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Key information
Award:
MPhil
PhD
Study mode:
Full time
Part time
Campus:
Strand Campus
The Dickson Poon School of Law’s vision for its research culture is to create a focal point for interdisciplinary, transnational legal research that encourages cross-fertilisation of ideas within existing areas of strength while incorporating a new global perspective. One of a handful of Law Schools around the world pioneering a transnational approach, our aim is to foster innovative research that yields new insights for global challenges relating to personal responsibility, health, wealth, justice, communication and governance.
The Dickson Poon School of Law is also home to various research centres and groupings which enjoy strong international and national reputations. These centres contribute to legal and wider public discourse on important current issues. You may well find that your PhD project and research interests align with the themes and scope of one of our research centres or groups, where you will find opportunities to be involved with their projects and activities. We are home to the Centre of Construction Law & Dispute Resolution, Centre for Climate Law and Governance, Centre of European Law, Global Investor Stewardship, Centre for International Governance and Dispute Resolution (CIGAD), Centre of Medical Law and Ethics, the Centre for Technology, Ethics, Law and Society (TELOS), Transnational Law Institute (TLI), and The Yeoh Tiong Lay Centre for Politics, Philosophy and Law (YTL).
We have a thriving cohort of PhD students from all over the world. Their projects cover a broad range of topics from intellectual property to information technology, from competition law to counter-rules, from global justice to gender equality.
You can meet some of our current PhD students on our Faculty's People pages.
For more information on recent publications and current research degree projects, visit the Research Portal.
Course detail
You can find an overview of our PhD programme, including a timeline of progression and details of Student Life on our PhD course description page.
We have a single entry point in October each year, we do not consider applications for January entry at this time.
Candidates should identify and approach their potential first supervisor before applying. Applications from candidates without a named, agreed supervisor from The Dickson Poon School of Law will not be considered. Please refer to our people directory to identify academic or research area.
PLEASE NOTE: Visiting staff are not eligible for supervision. Please do not submit an application without first contacting your potential first supervisor and securing their support and agreement for your application, as this may result in a rejection of your application.
The majority of our research students are full-time; however, we are able to offer study on a part-time basis in exceptional circumstances. To apply for part-time study, please choose the full-time route via the application portal and be prepared to make a case at your interview.
Joint PhD: Master/Doctor of Philosophy in Law Research with Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
We also offer a joint programme with Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, that can be studied full-time or part-time.
In the King’s Apply portal, please select the Law Research with Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin MPhil/PhD programme if you intend to undertake the joint qualification.
Applicants must apply separately to Humboldt and King’s College London no matter which university is their chosen home institution.
Application deadline for all applicants:
- 1 December 2024 (to be considered for internal funding)
- 1 April 2025 (if you're not being considered for internal funding)
This programme qualifies for a King’s Joint PhD Scholarship for full-time study.
UK Tuition Fees 2025/26
Full time tuition fees: £9,500 per year
Part time tuition fees: £4,750 per year
International Tuition Fees 2025/26
Full time tuition fees: £25,500 per year
Part time tuition fees: £12,750 per year
These tuition fees may be subject to additional increases in subsequent years of study, in line with King's terms and conditions.
Internal funding from The Dickson Poon School of Law
Please note: You MUST apply in Round 1 to be considered for any internal funding.
You may apply for as many internal funding schemes are you are eligible for. Enter each code separated by a comma.
The Dickson Poon School of Law Studentship x 1
Value of the award: This is a fully funded studentship that includes 3 years of fees + a maintenance stipend at the UKRI level.
Eligibility: Any nationality, any area of legal research.
How to apply: On the funding section of your King’s Apply Admissions Application Form, ensure you tick the box ‘Applied to a King’s funding scheme’ and enter the code below.
Award Scheme Code: LAW2025
Deadline: Apply by 1st December 2024
Centre of European Law Studentship (CEL) x 1
Value of the award: This is a fully funded studentship that includes 3 years of fees + a maintenance stipend at the UKRI level.
Eligibility: Any nationality. The subject area of proposed PhD research must relate to the centre’s research themes and European Law as broadly defined. See Centre of European Law for more information.
How to apply: On the funding section of your King’s Apply Admissions Application Form, ensure you tick the box ‘Applied to a King’s funding scheme’ and enter the code below.
Award Scheme Code: CEL2025
Deadline: Apply by 1st December 2024
Nash Scholarship (Centre for Construction Law and Dispute Resolution) x 1
Value of the award: This is a fully funded studentship that includes 3 years of fees + a maintenance stipend at the UKRI level.
Eligibility : Any nationality.
How to apply: On the funding section of your King’s Apply Admissions Application Form, ensure you tick the box ‘Applied to a King’s funding scheme’ and enter the code below.
Award Scheme Code: Nash2025
Additionally, please submit: 500 words statement explaining how you meet these criteria: a) strong experience in construction law and/or dispute resolution; (b) strong ability, potential an commitment to complete the PhD; (c) high academic achievements or equivalent practical experience
Note: This studentship is awarded by a specific Nash Scholarship Committee in conjunction with the research centre, all awards are at the discretion of the centre.
Deadline: Apply by 1st December 2024
Yeoh Tiong Lay Centre for Politics, Philosophy and Law PhD Studentship (YTL) x 1
Value of the award: This is a fully funded studentship that includes 3 years of fees + a maintenance stipend at the UKRI level.
Eligibility: Any nationality. The subject area of proposed PhD research must relate to the centre’s research themes as broadly defined. See the YTL Centre website for more information.
How to apply: On the funding section of your King’s Apply Admissions Application Form, ensure you tick the box ‘Applied to a King’s funding scheme’ and enter the code below.
Award Scheme Code: YTL2025
Deadline: Apply by 1st December 2024
King’s College London Funding
King’s-China Scholarship Council PhD Scholarship programme (K-CSC)
This opportunity supports students from China who are seeking to study an MPhil/PhD degree at King's College London.
Award Value: Full international tuition fees covered by King’s College London. From the CSC an annual living allowance (currently set at a rate of £1200-1350 per month) plus overseas student health cover, return airfare to London and visa application fees. The Scholarships are valid for up to 4 years.
Eligibility: Must be a citizen or permanent resident of the People’s Republic of China. Please check further criteria on the link below.
Application deadline & how to apply: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/study-legacy/funding/kings-china-scholarship-council-phd-scholarship-programme-k-csc
Other King’s College London Funding for PhD Students
We encourage you to check for opportunities which suit individual candidates listed on the King’s College London Postgraduate Funding Database or International Research Student Funding list.
External Funding
London Arts & Humanities Doctoral Training Partnership (LAHP DTP)
King’s College London is one of eight Higher Education Institutions (HEI) partnered with the AHRC-funded London Arts & Humanities Doctoral Training Partnership. These are studentships that normally cover fees and maintenance allowance (stipend).
You may apply for this award upon your first year of entry to the programme, or, if you have already commenced doctoral study, you may apply for funding for the remainder of your study, providing that, at the start of the AHRC award you will have at least 50% of the period of study remaining (excluding the ‘writing-up period’).
For information sessions and details on how to apply please visit LAHP’s website on how to apply for an open studentship.
Opens: each November
Application deadline: each January
*You may only submit ONE application to LAHP for a studentship. Although you may apply to more than one partner institution for research study, you must decide which of your chosen PhD programmes you will name on your LAHP application. If you wish to use your LAHP studentship at King’s, then the first named supervisor on your LAHP application must be from King’s College London.
London Interdisciplinary Social Science Doctoral Training Partnership (LISS DTP)
LISS DTP awards ESRC-funded postgraduate research studentships in the social sciences at three partner institutions – King’s College London, Queen Mary University of London, and Imperial College London.
ESRC studentships are only available for projects that fall substantially (>50%) within the broad social and behavioural science remit of the ESRC. Please check the criteria on their website listed below.
This funding is offered for either a 1+3 studentship (1-year Masters degree followed by a 3-year PhD) or a +3 studentship (3-year PhD). All studentships are available full-time or part-time (50%). Full-time students receive a stipend of £17,285 per annum, and their fees are paid. (Fees for International students may not be paid in full.) Additional funding for research costs of around £750 per annum is also available.
Opens: every October, check website for open date
Application deadline: every January, check website for exact deadline
More information: https://liss-dtp.ac.uk/applying-to-liss/open-competition/
Base campus
Strand Campus
Located on the north bank of the River Thames, the Strand Campus houses King's College London's arts and sciences faculties.
Our researchers are an integral part of the King’s community and fully participate in the life of the School. You will join our academic staff on the premises in Somerset House East Wing where we have a dedicated suite of hot desking spaces available to our research students. Mere minutes from the Strand Campus you will find the Maughan Library which serves as King College London’s library for law, social science, and the arts and humanities. As a King’s researcher you will also have access to the resources of other London universities including those at Senate House (home to the University of London’s research library), the British Library of Economics and Political Science at LSE, and the libraries of both Birkbeck College and the School of Oriental and African Studies in Bloomsbury. You also have access to The British Library, and The Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (IALS) - the premier legal research library in London.
The Dickson Poon School of Law has over fifty academic staff members as well as visiting professors and lecturers with practical experience. Each of our doctoral researchers is assigned two supervisors – a primary supervisor who oversees the research project and a second supervisor who provides complementary expertise. Research students are invited to attend and participate in staff seminars.
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UK Tuition Fees 2025/26
Full time tuition fees: £9,500 per year
Part time tuition fees: £4,750 per year
International Tuition Fees 2025/26
Full time tuition fees: £25,500 per year
Part time tuition fees: £12,750 per year
These tuition fees may be subject to additional increases in subsequent years of study, in line with King's terms and conditions.
Internal funding from The Dickson Poon School of Law
Please note: You MUST apply in Round 1 to be considered for any internal funding.
You may apply for as many internal funding schemes are you are eligible for. Enter each code separated by a comma.
The Dickson Poon School of Law Studentship x 1
Value of the award: This is a fully funded studentship that includes 3 years of fees + a maintenance stipend at the UKRI level.
Eligibility: Any nationality, any area of legal research.
How to apply: On the funding section of your King’s Apply Admissions Application Form, ensure you tick the box ‘Applied to a King’s funding scheme’ and enter the code below.
Award Scheme Code: LAW2025
Deadline: Apply by 1st December 2024
Centre of European Law Studentship (CEL) x 1
Value of the award: This is a fully funded studentship that includes 3 years of fees + a maintenance stipend at the UKRI level.
Eligibility: Any nationality. The subject area of proposed PhD research must relate to the centre’s research themes and European Law as broadly defined. See Centre of European Law for more information.
How to apply: On the funding section of your King’s Apply Admissions Application Form, ensure you tick the box ‘Applied to a King’s funding scheme’ and enter the code below.
Award Scheme Code: CEL2025
Deadline: Apply by 1st December 2024
Nash Scholarship (Centre for Construction Law and Dispute Resolution) x 1
Value of the award: This is a fully funded studentship that includes 3 years of fees + a maintenance stipend at the UKRI level.
Eligibility : Any nationality.
How to apply: On the funding section of your King’s Apply Admissions Application Form, ensure you tick the box ‘Applied to a King’s funding scheme’ and enter the code below.
Award Scheme Code: Nash2025
Additionally, please submit: 500 words statement explaining how you meet these criteria: a) strong experience in construction law and/or dispute resolution; (b) strong ability, potential an commitment to complete the PhD; (c) high academic achievements or equivalent practical experience
Note: This studentship is awarded by a specific Nash Scholarship Committee in conjunction with the research centre, all awards are at the discretion of the centre.
Deadline: Apply by 1st December 2024
Yeoh Tiong Lay Centre for Politics, Philosophy and Law PhD Studentship (YTL) x 1
Value of the award: This is a fully funded studentship that includes 3 years of fees + a maintenance stipend at the UKRI level.
Eligibility: Any nationality. The subject area of proposed PhD research must relate to the centre’s research themes as broadly defined. See the YTL Centre website for more information.
How to apply: On the funding section of your King’s Apply Admissions Application Form, ensure you tick the box ‘Applied to a King’s funding scheme’ and enter the code below.
Award Scheme Code: YTL2025
Deadline: Apply by 1st December 2024
King’s College London Funding
King’s-China Scholarship Council PhD Scholarship programme (K-CSC)
This opportunity supports students from China who are seeking to study an MPhil/PhD degree at King's College London.
Award Value: Full international tuition fees covered by King’s College London. From the CSC an annual living allowance (currently set at a rate of £1200-1350 per month) plus overseas student health cover, return airfare to London and visa application fees. The Scholarships are valid for up to 4 years.
Eligibility: Must be a citizen or permanent resident of the People’s Republic of China. Please check further criteria on the link below.
Application deadline & how to apply: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/study-legacy/funding/kings-china-scholarship-council-phd-scholarship-programme-k-csc
Other King’s College London Funding for PhD Students
We encourage you to check for opportunities which suit individual candidates listed on the King’s College London Postgraduate Funding Database or International Research Student Funding list.
External Funding
London Arts & Humanities Doctoral Training Partnership (LAHP DTP)
King’s College London is one of eight Higher Education Institutions (HEI) partnered with the AHRC-funded London Arts & Humanities Doctoral Training Partnership. These are studentships that normally cover fees and maintenance allowance (stipend).
You may apply for this award upon your first year of entry to the programme, or, if you have already commenced doctoral study, you may apply for funding for the remainder of your study, providing that, at the start of the AHRC award you will have at least 50% of the period of study remaining (excluding the ‘writing-up period’).
For information sessions and details on how to apply please visit LAHP’s website on how to apply for an open studentship.
Opens: each November
Application deadline: each January
*You may only submit ONE application to LAHP for a studentship. Although you may apply to more than one partner institution for research study, you must decide which of your chosen PhD programmes you will name on your LAHP application. If you wish to use your LAHP studentship at King’s, then the first named supervisor on your LAHP application must be from King’s College London.
London Interdisciplinary Social Science Doctoral Training Partnership (LISS DTP)
LISS DTP awards ESRC-funded postgraduate research studentships in the social sciences at three partner institutions – King’s College London, Queen Mary University of London, and Imperial College London.
ESRC studentships are only available for projects that fall substantially (>50%) within the broad social and behavioural science remit of the ESRC. Please check the criteria on their website listed below.
This funding is offered for either a 1+3 studentship (1-year Masters degree followed by a 3-year PhD) or a +3 studentship (3-year PhD). All studentships are available full-time or part-time (50%). Full-time students receive a stipend of £17,285 per annum, and their fees are paid. (Fees for International students may not be paid in full.) Additional funding for research costs of around £750 per annum is also available.
Opens: every October, check website for open date
Application deadline: every January, check website for exact deadline
More information: https://liss-dtp.ac.uk/applying-to-liss/open-competition/
Base campus
Strand Campus
Located on the north bank of the River Thames, the Strand Campus houses King's College London's arts and sciences faculties.
Our researchers are an integral part of the King’s community and fully participate in the life of the School. You will join our academic staff on the premises in Somerset House East Wing where we have a dedicated suite of hot desking spaces available to our research students. Mere minutes from the Strand Campus you will find the Maughan Library which serves as King College London’s library for law, social science, and the arts and humanities. As a King’s researcher you will also have access to the resources of other London universities including those at Senate House (home to the University of London’s research library), the British Library of Economics and Political Science at LSE, and the libraries of both Birkbeck College and the School of Oriental and African Studies in Bloomsbury. You also have access to The British Library, and The Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (IALS) - the premier legal research library in London.
The Dickson Poon School of Law has over fifty academic staff members as well as visiting professors and lecturers with practical experience. Each of our doctoral researchers is assigned two supervisors – a primary supervisor who oversees the research project and a second supervisor who provides complementary expertise. Research students are invited to attend and participate in staff seminars.
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Key information
Award:
MPhil
PhD
Study mode:
Full time
Part time
Campus:
Strand Campus
Law Research Team
Use the links below to email us if you require guidance or have queries; explore and contact supervisors; or submit your application when you are ready to apply.
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