School of Law
- Head of School:Professor Hilary Biehler
- Director of Teaching & Learning (Postgraduate):Dr Neville Cox
- Telephone:+ 353-1-896 1125
- Fax:+353-1-677 0449
- Email:mccabek@tcd.ie
- Url:www.tcd.ie/Law
- How to apply: Please see links below
School Description:
Trinity College Law School, founded in 1740, is Ireland’s oldest and most internationally renowned Law School. It has a distinguished team of professors and lecturers and, with the most academically demanding undergraduate admission requirements of any law school in the Republic of Ireland, a student population of over 510 undergraduates and approximately 170 postgraduates of the highest calibre.
The Law School is strongly committed to maintaining and further developing its reputation for rigorous legal scholarship and research, both in a national and international context. In summary it seeks to serve society through education, research and public service and to promote standards of excellence in all its activities. Many staff and student members are heavily involved with the governmental, commercial and voluntary sectors both nationally and internationally, in areas such as children’s rights, constitutional law reform, environmental policy, legal aid, law reform, minority rights, public interest and pro bono litigation, social welfare policy and women’s rights.
Research Programmes
The Law School also offers a Ph.D. degree programme and has a reputation for excellence in terms of research supervision. It currently has around 60 students registered for M.Litt./Ph.D. degrees across a wide range of subjects some of whom have formed into research groupings. Seminars are organised on a regular basis to provide a forum for postgraduate research students to present and discuss their work. A student registered for the degree of M.Litt. is required to carry out research under the supervision of a full-time member of the academic staff in a legal topic. It is required that students should complete an M.Litt. in two years and a Ph.D. in four years. Students intending to complete a Ph.D. thesis may apply for admission directly to the Ph.D. register, but must be confirmed on the register following a confirmation hearing and submission of a confirmation report typically in their second year on the register. Alternatively a student who is admitted onto the M.Litt. register may apply (typically in the second year of study) to be transferred to the Ph.D. register and may be transferred on foot of such application following a transfer hearing and submission of a transfer report.
Applications may also be made by graduates of the University of Dublin of not less than eight years standing for the degree of Doctor in Laws (LL.D.). This degree may be awarded to candidates who are judged to have made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of knowledge as evidenced by the publication of their work of high academic distinction. The level of attainment required for such a higher doctorate is substantially higher than that required for the degree of Ph.D.
Applicants wishing to apply for retrospective admission to the previous March or September register should contact the Graduate Studies Office by emailing research.admissions