Research Programmes – Ph.D. and M.Litt

The School of Law has a reputation for excellence in terms of research supervision. We offer two postgraduate research degrees, the M.Litt (Master in Letters) and the Ph.D. (Doctor in Philosophy).

We have a vibrant population of approximately 45 postgraduate research students who are engaged in research across a wide range of law subjects. Each student is guided in their research by an academic supervisor who has expertise in the relevant research area. A central dedicated shared workspace is exclusively available for a limited full-time postgraduate research students which is adjoined by a seminar room.

A Ph.D. normally takes between 3-4 years of full-time research and writing to complete, subject to satisfactory progress being demonstrated annually via Annual Progress reports (Year 1 and 3), the confirmation interview (year 2) and viva-voce examination (year 4). Students must also complete the mandatory Postgraduate Legal Research module (10 ECTS) and Research Integrity module (5 ECTS).

The M.Litt. degree generally takes between 1-2 years of full-time research, subject to satisfactory progress being demonstrated via Annual Progress reports (Year 1) and final examination.

If you seek admission to the Ph.D or M.Litt register, please consult the Admissions page and "Writing A Research Proposal for Legal Postgraduate Research at The School of Law" guidelines. You may also wish to consult the full-time academic staff listing for further information on potential supervisors.

Postgraduate Legal Research Module

Postgraduate research students commencing the M.Litt. or Ph.D. programme must complete a 10 ECTS taught module on Postgraduate Legal Research in the first semester of their studies, involving two hours of compulsory lectures per week.  The aim of this compulsory module is to support research students in establishing a solid foundation for their research and writing. The module is conducted as a small group seminar and brings together students and members of the Law School staff for discussion on a range of themes related to legal research.

Lecturer: Professor Oran Doyle, Dr David Kenny

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this module, students should be able to:

• Formulate a research question;
• Identify the type of claim that their thesis will make and the type of method necessary to support that claim;
• Articulate in detail the substantive objectives of their research;
• Demonstrate effective legal research skills in coursework including the use of electronic resources;
• Demonstrate advanced legal writing skills in coursework;
• Present research findings in oral and written form to a peer audience.
• Complete the IRCHSS funding application process;
• Establish a system for the management of references.

Teaching: 2 hours of lectures per week during the first semester.

Assessment: The module will be assessed on a pass/fail basis with three components. You must pass each component. You will see that the assessments largely involve the ability to write and talk about your research

• 1. IRC application
• 2. Class participation component
• 3. Oral presentation of your research topic

A series of research seminars is organised each year at the School of Law. Attendance is open to all Postgraduate research students as well as to Law School academic staff. These seminars are an invaluable way to learn how academics present their work and will also provide you with an opportunity to engage with cutting edge scholarship. Participation will also enhance students’ academic and social experience at the Law School. Further information will be provided throughout the academic year.

Postgraduate students will also be invited to guest lectures, forums and seminars within the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences and Long Room Hub throughout the year.

LERU European Exchange Programme

To enrich their doctoral studies experience and to facilitate the international mobility of Ph.D candidates, Ph.D candidates at the School of Law are fortunate to have the possibility of spending part of their doctoral studies abroad. The School of Law, Trinity College Dublin has joined with a number of select partner universities of law faculties within the prestigious League of European Research Universities to offer an exchange scheme. The exchange scheme is aimed specifically at permitting Ph.D. candidates to spend up to eight weeks abroad at certain partner LERU institution within Europe.

We are unable to accept applications from visiting postgraduate research students outside of the LERU European Exchange Programme. However, postgraduate students from other universities can apply to access the University's Library.