potential supervisor, the Director of Graduate Studies will invite the candidate to discuss their proposal further via email with this person. If the potential supervisor recommends that the candidate should apply, the Director of Graduate Studies will request them to do so. UK-based applicants will be invited to visit the School for an interview while overseas applicants will be interviewed over the internet. Potential applicants may contact the Director of Graduate Studies with proposals at any stage of the academic year. They can begin their studies at three points in the academic year – September, January and April. English Language requirements for overseas PhD students to be accepted for study in the School of Law are as follows: IELTS: 6.5 overall with 7 in Writing and no sub-score below 5.5 PTE: 61 overall with 69 in Writing and no sub-score lower than 51 TOEFL: 88 overall with Listening 17, Reading 18, Speaking 20 and Writing 26
Fees and funding
Tuition fees
| EU | £19800 | Year 1 |
| International | £19800 | Year 1 |
Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website .
Additional fee information
No additional fees or cost information has been supplied for this course, please contact the provider directly.
Provider information
Royal Holloway, University of London
Egham
TW20 0EX